Rear spindle rods - caution!
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Joined: Mar 2002
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From: Allen (DFW) Texas
Rear spindle rods - caution!
Just replaced all four (upper and lower) rear spindle rods. Factory manual says raise car, remove bolts, take out old, put in new, replace bolts, have a nice day. Didn't exactly work that way.
When I removed bolts from upper rod the rear end rotated back and down, opening up a gap of about an inch. Didn't change when I replaced the lower control rod but left me with a real challenge to get the upper rod bolted back in. Finally figured out disconnecting the sway bar let me use a pry bar to rotate the axle/diff back into the right position to get the upper rod bolts in. Had to have my wife push the rear bolt through while I pryed the axle/diff assy forward to line up the holes. Whew - what a pain!
Had to replace the upper rod because previously someone had put it in the wrong way and the cast-in tines on the round rod end were rubbing on the drive shaft under hard acceleration. Might as well replace all, since the car's nearly 10 years old (96 coupe).
Anyway, just a note of caution. The GM manual doesn't always give you the complete story on what happens when you take these things apart and then have to figure out how to put them back together!
When I removed bolts from upper rod the rear end rotated back and down, opening up a gap of about an inch. Didn't change when I replaced the lower control rod but left me with a real challenge to get the upper rod bolted back in. Finally figured out disconnecting the sway bar let me use a pry bar to rotate the axle/diff back into the right position to get the upper rod bolts in. Had to have my wife push the rear bolt through while I pryed the axle/diff assy forward to line up the holes. Whew - what a pain!
Had to replace the upper rod because previously someone had put it in the wrong way and the cast-in tines on the round rod end were rubbing on the drive shaft under hard acceleration. Might as well replace all, since the car's nearly 10 years old (96 coupe).
Anyway, just a note of caution. The GM manual doesn't always give you the complete story on what happens when you take these things apart and then have to figure out how to put them back together!
