Rear Suspension
Rear Suspension Components (Part 1 Of 4):
Rear Suspension Components (Part 2 Of 4):
Rear Suspension Components (Part 3 Of 4):
Rear Suspension Components (Part 4 Of 4):
Disassembly
NOTE: During removal and installation procedures, refer to the illustration above and the information below.
1. Remove rear wheel, engine guard for engine/transmission and rear underbody panel.
2. Undo drive shaft mounting at wheel, actuating the brakes at the same time.
NOTE:
- As considerable force is needed to move the drive shaft in the teeth of the wheel hub, push the drive shaft out of the hub using a wheel hub puller.
- At this stage, it is not yet possible to pull the drive shaft out completely.
3. Remove cover from control arm 1/5 (unclip).
4. Remove mounting screw from ground lead and rpm sensor combination plug (arrows) at wheel carrier.
- Unclip wires from wheel carrier (No. 1) and on handbrake cable.
- Remove rpm sensor.
5. Remove brake caliper from wheel carrier and suspend inside wheel housing.
6. Undo stabilizer mount from stabilizer bar (lock with open-ended wrench).
- Remove stabilizer clamp.
NOTE:
- The stabilizer mount remains assembled to the strut.
- It is not necessary to remove the stabilizer.
7. Remove handbrake cable (Refer to note below before removal).
Procedure:
- Remove cassette box and cover above handbrake lever.
- Separate lock nut and adjustment nut (No. 1) from tie rod (No. 2) and unbolt completely.
- Remove retainer (No. 3) from support pin (No. 4) of handbrake lever and remove support pin.
- Take out handbrake lever (complete with pull rod).
- Disengage tab washer (No. 5) of handbrake cables from retaining lug (No. 6) on upper and lower side.
- Disconnect corresponding handbrake cable and pull out of guide in rearward direction.
NOTE:
- The handbrake cable may remain installed when the wheel bearing, the wheel carrier or the wheel hub is replaced.
- In this case, unbolt brake disc and parking brake assembly instead.
8. Mark position of eccentric bolts A and B as well as eccentric washer C 11 for reinstallation.
- Then remove eccentric B.
NOTE:
- Eccentric bolts A and B are identical.
- The eccentric bolts A and B must therefore be marked in such a way that they may be refitted to the correct control arm during reassembly.
9. Remove control arm 3, undoing lock nut on wheel carrier and pressing off ball joint with Special Tool 9560.
- Then (after having removed control arm 3) unbolt all control arms from wheel carrier. (Do not yet unscrew lock nuts completely)
- When undoing the lock nuts, use Special Tool 9546 to prevent the assembly from turning.
10. Using Special Tool 9560, press ball joint off the control arm 1/5 at the wheel carrier.
- Then undo inner mounting (2 bolts on subframe).
- Do not yet remove the control arm.
NOTE:
- When pulling off the ball joint, increase puller force by applying a driving force (apply hammer blows to a copper drift in the ball pin area) if required.
- In addition, the puller must force on the slackened lock nut that has not yet been undone completely (to protect threads and Torx).
- To press off, undo lock nut only far enough to allow it to protrude slightly beyond the threads of the ball pin.
CAUTION:
- If additional driving force (copper drift) is applied to increase the puller force, check seating of steel bushing in the wheel carrier of control arm 1/5.
- If the seating is not correct, press or drive bushing in again until it is seated correctly (observe splines).
11. Remove eccentric from control arm 2 (toe control arm) and pivot control arm out of crossmember in downward direction.
- The control arm remains attached to the wheel carrier/spring strut, however (lock nut is slackened).
12. Press ball joint of control arm 4 off the wheel carrier in the same way as for control arm 3 (item 9).
- Undo pan-head screw in area C (refer to illustration for step 8 above).
- Do not remove the control arm yet (if required, refit lock nut to ball joint again; do not remove pan-head screw completely).
13. Remove control arm 1/5 (lower control arm).
14. Remove control arm 2, control arm 4 and wheel carrier.
NOTE: After extracting the drive shaft out of the wheel carrier, suspend it immediately in a horizontal position at the spring strut.
Assembly
1. Assemble in reverse order.
- Check all parts visually before assembly.
- If in doubt, compare with new parts.
- No welding or straightening operations are permitted on these suspension components.
2. Check condition of threads and grade of camber and toe eccentric.
- Specified grade: 10.9 (Initial version was 8.8 grade; observe spares catalog).
- The grade is indicated on the bolt head.
- Replace eccentrics if required (if threads are not o.k. or if they are to 8.8 specification).
- Transfer position marks to new eccentrics in such cases.
3. Dacromet-type bolt unions (aluminum color) must not be greased.
- Observe tightening torques.
CAUTION: Refer to step 5 below when tightening the bolt unions on the subframe.
4. Control arms 2, 3 and 4 may be identified by the casting numbers or by their shape (visual inspection).
Identification Marks (Visual)
- Control arm 2:
Longer than control arm 3 and control arm 4.
- Control arm 3:
Shortest control arm.
Straight shape in ball joint section.
- Control arm 4:
Longer than control arm 3.
Angled in ball joint section.
Taper of ball joint stud is greater than on control arm 3.
5. Tighten bolts in A/B/C sections and bolt of control arm 5 (arrow) in center position.
- The bolts in the A, B, C area should at this stage only be tightened to approx. 80% of the specified torque (as they must be undone again for suspension alignment).
- Zero position: Control arm 2 and the rear crossmember must form a horizontal line. To establish the zero position, raise wheel carrier with general-purpose jack.
NOTE: The above bolts may also be tightened after the vehicle is placed on its wheels and has been jounced several times by approx. 25 mm.
6. Fit handbrake cable or refit parking brake assembly and brake disc.
- Adjust parking brake.
7. Carry out suspension alignment (wheel settings).
- Be sure to observe correct adjustment sequence.
8. Install cover of control arm 1/5 and the respective underbody panels.