Rear Cross-Member: Service and Repair
REAR SUSPENSION CROSS-MEMBERREMOVAL
1. Raise vehicle on jack stands or centered on a frame contact type hoist. Refer to Vehicle Lifting.
2. Remove both rear wheel and tire assemblies from the vehicle.
Fig. 15:
3. Remove the shock absorber clevis bracket to rear knuckle attaching bolt and nut on both sides of the vehicle (Fig.15).
Fig. 16:
4. Remove muffler support bracket from rear frame rail (Fig.16).
Fig. 17:
5. Remove the rear exhaust pipe hanger from the rear suspension crossmember (Fig.17). Let exhaust system drop down as far as possible.
Fig. 18:
6. Position a transmission jack and wooden block under the center of the rear suspension crossmember to support and lower crossmember during removal (Fig.18).
Fig. 19:
7. If vehicle is equipped with antilock brakes, remove routing clips for wheel speed sensor cable from brackets on upper control arm (Fig.19).
8. Remove the nuts and bolts on each side of vehicle attaching the 4 lateral links to the knuckles.
Fig. 20:
9. Disconnect the clips attaching line bundle to crossmember (Fig.20).
Fig. 21:
10. Remove the 4 bolts attaching the rear suspension crossmember to rear frame rails (Fig. 21).
Fig. 22:
11. Lower the rear suspension crossmember enough to access the upper control arm pivot bar to crossmember attaching bolts (Fig.22). Remove the 4 bolts attaching the upper control arms to the suspension crossmember. Remove the control arms from the crossmember.
12. Lower the rear suspension crossmember, lateral arms and stabilizer bar as far as possible using the transmission jack. Then with the aid of a helper remove rear suspension crossmember from the vehicle.
NOTE: When installing the lateral links on the crossmember, the lateral link attaching bolts must be installed as listed below. Install the forward lateral link to crossmember bolts so that the head of the bolt will be toward the front of the vehicle when the crossmember is installed. Install the rear lateral link to crossmember bolts so that the threaded end of the bolt will be facing toward the front of the vehicle when the crossmember is installed.
13. Transfer the lateral links, stabilizer bar mounting brackets and the stabilizer bar and bushings to the replacement crossmember before installing the replacement crossmember in the vehicle.
Tighten the stabilizer bar mounting bracket to rear crossmember mounting bolts to 27 N.m (20 ft.lbs.) torque. Tighten the 4 lateral link to crossmember attaching bolts to 95 N.m (80 ft.lbs.) torque.
INSTALLATION
1. Install the rear suspension crossmember, lateral arms and rear stabilizer bar back into the vehicle as an assembly.
2. With the aid of a helper position rear suspension crossmember back in vehicle and support it using the transmission jack.
3. Align the upper control arm pivot bars with the mounting holes in the rear suspension crossmember. Install and tighten the 4 pivot bar to crossmember attaching bolts (Fig.22) to 107 N.m (80 ft.lbs.) torque.
CAUTION: While raising crossmember use care not to pinch any lines.
4. Using transmission jack, raise rear suspension crossmember up to the rear frame rails and loosely install the 4 attaching bolts.
5. Connect line bundle clips to crossmember (Fig.20).
Fig. 23:
6. Position a drift of the appropriate size into the positioning hole in each side of rear suspension cross-member and locating holes in the frame rail of the body. (Fig. 23). This is required to properly position rear suspension crossmember side-to-side and front-to-rear in the body of the vehicle.
Then tighten the 4 crossmember to frame rail attaching bolts to 95 N.m (70 ft.lbs.) torque. Remove drifts from rear suspension crossmember.
7. Align lateral links with knuckles and install the lateral arm to knuckle attaching bolts.
Tighten the 4 lateral arm to spindle attaching bolts to 95 N.m (70 ft.lbs.) torque.
8. Remove transmission jack supporting rear suspension crossmember.
9. Install muffler support bracket on rear frame rail (Fig.16). Install rear exhaust pipe hanger on rear suspension crossmember (Fig.17).
10. If vehicle is equipped with antilock brakes, install the wheel speed sensor cable routing clip on upper control arm mounting bracket (Fig.19). Install and securely tighten attaching bolt.
11. 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 129 N.m (95 ft.lbs.) torque.
12. Lower vehicle to the ground.
13. Check and reset if required, rear wheel alignment to meet the preferred specifications.