Removal and Installation

REMOVAL
1. Remove air cleaner assembly and fresh air duct.
2. Remove battery and battery tray, then transaxle ground strap bolts and straps.
3. Disconnect Vehicle Speed Sensor (VSS) electrical connector from top RH rear corner of transaxle.
4. Disconnect Park/Neutral Position (PNP) switch electrical connector from lower front of transaxle.
5. Disconnect back-up lamp switch electrical connector from rear of transaxle.
6. Disconnect two spring clips from clutch slave cylinder line. It is not necessary to disconnect clutch slave cylinder line from slave cylinder.
7. Remove two slave cylinder attaching bolts and position slave cylinder aside.
8. Install engine support tool No. 014-00750 or equivalent, then remove upper transaxle to engine attaching bolts.
9. Remove two upper starter motor bolts. It is not necessary to disconnect fuel lines from fuel filter.
10. Remove two fuel filter attaching nuts and position fuel filter aside.
11. Remove two nuts and through bolt from lefthand transaxle mount.
12. Raise and support vehicle.
13. On models equipped with 2.0L/121 engine, remove intake manifold support bracket bolts, then bracket.
14. On all models, disconnect S-terminal wire nut.
15. Remove B-terminal wire nut, then disconnect B-terminal wire.
16. Remove lower starter motor bolt, then starter.
17. Drain transaxle fluid into suitable container, then discard drain plug washer.
18. Remove front tire and wheel assemblies.
19. Unstake halfshaft attaching nuts. Remove and discard halfshaft attaching nuts.
20. Remove lower splash shields.
21. Remove six transverse member bolts, then lower transverse member from vehicle.
22. Remove bolt and nut from lefthand lower ball joint. Pry lower arm down to separate ball joint from knuckle.
23. Pull lower edge of spindle outward to separate it from end of halfshaft.
24. Use prybar to remove end of lefthand halfshaft from transaxle case. Pry between transaxle case and halfshaft.
25. Install transaxle plug tool No. T-88C-7025-AH or equivalent. Failure to install transaxle plugs may allow differential side gears to become misaligned.
26. Remove other end of halfshaft from steering knuckle and remove from vehicle.
27. On models equipped with Antilock Brake System (ABS), remove clips from wheel speed sensor and wheel speed sensor nuts from wheel speed sensor harness mount on lefthand side of vehicle.
28. On models equipped with 2.5L/V6-152 engine, proceed as follows:
a. Disconnect both Heated Oxygen Sensor (HO2S) electrical connectors.
b. Remove three converter inlet pipe to exhaust manifold nuts from both exhaust converter inlet pipes. Discard nuts.
c. Lower exhaust system far enough to gain access to righthand halfshaft support bearing.
29. On all models, remove three halfshaft support bearing bolts.
30. On models equipped with ABS, remove clips from wheel speed sensor and wheel speed sensor nuts from wheel speed sensor harness mount on lefthand side of vehicle.
31. On all models, remove nut and bolt from righthand lower ball joint.
32. Pry lower arm down to separate ball joint from knuckle.
33. Pull lower edge of spindle outward to separate it from halfshaft. Failure to install transaxle plugs may allow differential side gears to become misaligned.
34. Pull righthand halfshaft from transaxle case and install transaxle plug tool No. T88C-7025-AH, or equivalent.
35. Remove six nuts and two bolts from transaxle cradle.
36. Disconnect transaxle shift linkage and extension bar from transaxle.
37. Remove three rear transaxle mount to transaxle bolts. Support transaxle with transmission jack.
38. Remove three rear transaxle mount bolts and rear transaxle mount.
39. Remove lower transaxle to engine attaching bolts, then separate transaxle from engine and lower transaxle from vehicle.

INSTALLATION
1. Reverse procedure to install, noting the following:
2. Apply a thin coating of clutch grease or equivalent to the spline of the input shaft.
3. Install a new washer on transaxle drain plug.
4. Install new halfshaft retaining nuts.