Note: New lower arm axle bolt nuts, ball joint yoke bolt nut, and anti-roll bar support yoke nuts are required for installation.
Removing
1. Chock the rear wheels, apply the parking brake, then jack up the front of the vehicle and support it securely on jack stands (see "Jacking up the car and placing it on stands"). Remove the relevant wheel.
2. Turn away fastening screws and remove a plastic cover under the power unit.
3. Loosen and remove the nuts securing the anti-roll bar support clamp to the front of the lower arm and remove the support rubber.
4. Install the spring compressor and compress it to release the upper and lower cups (see paragraph 8).
5. Place a wooden block jack under the lower arm and raise the jack to securely support the arm.
6. Loosen and remove the yoke nut and bolt securing the lower arm ball joint to the steering knuckle. Carefully lower the lower arm, releasing the ball joint from the steering knuckle collar, so that the spring and spring cup can be pulled out.
7. Apply alignment marks between the eccentric washers of the lower arm axle bolt and the subframe. This is necessary in order to maintain the same angles of camber and longitudinal inclination of the axis of the rack during installation.
8. Loosen and remove the lower arm axle bolt nuts and remove the bolts and eccentric washers, noting how they are installed (see fig. 7.8). After that, you can remove the lower arm from under the car.
Pic. 7.8. Turn away nuts of an axial bolt of the lower lever and pull out bolts; remember the orientation of the eccentric washers
Disassembly
9. Thoroughly clean the lower arm and the area around the arm supports, removing all traces of dirt and mastic. Then check for cracks, deformation or other signs of wear or damage, paying special attention to the bearing bushings and ball joint. If a bushing or ball joint needs to be replaced, it should be done at a workshop. To press out and press in bushings or a ball joint, a hydraulic press and suitable shims must be used.
10. Check up a cover of the spherical hinge of the bottom lever. If wear or damage is found, replace it (see fig. 7.10).
Pic. 7.10. Lower Arm Ball Joint Boot
1 ball joint
2 Case
3 top clamps
Installation
11. Attach the lower arm and insert the front and rear axle bolts and eccentric washers. Insert the front bolt from the back of the hub and the rear bolt from the front of the hub, making sure the eccentric washers are properly positioned on the subframe. Install the new nuts, tightening them lightly at this stage and align the marks made before removal.
12. Check that the lower arm spring cup is clean, then install the upper cup on the spring and install the spring in place.
13. Position the lower end of the spring against the stop on the lower arm cup. Align the upper spring cup with the support on the body and carefully raise the lever, aligning the ball joint pin with the steering knuckle.
14. Make sure the spring is in the correct position, then install the lower arm ball joint yoke bolt. Make sure the ball joint is seated correctly, then install a new yoke bolt nut and tighten to specification. To prevent corrosion, fill the cut of the steering knuckle collar with sealant.
15. Slide the rubber mount onto the end of the anti-roll bar and install it into the yoke on the lower arm. Establish a collar of a support and wrap new nuts with demanded effort.
16. Remove the jack from under the lower arm, then carefully release the spring in the fixture, making sure that the lower and upper ends of the spring are properly seated in the spring cups.
17. Install the wheel, then lower the vehicle to the ground and tighten the wheel bolts to the correct torque.
18. With the vehicle on the ground, rock the vehicle until the lower control arm is in the correct position. Check up that eccentric washers of an axial bolt of the bottom lever are located correctly on marks made before removal. After that, tighten the nuts of both bolts to the required torque and install the engine shield.
Note: It is recommended that the front wheel alignment be checked by a workshop as soon as possible.