Pontiac 22046407 Front Shock Absorber Assembly

To remove the shock absorber, it is recommended that the front wheel lug nuts be loosened, then follow lifting the front of the vehicle and placing it on jackstands. Then pull out the wheel and the tire assembly, also the two bolts that are required to be at the upper end of the absorber shock. Next, unscrew the nut and bolt which is provided at the lower part of the shock absorber to get the shock absorber removed from the vehicle. To ensure that the shock absorber is okay, stood the item upright, work on the piston rod; it should offer stiff opposition; if it does not, then it will require replacement. Also, if there is any fluid leakage on the shock absorber body one has to replace it. If only one shock looks old it should be possible to replace both front shock absorbers to maintain equal standard of damping so good handling. For installation, screw the nut and bolt on the new shock absorber hand tighten and with the lower end of the new shock absorber properly placed then extend the shock into its support to fix the upper bolts to the right torque. After that, increase the engagement of the lower nut and bolt to the desired torque, returned the wheel and tire assembly, and simultaneously engage the wheel lug nuts to be tightened only to the finger tightness. Last, after aligning the wheels, bring the vehicle down and further 'Tighten the wheel lug nuts into the required torques'.

All vehicles built after August 1987, and up to 1988, have a new front suspension design which is similar in layout but nearly all of the components are redesigned and therefore the removal and installation of the various parts is much different. To unbolt the shock absorber, it is necessary to slacken the front wheel bolts and raise the car on a jack; then it is possible to pry the wheel off, undo the upper nut and washer and the upper rubber insulator, and unscrew the two bolts at the lower end of the shock absorber and simply pull it through the lower control arm. For installation replace the shock absorber and pass it through the lower control arm while the lower shock insulator as well as washer is also replaced with the upper shock insulator, washer, and the retaining nut by tightening the shock absorber to its specified torque strength and at last tighten the lower retaining bolts. Following that tighten the lug nuts up and turn the wheel full lock to the left then full lock to the right before setting the car down. To remove the upper ball joint, a ball joint separator has to be used to separate the ball joint from the steering knuckle then the upper ball joint has to be separated from the upper control arm by the removal of the three attaching rivets. For installation, bolt the new upper ball joint to the control arm with nuts and bolt from service repair package but, it is necessary to check the tapered hole the steering knuckle for damage before inserting the upper ball joint stud and tightening the castellated nut and fitting the cotter pin. After having inserted the tie-rod end and having placed the brake line clip, be sure to mount the wheel and fasten the lug nuts while having the car in the air; do a wheel alignment after that. The removal of the lower ball joint is also quite similar for which again there are special tools available; although the option is also available to take the lower control arm to the machine shop for ball joint replacement. Last but not the least, the rack and pinion assembly for all 1988 cars is the improved one as compared to the previous model and is slightly easier to take off and fix, as the procedure for removal and installing the rack and pinion is almost the same but does not require removing and installing any crossmember braces.

Disconnect the brake hose clip from the strut.