Contents: Removal 🠛 Installation 🠛
Removal
Note: If a new trailing arm is installed, locking compound will be required.
1. Block the front wheels and select reverse (or "P"). Jack up the rear of the car and support it on axle stands. Remove the rear wheel.
2. Remove the rear anti-roll bar (see Chapter 11).
3. Remove the torsion bar (Chapter 12).
4. Remove the brake pads on this side of the vehicle (see Section 9).
5. Using a hammer and punch, knock the handbrake cable housing out of the brake backing plate. As you move along the cable, release it from all the clamps or ties that secure it to the trailing arm.
6. Minimize brake fluid loss by placing a piece of plastic under the master cylinder reservoir cap and then tightening it again to create a tight seal (do not damage the sensor). Alternatively, use a clamp, C-clamp, or similar tool to clamp the hose as close to the wheel cylinder as possible.
7. Clean the area around the brake pipe union at the rear of the wheel cylinder and remove the union nut. Carefully remove the tube from the brake cylinder and plug the end to prevent dirt from entering. Wash away any spilled liquid.
8. Support the trailing arm with a jack.
9. Raise the rear seat cushion to access the trailing arm bearing bracket mounting bolts.
10. Working under the vehicle, remove the bearing bracket mounting nuts on that side. Knock out the bolts through the bracket with a suitable punch. Loosen the mounting nuts on the opposite bearing bracket.
11. Lower the jack until the trailing arm assembly is clear of the sill, then slide the arm out of the opposite trailing arm and remove it from the vehicle.
12. Inspect the trailing arm bearings for damage and signs of wear. Replace them if necessary (see Chapter 14). If you are installing a new trailing arm, remove the four mounting bolts and the brake backing plate. Install the shield on the new lever, apply blocking compound to the bolts that secure it and tighten them securely.
Installation
13. Make sure the trailing arm bearings are sufficiently lubricated, then connect the removed trailing arm to the opposite arm. Temporarily position the stabilizer bar over the stabilizer bar mounting bolt holes, ensuring the slots on the stabilizer bar brackets are facing the front of the vehicle. Move the trailing arm into its operating position so that the holes in the stabilizer brackets align with the bolt holes in the trailing arms.
14. Remove the stabilizer, raise the jack and insert the bearing bracket mounting bolts from the interior, making sure that the mounting plate of the bolts is positioned correctly. Install the mounting nuts and tighten them to the specified tightening torque Specifications. Lower the seat cushion.
15. Install the brake pipe into the slave cylinder and securely tighten its connecting nut. Remove the clamp from the brake hose or the plastic from under the master cylinder reservoir cap.
16. Install the handbrake cable into its working position on the support plate and secure it with cable ties or staples. Install the brake pads (see Section 9).
17. Install the torsion bar (see Chapter 12).
18. Install the anti-roll bar (Chapter 11).
19. Bleed the brake system (see Section 9). If proper precautions have been taken to minimize brake fluid loss, only the rear brake in question will need to be bled.
20. Install the wheel, lower the vehicle to the ground and tighten the wheel bolts to the specified tightening torque Specifications.
21. Check the rear suspension overhang (see Chapter 17).