Page E-3
Repair and Service Manual
B
B
FRONT SUSPENSION AND STEERING
Read all of Section B and this section before attempting any procedure. Pay particular attention to Notices, Cautions, Warnings and Dangers.
Failure of a single spring will result in overstressing the other
spring, therefore it is good practice to replace the front springs
as a set.
Lift and support front of vehicle. (See SAFETY section.)
Support front axle with jack stands.
Remove the front wheels.
Remove the hardware (12) securing the front oQty.f the
damaged leaf spring to the axle (2) (Ref Fig. 1).
Pull the top of the floor mat down. Locate and remove
the hardware (13) securing the rear of the spring to the
vehicle frame.
Install a new spring by first attaching the rear of the
spring to the vehicle frame with hardware (13) and then
installing the front of the leaf spring to the axle with hard-
ware (12).
Repeat for the other side.
If a spring is replaced, the axle will need to be aligned to the
frame. Unless the axle has been replaced, this will not affect
the wheel alignment. It is always good practice to check the
wheel alignment any time the front-end components are
replaced or adjusted.
When springs are replaced, the front axle must be
aligned to the frame. The distance from the center bolt
at rear of left spring to the center bolt at front of right
spring must be the same as the distance from the center
bolt at rear of right spring to the center bolt at front of left
spring. (Ref Fig. 2) Tighten the spring hardware to 35 -
50 ft. lbs. (50 - 70 Nm) torque.
Replace front wheels per WHEELS AND TIRES section
and lower vehicle.
Tie Rod, Wheel Bearing and King Pin Inspec-
tion
Grasp the tie rod and check for any vertical motion
which would indicate a worn condition and require
replacement. Grasp the top and bottom of the wheel and
use a rocking motion to check for excessive king pin or
wheel bearing movement which indicates a worn or
loose condition.
Tie Rod Replacement
Tool List
Qty.
Wheel chocks .............................................................. 4
Floor jack..................................................................... 1
Jack stands ..................................................................2
Pliers............................................................................1
Impact wrench .............................................................1
Impact socket, 3/4" ......................................................1
Impact socket, 11/16"...................................................1
Torque wrench, ft. lbs...................................................1
Ball joint separator .......................................................1
Wrench, 3/4" ................................................................1
Lift and support front of vehicle per SAFETY section.
Remove front wheels.
Remove the nut (1) from the ball joint (2) (Ref Fig. 3).
Insert a ball joint separator between the ball joint and the
linkage and separate the ball joint from the linkage at
both ends.
Fig. 3 Tie Rod Replacement
A worn tie rod is likely to be out of adjustment. The vehicle will
require a wheel alignment before being returned to service.
(Ref Fig. 12)
Adjust tie rod to 12 1/2" (31.7 cm) between center of tie
rod ends and install in reverse order of disassembly.
(Ref Fig. 3) The nut (1) should be tightened to 35 ft. lbs.
(50 Nm) torque.
Once the tie rod has been replaced, the front wheel toe-
in will need to be checked and adjusted as necessary.
See ‘Wheel Alignment’ later in this section.
STEERING
Steering Wheel Replacement
Tool List
Qty.
Phillips screwdriver ......................................................1
Socket, 15/16" .............................................................1
Ratchet ........................................................................1
Plastic faced hammer ..................................................1
NOTICE
NOTICE
12
1/2
"
(31
.7 c
m)
Front of Vehicle
1
2
NOTICE
Summary of Contents for EXPRESS L4
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