Steering Knuckles - 4wd GMC Suburban I

BALL JOINT TURNING EFFORT

Note. Front axle ball joint adjustment is only necessary when there is excessive play in steering, irregular wear on tire or persistent loosening of tie rod.

Scheme 17

1. Raise and support vehicle. Remove wheel and tire assembly. Install Axle Shaft Boot Seal Protector (J-28712) on axle shaft boot to protect boot during repair. Depress brake caliper piston, detach brake caliper and wire aside. Remove brake rotor.
2. Remove cotter pin and retainer (if equipped) from axle shaft nut. Remove nut and washer from axle shaft. Remove cotter pin and tie rod end nut. Separate tie rod end from steering knuckle. (Scheme 17)
3. Attach puller to hub. Tighten pressure screw, and force axle shaft from hub and bearing assembly. Remove hub and bearing assembly from steering knuckle. Remove splash shield. Support lower control arm using floor jack or jackstand. CAUTION: Support lower control arm with floor jack or jackstand to maintain tension on torsion bar.
4. Remove cotter pins from ball joint studs.
5. Separate ball joint from steering knuckle using Ball Joint Separator (J-36607). Remove steering knuckle from vehicle without damaging or moving axle shaft. Remove seal from steering knuckle.

Installation

1. To install, reverse removal procedure. Install NEW seal into steering knuckle using Seal Installer (J-36606).
2. Tighten the bolts and nuts to proper specification. See «TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS»(/gmc/suburban/i-1992-1999/remont/manual-power-steering/#steering-knuckles-4wd__torque-specifications) . If necessary, tighten tie rod and ball joint nuts to align cotter key hole. DO NOT loosen nuts for alignment. Remove boot protector from axle shaft.

TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS

TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS

See also:
• TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS