Rear axle

Withdrawal

Raise the rear of the car and secure it on stands.

Disconnect the rear handbrake cable from the cable connector.

Disconnect the flexible brake hoses from the inlet brake pipes. Close the hoses with plugs.

On vehicles with ABS, unscrew the nut and disconnect the pressure regulator rod from the rear axle beam.

Hatchback Models and Salon

Install jacks under the rear axle beam to support its weight and unscrew the bolts securing the beam to the body (see fig. 10.32).



Unscrew and remove the bolt securing the shock absorber to the beam.

Lower the rear beam and remove it from under the car.

Combi Models

Position the jacks under the rear suspension arms directly under the coil springs and raise them just enough so that the weight of the arms and the forces of the springs are taken up by the jacks.

Remove the lower shock absorber mounting bolts. Slowly lower the jacks until the coil springs are completely released and remove the springs. Reinstall the jacks to support the weight of the rear beam and remove the rear beam-to-body bolts.

Lower the rear beam and remove it from under the car.

Installation. All models

Installation is done in sequence. withdrawal taking into account the following points:

• install the rear beam and tighten the front beam-to-body bolts to the required torque;
• on hatchback and sedan models, connect the suspension strut to the beam and tighten the bolt by hand;
• on combi models, when installing the springs, check the correctness of their placement in the support cups;
• connect the brake hoses and bleed the air from the brake system;
• Lower the vehicle and finally tighten the suspension strut-to-beam bolts.