Front Steering Knuckle: Service and Repair
REMOVAL1. Raise vehicle on jackstands or centered on a frame contact type hoist. Refer to Vehicle Lifting.
2. Remove the front wheel and tire assembly from the vehicle.
3. Remove the front caliper assembly from the front steering knuckle assembly. Refer to Front Disc Brake Service in Brakes and Traction Control for caliper removal procedure.
4. Remove front rotor from hub.
5. Remove screw attaching wheel speed sensor head to steering knuckle. Speed sensor head should be removed from steering knuckle, to avoid damage to speed sensor by outer Constant Velocity (C/V) joint when hub and bearing is removed.
6. Carefully, remove sensor head from steering knuckle. If the sensor has seized, due to corrosion, DO NOT USE PLIERS ON SENSOR HEAD. Use a hammer and punch to tap edge of sensor ear, rocking sensor side to side until free.
7. Remove the hub and bearing to stub axle retaining nut.
8. Remove the 3 steering knuckle to hub and bearing assembly attaching bolts.
CAUTION: If metal sealon hub and bearing assembly is seized to steering knuckle and becomes dislodged on hub and bearing assembly during bearing removal the hub and bearing assembly MUST not be reused and MUST be replaced with a new hub and bearing assembly. Also if flinger discbecomes damaged (bent or dented) during removal, hub and bearing assembly must be replaced with a new hub and bearing assembly.
9. Remove hub and bearing assembly from steering knuckle. It is removed by sliding it straight out of steering knuckle and off end of stub axle. If hub and bearing assembly will not slide out of knuckle, insert a pry bar between hub and bearing assembly and steering knuckle and gently pry hub and bearing from knuckle. If stub shaft is frozen to hub and bearing assembly tap end of stub shaft with soft face hammer to free it from hub and bearing spline.
10. Remove the ball joint stud to steering knuckle attaching nut and bolt.
CAUTION: When lower control arm is separated from steering knuckle, do not let ball joint seal hit up against steering knuckle. If ball joint seal hits steering knuckle, seal damage may occur. If ball joint seal becomes torn, replace seal before assembling lower control arm to knuckle.
11. Carefully insert a pry bar between lower control arm and steering knuckle. Push down on pry bar to separate ball joint stud from steering knuckle.
CAUTION: The strut assembly to steering knuckle bolts are serrated where they go through strut assembly and steering knuckle. When removing bolts, turn nuts off bolts DO NOT TURN BOLTS IN STEERING KNUCKLE. If bolts are turned damage to steering knuckle will result.
12. Remove the strut assembly to steering knuckle attaching bolts.
13. Remove the steering knuckle from the vehicle.
INSTALLATION
1. Install steering knuckle on ball joint stud. Install steering knuckle to lower ball joint attaching bolt and nut into steering knuckle. Tighten the attaching bolt to a torque of 55 Nm (40 ft. lbs.).
2. Position steering knuckle into strut assembly.
CAUTION: The strut assembly to steering knuckle bolts are serrated were they go through strut assembly and steering knuckle. When installing bolts, turn nuts onto bolts DO NOT TURN BOLTS IN STEERING KNUCKLE. If bolts are turned damage to steering knuckle will result.
3. Install the strut assembly to steering knuckle attaching bolts. Install nuts on attaching bolts. Tighten the strut clevis to steering knuckle attaching bolt nuts to a torque of 203 Nm (150 ft. lbs.).
CAUTION: Hub and bearing assembly mounting surfaces on steering knuckle and halfshaft must be smooth and completely free of foreign material or nicks. When installing hub and bearing assembly into steering knuckle, be careful not to damage the flinger discon hub and bearing assembly. If flinger disc becomes damaged, hub and bearing assembly MUST not be used and MUST be replaced with a new hub and bearing assembly.
4. Install hub and bearing assembly onto stub shaft and into steering knuckle until squarely seated on face of steering knuckle.
5. Install the 3 steering knuckle to hub and bearing assembly attaching bolts. Equally tighten all 3 mounting bolts until hub and bearing assembly is squarely seated against front of steering knuckle. Then tighten all 3 hub and bearing assembly mounting bolts to a torque of 110 Nm (80 ft. lbs.).
CAUTION: The hub and bearing assembly to stub shaft retaining nut is a prevailing torque nut and can not be reused. A NEW retaining nut MUST be used when assembled.
6. Install a NEW hub and bearing assembly to stub shaft retaining nut. Tighten, but do not torque the hub nut at this time.
7. Coat speed sensor head with High Temperature Multipurpose E. P. Grease before installing into the steering knuckle. Install speed sensor head into steering knuckle. Install screw and tighten to a torque of 7 Nm (60 inch lbs.).
8. Install the braking disk back on the hub and bearing assembly.
9. Install front brake caliper on steering knuckle. Refer to Front Disc Brake Service in Brakes and Traction Control for caliper installation procedure. Install the caliper to steering knuckle attaching bolts and tighten them to a torque of 19 Nm (168 inch lbs.).
10. Install wheel and tire assembly on vehicle. Tighten the wheel mounting stud nuts in proper sequence until all nuts are torqued to half specification. Then repeat the tightening sequence to the full specified torque of 129 Nm (95 ft. lbs.).
11. Lower vehicle to the ground.
CAUTION: When torquing hub and bearing assembly to stub shaft retaining nut, do not exceed the maximum torque of 163 Nm ± 14 Nm (120 ft. lbs. ± 10 ft. lbs.). If the maximum torque is exceeded this may result in a failure of the drive shaft.
12. Apply the brakes to keep the vehicle from moving, then tighten the NEW stub axle retaining nut to a torque of 163 N m ± 14 Nm (120 ft. lbs. ± 10 ft. lbs.).