Chrysler Stratus Convertible. Manual - part 63

(6) Lower vehicle to the ground.
(7) Check and reset rear wheel Camber and Toe to

specifications if required. Refer to Front And Rear
Alignment Setting Procedure in the Wheel Alignment
Check And Adjustment section in this group of the
service manual for the required alignment setting
procedure.

REAR LATERAL LINK

REMOVE

(1) Raise vehicle on jackstands or centered on a

frame contact type hoist. See Hoisting in the Lubri-
cation and Maintenance section of this manual, for
the required lifting procedure to be used for this
vehicle.

(2) Remove the rear wheel and tire assembly from

the side of the vehicle requiring lateral link removal.

(3) Remove the nut, bolt and washer attaching the

lateral link to the knuckle (Fig. 33).

(4) Remove the bolt (Fig. 34) and nut attaching the

lateral link to the rear suspension crossmember.

(5) Remove rear lateral link from vehicle.

INSTALL

(1) Install the lateral link and the attaching nut

and bolt at rear suspension crossmember (Fig. 34).
The rear lateral link is to be installed with the
adjusting screw toward rear knuckle not rear
suspension crossmember (Fig. 33).

(2) Install the lateral link and the attaching nut,

bolt and washer at rear knuckle (Fig. 33).

(3) Torque both lateral link attaching bolts to 108

N·m (80 ft. lbs.).

(4) Install wheel and tire assembly on vehicle.

Tighten the wheel mounting stud nuts in proper
sequence until all nuts are torqued to half specifica-
tion. Then repeat the tightening sequence to the full
specified torque of 135 N·m (100 ft. lbs.).

(5) Lower vehicle to the ground.
(6) Check and reset rear wheel Camber and Toe to

Fig. 32 Lateral Link Attachment To Rear Suspension

Crossmember

1 – BOLT
2 – NUT
3 – REAR SUSPENSION CROSSMEMBER
4 – FORWARD LATERAL LINK

Fig. 33 Rear Lateral Link Attachment To Knuckle

1 – KNUCKLE
2 – ADJUSTING SCREW
3 – NUT
4 – REAR LATERAL LINK
5 – BOLT

Fig. 34 Lateral Link Attachment To Rear Suspension

Crossmember

1 – REAR SUSPENSION CROSSMEMBER
2 – BOLT
3 – REAR LATERAL LINK

SUSPENSION

2 - 61

REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION (Continued)

TRAILING LINK

REMOVAL

(1) Raise vehicle on jackstands or centered on a

frame contact type hoist. See Hoisting in the Lubri-
cation and Maintenance section of this manual, for
the required lifting procedure to be used for this
vehicle.

(2) Remove rear wheel and tire assembly from the

vehicle.

(3) At the knuckle, remove the nut, bushing

retainer and outer trailing link bushing (Fig. 35)
from the trailing link.

(4) Remove the 4 bolts (Fig. 36) attaching the trail-

ing link hanger bracket to the floor pan and frame
rail.

(5) Remove the trailing link and mounting bracket

as an assembly from the vehicle.

CAUTION: The installation position of the bushings
and retainers on the trailing link is important. When
separating the trailing link from the hanger bracket,
note the position and orientation on the bushings
and retainers to ensure they are re-installed cor-
rectly.

(6) Separate the trailing link from the hanger

bracket. To separate trailing link from hanger
bracket, use a large adjustable wrench on flat of
trailing link to turn link while holding nut stationary
(Fig. 37).

INSTALLATION

CAUTION: The inner and outer trailing link to
hanger bracket bushings and retainers must be
installed in their correct position on the trailing link.
Do not reverse the position of the inner and outer
trailing link bushing or retainers on the trailing link.

Fig. 35 Trailing Link To Knuckle Attachment

1 – BUSHING
2 – NUT
3 – BUSHING RETAINER
4 – KNUCKLE
5 – BUSHING
6 – BUSHING RETAINER
7 – TRAILING LINK

Fig. 36 Trailing Link Hanger Bracket Attachment To

Vehicle

1 – TRAILING LINK
2 – TRAILING LINK HANGER BRACKET

Fig. 37 Separating Trailing Link From Hanger

Bracket

1 – HANGER BRACKET
2 – SPACER
3 – BUSHING
4 – RETAINER
5 – TRAILING LINK
6 – ADJUSTABLE WRENCH
7 – WRENCH

2 - 62

SUSPENSION

REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION (Continued)

NOTE: When installing trailing link into hanger
bracket, the flat on the trailing link (Fig. 37) must be
positioned at the hanger bracket.

(1) Install the (black) inner bushing retainer, and

inner bushing (Fig. 38) on the trailing link. Install
the trailing link, retainer and bushing on the hanger
bracket (Fig. 38). Then install the outer bushing,
(gold) outer bushing retainer and nut (Fig. 38) on the
trailing link. Using a large adjustable wrench on flat
of trailing link to keep it from rotating, tighten the
trailing link retaining nut to a torque of 99 N·m (73
ft. lbs.).

(2) Install the (black) inner bushing retainer, and

inner bushing (Fig. 38) on the trailing link.

(3) Install knuckle end of trailing link in rear

knuckle.

CAUTION: It is important that the following proce-
dure be done when installing the trailing arm
hanger bracket to the body of the vehicle. This pro-
cedure will ensure that the hanger bracket is
installed in the correct position on the vehicle.

(4) Install trailing link hanger bracket on vehicle

and loosely install the 4 attaching bolts (Fig. 39).
Then install 2 drift pins of appropriate size in posi-
tioning holes on hanger bracket and into locating
holes in body (Fig. 39). With hanger bracket correctly
positioned on vehicle tighten the 4 hanger bracket
mounting bolts to a torque of 34 N·m (25 ft. lbs.).

CAUTION: When

installing

trailing link

bushing

retainers, the retainers must be installed with
cupped side of retainer facing away from bushing
and knuckle (Fig. 35).

(5) At the knuckle, install the outer trailing link

bushing, (gold) outer bushing retainer and retaining
nut on trailing link (Fig. 35). Using a large adjust-
able wrench on flat of trailing link to keep it from
rotating tighten the trailing link retaining nut (Fig.
35) to a torque of 99 N·m (73 ft. lbs.).

STABILIZER BAR (REAR)

REMOVAL

(1) Raise vehicle on jackstands or centered on a

frame contact type hoist. See Hoisting in the Lubri-
cation and Maintenance section of this manual, for
the required lifting procedure to be used for this
vehicle.

(2) Remove both rear wheel and tire assemblies

from the vehicle.

(3) From each side of the vehicle, remove the nut

(Fig. 40) attaching the stabilizer bar attaching link/
isolator bushings to the stabilizer bar.

(4) Remove the 4 bolts attaching the stabilizer bar

bushing clamps to the rear suspension crossmember
(Fig. 41).

(5) Remove the rear stabilizer bar to crossmember

bushing clamps and bushings from the stabilizer bar.

(6) Remove stabilizer bar from vehicle. Stabilizer

bar will come out of vehicle between the exhaust pipe
and the rear suspension crossmember.

Fig. 38 Trailing Link Bushing Installation

1 – INNER TRAILING LINK BUSHING
2 – TRAILING LINK
3 – INNER TRAILING LINK BUSHING
4 – TRAILING LINK INNER BUSHING RETAINER (BLACK)
5 – INNER BUSHING RETAINER (BLACK)
6 – TRAILING LINK HANGER BRACKET
7 – OUTER TRAILING LINK BUSHING
8 – NUT
9 – OUTER BUSHING RETAINER (GOLD)

Fig. 39 Trailing Link Hanger Bracket Installation

1 – HANGER BRACKET
2 – TRAILING LINK
3 – LOCATING DRIFT PINS
4 – ATTACHING BOLTS 4

SUSPENSION

2 - 63

REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION (Continued)

STABILIZER BAR BUSHING INSPECTION

Inspect for broken or distorted retainers and bush-

ings. If bushing replacement is required, bushings
can be removed by opening slit in bushing and
removing bushing from around stabilizer bar.

INSTALLATION

(1) Install stabilizer bar back in vehicle with the

bushings removed using the reverse sequence of
removal.

(2) When stabilizer bar is installed in vehicle, it

must be installed with the bend in the end of the sta-
bilizer bar positioned up in vehicle when viewed from
the side (Fig. 42).

(3) Install the stabilizer bar onto the stabilizer bar

to forward lateral link attaching links (Fig. 40).
Install the stabilizer bar to attaching link bushings
on attaching links. Tighten the bushing retaining
nuts to a torque of 35 N·m (26 ft. lbs.).

(4) Loosely

install

the

stabilizer

bar

bushing

clamps on the rear suspension crossmember

(5) Position the stabilizer bar so it is centered in

the vehicle and does not contact other suspension
components or vehicle body.

(6) Tighten the bolts attaching the stabilizer bar

bushing clamps to the rear crossmember to a torque
of 27 N·m (19 ft. lbs.) (Fig. 41).

(7) Install wheel and tire assembly on vehicle.

(8) Lower vehicle to the ground.

DISASSEMBLY AND ASSEMBLY

SHOCK ASSEMBLY (REAR)

The shock assembly must be removed from the

vehicle for it to be disassembled and assembled.
Refer to REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION in this
section for the required procedure.

For the disassembly and assembly of the shock

assembly, use strut spring compressor Pentastar Ser-
vice Equipment (PSE) tool W-7200, or the equivalent,
to compress the coil spring. Follow the manufactur-
er’s instructions closely.

Fig. 40 Stabilizer Bar Attaching Link

1 – PARK BRAKE CABLE
2 – STABILIZER BAR ATTACHING LINK
3 – NUT
4 – STABILIZER BAR
5 – REAR LATERAL LINK
6 – FORWARD LATERAL LINK

Fig. 41 Stabilizer Bar Attachment To Rear

Suspension

1 – ATTACHING BOLT
2 – REAR SUSPENSION CROSSMEMBER
3 – ATTACHING BOLT
4 – ATTACHING BOLT
5 – REAR STABILIZER BAR
6 – STABILIZER BAR ATTACHING BRACKETS
7 – ATTACHING BOLT

Fig. 42 Installed Position Of Stabilizer Bar In Vehicle

1 – INCORRECTLY INSTALLED POSITION OF STABILIZER BAR
2 – CORRECTLY INSTALLED POSITION OF STABILIZER BAR

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SUSPENSION

REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION (Continued)

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