Front Suspension: Removal & Installation Chevrolet Tracker II

Removal & Installation

1. Raise and support vehicle. Remove front wheel. Remove skid plate (if equipped). Support control arm using floor jack. Using a Ball Joint Remover (J-22888-D), separate ball joint from control arm. Disconnect stabilizer link from control arm by removing one nut. Slowly lower floor jack, and remove coil spring from vehicle.
2. To install coil spring, reverse removal procedure. Ensure large end of coil spring is installed at bottom. Tighten all nuts and bolts to specification. See «TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS»(ref-99086-S37930727212001061600000) .

Removal

1. Raise and support vehicle. Remove front wheel. Remove caliper from steering knuckle and support with wire. Remove disc rotor. If rotor cannot be removed by hand, install two 8-mm bolts into threaded holes. As 8-mm bolts are alternately tightened, rotor will be forced off.
2. Remove hub end cover. Using Wheel Bearing Socket (J-37763), remove wheel bearing lock nut.
3. On 4WD, (or if 2WD does not easily remove) use slide hammer and Adaptor (J-37781) to remove hub and bearing. On 2WD, remove washer and bearing. Slide hub assembly off spindle. Remove inner grease seal, snap ring and inner wheel bearing.

Installation

To install, reverse removal procedure. Prior to reinstalling inner seal, apply Wheel Bearing Lubricant (1051344 or 993037), to inner seal lip and into inner seal hollow. Verify lubricant fills more than 60 percent of vacant space. Using Wheel Bearing Socket (J-37763), install bearing lock nut and tighten to 159 ft. lbs. (216 N.m). To complete installation, reverse removal procedures. See TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS .

Scheme 2

1. Raise and support vehicle. Remove front wheels. Remove disc brake caliper, and suspend with wire. Remove brake rotor, hub and bearing assembly. See «WHEEL BEARING & HUB»(ref-99086-S09053926492001061600000) . Remove dust shield. Remove spindle from steering knuckle by tapping with a soft hammer. Place floor jack under lower control arm.
2. Remove steering knuckle-to-strut bolts. Disconnect tie rod end from steering knuckle. Remove castle nut from ball joint and separate ball joint from knuckle using a Ball Joint Remover (J-24319-B). Remove steering knuckle. It is not necessary to remove floor jack except to remove coil spring or lower control arm. See «LOWER CONTROL ARM & BALL JOINT»(ref-99086-S12227813092001061600000) . Remove grease seal from steering knuckle.

To install, reverse removal procedure. Tighten bolts to specification. See TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS . Check wheel alignment. See appropriate SPECIFICATIONS & PROCEDURES article in WHEEL ALIGNMENT.

Remove coil spring. See COIL SPRING . Remove lower control arm-to-frame bolts. Remove lower control arm. To remove ball joint, remove 3 ball joint attaching bolts and nuts. Remove ball joint.

Connect lower control arm onto crossmember. Partially tighten bolts. To complete installation, reverse removal procedure. Lower vehicle and bounce vehicle to settle suspension. Tighten lower control arm-to-frame bolts to specification. See TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS . Check wheel alignment. See appropriate SPECIFICATIONS & PROCEDURES article in WHEEL ALIGNMENT.

1. Raise and support vehicle. Allow suspension to hang freely. Support control arm with floor jack. Remove wheels. Disconnect brake caliper hose bracket from strut.
2. Scribe mating marks on strut and steering knuckle for installation reference. Remove strut-to-steering knuckle nuts and bolts. Remove strut-to-body mounting nuts at strut tower. Slowly lower floor jack. Remove strut assembly.

To install, reverse removal procedure. Align mating marks made during removal. Tighten all nuts and bolts to specification. See TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS . Check wheel alignment. See appropriate SPECIFICATIONS & PROCEDURES article in WHEEL ALIGNMENT.

1. Raise and support vehicle. Remove skid plate. Remove wheels. Disconnect left and right stabilizer links from stabilizer bar.
2. Disconnect right and left stabilizer brackets from body. Remove stabilizer bar from vehicle. To install, reverse removal procedure. Do not fully tighten bolts and nuts until all stabilizer bolts and nuts have been installed. Tighten stabilizer bar-to-link nuts first then tighten stabilizer bar mounting bracket bolts and nuts to specification. See «TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS»(ref-99086-S37930727212001061600000) .