Axle Shaft: Service and Repair
REMOVALCAUTION: The driveshaft, when installed, acts as a bolt and secures the front hub/bearing assembly. If vehicle is to be supported or moved on its wheels with a driveshaft removed, install a PROPER-SIZED BOLT AND NUT through front hub. Tighten bolt and nut to 244 Nm (180 ft. lbs.). This will ensure that the hub bearing cannot loosen.
Fig. 1:
1. Remove cotter pin, nut lock, and spring washer from the end of the outer Constant Velocity (C/V) joint stub axle.
Fig. 2:
2. Loosen (but do not remove) stub axle to hub/ bearing retaining nut. Loosen hub nut while vehicle is on the floor with the brakes applied. The front hub and driveshaft are splined together and retained by the hub nut.
3. Raise vehicle on jack stands or centered on a frame contact type hoist.
4. Remove front tire and wheel assembly from the hub.
Fig. 3:
5. Remove front disc brake caliper assembly to steering knuckle guide pin attaching bolts.
Fig. 4:
6. Remove disc brake caliper assembly from steering knuckle. Caliper is removed by first lifting bottom of caliper away from steering knuckle, and then removing top of caliper out from under steering knuckle.
Fig. 5:
7. Support brake caliper/adapter assembly using a wire hook. Do not support assembly by the brake flex hose.
8. Remove braking disc from front hub.
Fig. 6:
9. Remove nut attaching outer tie rod end to steering knuckle. Remove nut from tie rod end by holding tie rod end stud with a 11/32 socket and loosen and remove nut.
Fig. 7:
10. Remove the tie rod end stud from steering knuckle arm, using remover, Special Tool MB-990635.
Fig. 8:
11. If equipped with antilock brakes, remove the speed sensor cable routing bracket from the steering knuckle.
Fig. 9:
12. Remove cotter pin and castle nut from stud of lower ball joint at the steering knuckle.
CAUTION: No tool is to be inserted between the steering knuckle and the lower ball joint to separate stud of lower ball joint from the steering knuckle. The steering knuckle is to be separated from the stud of the ball joint only using the procedure as described in Step 13.
Fig. 10:
13. Turn steering knuckle so the front of the steering knuckle is facing as far outboard in the wheel well as possible. Using a hammer strike steering knuckle boss until steering knuckle separates from stud of lower ball joint. When striking steering knuckle, care MUST be taken not to hit lower control arm or ball joint grease seal.
NOTE: Care must be taken not to separate the inner C/V joint during this operation. Do not allow driveshaft to hang by inner C/V joint. Driveshaft must be supported.
Fig. 11:
14. Pull steering knuckle assembly out and away from outer C/V joint of the driveshaft assembly.
CAUTION: When inserting pry bar between inner tripod joint and transaxle case, care must be used to ensure no damage occurs to oil seal in transaxle case.
Fig. 12:
15. Support the outer end of the driveshaft assembly. Insert a pry bar between inner tripod joint and transaxle case. Pry against inner tripod joint, until tripod joint retaining snap ring is disengaged from transaxle side gear.
Fig. 13:
16. Hold inner tripod joint and interconnecting shaft of driveshaft assembly. Remove inner tripod joint from transaxle, by pulling it straight out of transaxle side gear and transaxle oil seal. When removing tripod joint, do not let spline or snap ring drag across sealing lip of the transaxle to tripod joint oil seal.
CAUTION: The driveshaft, when installed, acts as a bolt and secures the front hub/bearing assembly. If vehicle is to be supported or moved on its wheels with a driveshaft removed, install a PROPER-SIZED BOLT AND NUT through front hub. Tighten bolt and nut to 244 Nm (180 ft. lbs.). This will ensure that the hub bearing cannot loosen.
INSTALLATION
1. Thoroughly clean spline and oil seal sealing surface, on tripod joint. Lightly lubricate oil seal sealing surface on tripod joint with fresh clean transmission lubricant.
2. Holding driveshaft assembly by tripod joint and interconnecting shaft, install tripod joint into transaxle side gear as far as possible by hand.
3. Grasp inner tripod joint an interconnecting shaft. Forcefully push the tripod joint into side gear of transaxle, until snap ring is engaged with transaxle side gear. Test that snap ring is fully engaged with side gear by attempting to remove tripod joint from transaxle by hand. If snap ring is fully engaged with side gear, tripod joint will not be removable by hand.
4. Clean all debris and moisture out of steering knuckle, in the area were outer C/V joint will be installed into steering knuckle.
Fig. 14:
5. Ensure that front of outer C/V joint which fits against the face of the hub and bearing is free of debris and moisture before installing outer C/V joint into hub and bearing assembly.
Fig. 15:
6. Slide driveshaft back into front hub. Then install steering knuckle onto the lower control arm ball joint stud.
Fig. 16:
7. Install the steering knuckle to ball joint stud castle nut. Tighten the castle nut to 95 Nm (70 ft. lbs.).
Fig. 17:
8. If equipped with antilock brakes, install the speed sensor cable on the steering knuckle and securely tighten bolt.
Fig. 18:
Fig. 19:
9. Install tie rod end into the steering knuckle. Start tie rod end to steering knuckle nut onto stud of' tie rod end. While holding stud of tie rod end stationary, tighten tie rod end to steering knuckle nut. Using a crowfoot and 11/32 socket, tighten the nut to 61 Nm (45 ft. lbs.).
10. Install braking disc back on hub and bearing assembly.
Fig. 20:
11. Install disc brake caliper assembly on steering knuckle. Caliper is installed by first sliding top of' caliper under top abutment on steering knuckle. Then installing bottom of caliper against bottom abutment of steering knuckle.
Fig. 21:
12. Install caliper assembly to steering knuckle guide pin bolts. Tighten caliper assembly bolts to 31 Nm (23 ft. lbs.).
Fig. 22:
13. Clean all foreign matter from the threads of the outer C/V joint stub axle. Install hub nut onto threads of stub axle and tighten nut..
Fig. 23:
14. With vehicle brakes applied to keep braking disc from turning, tighten hub nut to 244 Nm (180 ft. lbs.).
Fig. 24:
15. Install the spring washer, hub nut lock, and new cotter pin on end of stub axle. Wrap cotter pin prongs tightly around the hub nut lock.
Fig. 25:
16. Install front wheel and tire assembly. Install front wheel lug nuts and tighten in the correct sequence. Tighten lug nuts to 135 Nm (100 ft. lbs.).
17. Lower vehicle.
18. Check for correct fluid level in transaxle assembly.
19. Set front toe on vehicle to required specification.