Buick LeSabre 1965 Service Manual page 372

6-6
REAR AXLE
past the. lip of the seal or past
the O.D. of the seal. Therefore
it is a good idea to make sure
the leak is stopped by using a
nonhardening sealing compound
around the O.D. of the new seal.
6-4 REMOVAL AND
INSTALLATION
OF REAR AXLE
ASSEMBLY
It is not necessary to remove
the rear axle assembly for any
normal repairs. However, if the
housing is damaged, the rear axle
assembly may be removed and
installed using the following pro-
cedure:
a. Removal of Rear
Axle Assembly
1. Raise rear of car high enough
to permit working underneath.
Place a floor jack under center
of axle housing so it just starts
to raise rear axle a s s e m b l y .
Place car stands solidly under
body members on both sides.
2. Disconnect rear universal joint
from pinion flange by removing
two U-bolts. Wire propeller shaft
to exhaust pipe to support it out
of the way.
AXLE HANGING
ON SHOCK ABSORBER
Fig. 6-4—Rear Axle Assembly in
Position for Repair
3. Disconnect parking brake ca-
bles by removing adjusting nuts
at equalizer. Slide center cable
rearward and disconnect two rear
cables at connectors to free from
body.
4. Disconnect rear brake hose
at floor pan. Cover brake hose
and pipe openings to prevent en-
trance of dirt.
5. Disconnect shock absorbers at
axle housing. Lower jack under
axle housing until rear springs
can be removed.
6. Disconnect upper control arms
at frame brackets.
7. Disconnect lower control arms
at axle housing and roll rear axle
assembly out from under car.
b. Installation of Rear Axle
Assembly
1. Rest car solidly on stands
placed under body side members,
with rear end of car high enough
to permit working underneath.
Roll rear axle assembly under
car.
2. Connect lower control arms
to axle housing.
3. Connect upper control arms
at frame brackets.
4. Place rear springs in position
and jack axle housing upward un-
til shock absorbers will reach.
5. Connect shock absorbers and
tighten nuts to 30-60 ft. lbs. Con-
nect lower control arms and
tighten pivot bolts to 20-30 ft.
lbs. Connect upper control arm
bolts and tighten to 65-90 ft. lbs.
6. Connect parking brake cables.
Adjust parking brake according
to procedure in paragraph 9-9.
7. Connect r e a r universal joint
to pinion flange. Tighten nuts
evenly to 15-18 ft. lbs.
CAUTION: U-bolt nuts must be
torqued as specified, as over-
tightening will distort bearings
and cause early failure.
8. Connect rear brake hose at
floor pan. Bleed both rear brakes
and refill master cylinder. See
paragraph 9-7.
9. Fill rear axle with specified
gear lubricant (See par. 1-9). If
axle housing or any rear suspen-
sion parts were replaced due to
damage, rear universal joint angle
must be checked and adjusted if
necessary. See paragraph 6-16.
6-5 DISASSEMBLY OF
REAR AXLE
ASSEMBLY
Most rear axle service repairs
can be made with the rear axle
assembly in the car by raising
the rear end of the car with the
rear axle hanging on the shock
absorbers. See Figure 6-4. Rear
axle lubricant may be drained by
backing-out all cover bolts and
breaking cover loose at the
bottom.
a. Remove Axle Shaft
Assemblies
Design allows for axle shaft end
play up to .042" loose. This end
play can be c h e c k e d with the
wheel and brake drum removed
by measuring the difference be-
tween the end of the housing and
the axle shaft flange while moving
the axle shaft in and out by hand.
End play over .042" is excessive.
Compensating for all of the end
play by inserting a shim inboard
of the bearing in the housing is
not recommended since it ignores
the end play of the bearing itself,
and may result in improper seat-
ing of the gasket or backing plate
against the housing. If the end
play is excessive, the axle shaft
and bearing assembly should be
removed and the cause of the
excessive end play determined
and corrected.
1. Remove wheels. Both right and
l e f t wheels have r i g h t hand
threads.
2. Remove brake drums.