Rear suspension assembly — removal and installation

Removing

1. Block the front wheels, then jack up the rear of the vehicle and place it on axle stands. Position the axle stays so that all rear cross member mounting bolts are accessible. Remove both rear wheels.

2. Remove the intermediate and rear parts of the exhaust system (see related section).

3. Mark the position of the adjusting nut on the threaded rod of the handbrake rod, then unscrew it and remove the equalizer (see relevant chapter of Section 9).

4. Unfasten both rear brake calipers from the diagonal levers, take them away from the discs and tie them to the body, being careful not to damage the hard brake pipes (see Section 9).

5. Release the handbrake cables and hydraulic brake hoses from the brackets on the diagonal levers.

6. On models with Xenon headlights, disconnect the wiring of the rear pitch sensor of the vehicle (see relevant section).

7. Unfasten the wheel speed sensors from the final drive unit (see Section 9).

8. Working at the rear of the driveshaft, remove the bolts securing the rear flex joint to the differential flange.

9. Place a board under the diagonal levers and support its middle with a jack.

10. Unfasten the rear damper bracket of the final drive unit from the bottom and lower the unit onto the board.

11. Turn off bolts of the bottom fastening of both shock-absorbers.

12. Lower the jack so that the leaf springs and rubber pads can be removed.

13. Raise the jack until the rear damper bracket touches the bottom, then remove the three bracket bolts and the rear cross member center bolt (see illustration). Have a helper hold the assembly during this time so that it does not fall off the jack.




14. Lower the rear suspension assembly to the ground and remove it from under the vehicle. Be ready to catch the driveshaft as it comes out of the final drive.

Installation

15. Install in reverse order, paying attention to the following:

• A) Tighten all nuts and bolts to the specified torque.
• b) Adjust handbrake (see related section).
• V) Finally, we recommend that you have your Opel dealer check the rear wheel alignment.