Thanks, may give them a shot.

Unfortunately, I wouldn't let the local Firestone stores here even attempt to fix a flat tire. They are not known for good work here.

You can make an appointment. They'll do it while you wait.

Last night I began the teardown of the passenger side front suspension and drive shaft. Stopped at the point just shy of whacking the drive shaft out of the differential and getting the front tension strut off its ball joint and removing its ball joint from the spindle.

Today got the drive shaft out. The only way to really get a tool on the backside of the driveshaft to whack the inner shaft out is to remove all but ONE BOLT (I chose the forward driver side to remain) of the skid plate/stiffener and slide the skid plate forward. This gives enough clearance and angle to get a big bar or screwdriver on one of the several flanges on the inner coupling combined with a BFH for the whackings.

Heat in the form of a propane torch on the tension strut at the ball joint combined with my Harbor Freight http://www.harborfreight.com/media/c...mage_12294.jpg

popped the linkage free.

Then removing the ball joint was a real joy as well. Heat around the spindle area surrounding the joint with generous PB Blaster followed by impact extensions and whackings from my BFH persuaded it to release. Thankfully the E12 torx bolts removed easily without damage. (pre-PB Blasting probably helped).

Another mega PITA was the ABS wheel sensor. This was totally corroded into the bare steel of the spindle, even though the sensor housing is plastic. I removed the wiring harness from the frame and when the spindle was finally removed was able to back tap it out with a drift punch without damaging the plastic.

Cleaned all the joint openings with a wire brush and applied liberal doses of anti-corrosion product for reassembly.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/xr...A=w668-h890-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/xa...Q=w668-h890-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/7E...Q=w668-h890-no

Put a new seal in the differential and waiting for drive shaft and front suspension parts to arrive today.

Will need to find a press to remove tension strut bushing and install PU bushing.

Will battle the driver side tomorrow and maybe a piece of Saturday. Will also change the front diff fluid since the drain plug, I believe, is only accessible with the skid plate out of the way.

Mike

^By drive shaft do you mean the CV axle? I was trying to picture what was happening in my head and got all confused... lol. Not that it's a hard thing to do to me these days. Averaging 4 hours of sleep for the last 2 months due to newborn has not been kind to my cognitive abilities. ;)

Yes, sorry, Lots of times I just refer to them as the "front" driveshaft. But yeah, the CV axles.

Made more progress last night. Got the new CV axle installed, the wishbone ball joint arm and the tension strut ball joint and starting to snug up the suspension components. Tie rod remains immobile, despite heat and PB Blaster and I have to find someone with a press to push out the old bushing in the tension strut arm.

Looks like the PO had this changed in 2009????

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/VF...=w1187-h890-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/bb...g=w668-h890-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Gz...g=w668-h890-no

Will look up torques for when I put the WOW (weight on wheels).

I may just give the new tie rods to the wheel alignment guy and have him wrestle with it. :dunno:

Big thanks to Hal72 for his torque spec summary and I added the tension strut ball joint spec and converted to ft lb for convenience of anyone using ft lb torque wrenches.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Jf...g=w800-h600-no


Mike

For the thrust arm bushing (2009 part) you can melt it out: heat the metal hotter than the melting point of the rubber and it will pull out with little effort. Search YouTube for an example video.

For removing impossible rusted parts that are being replaced anyhow my goto is either my bandsaw or my right angle grinder. Cut a slot through the nut right down to the threads and the effort to turn will drop 95%. (If the nut is too close use an old fashioned nut-breaker: inexpensive tool that works like a log splitter and presses an anvil through the nut and breaks it in half)

Thanks andrewwynn!

I found an indy shop in my town that has a press and was willing to press it out and the PU unit in.

Not an easy task to put the PU into the tension strut. A little creativity was required but we got it.

Nuts are coming off easily, driver side CV spindle is being a PITA and it caused breakage to my BFH :wow:

Off to Auto Zone for a claw gear puller/presser and then a Fish Fry and I'll call it a night and finish up tomorrow.

The indy is going to do the driver side Tension strut bushing tomorrow morning. :thumbup:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/2w...A=w668-h890-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/VH...w=w668-h890-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Uh...A=w668-h890-no

Mike

Those Powerflex CA bushings can be done without removing the arms, or using a press......

Cool tool. Where'd you get it?

X2

Mike