You should start by lifting the vehicle before supporting it when you want to replace a 4wd Steering Knuckle. Start by removing the wheel, then the tire followed by Wheel Hub alongside bearing assembly removal. A proper jack needs to stabilize the lower
Control Arm before disconnecting the outer tie rod from the Steering Knuckle. The Steering Knuckle must yield the brake hose bracket retaining bolt. Use the
Ball Joint separator (J-42188-B) to part the upper Ball Joint and Steering Knuckle after extracting the upper Control Arm retaining nut. Insulate the lower Ball Joint from the Steering Knuckle by first using the Ball Joint remover (J 43631) with Ball Joint separator protector adapters (J 45851). Stripping the Steering Knuckle requires cleaning the tapered areas and threads of all three components - the upper Ball Joint, lower Ball Joint, and tie rod end - from any remaining grease or contaminants. Examine the mounting surfaces as well as the taper holes on the Steering Knuckle. Replace the Steering Knuckle when it shows signs of elongated tapered holes or out of round or damaged condition. Insert the new Steering Knuckle then bolt the lower Ball Joint to its mounting position. Finally torque the retaining nut to 100 nm (74 ft. Lbs.). Install the upper Ball Joint to the Steering Knuckle followed by installing its retaining nut which needs to be tightened to 50 nm (37 ft. Lbs.). Screw in the brake hose and bracket retaining bolt onto the Steering Knuckle before tightening the bolt to 9 nm (80 inch lbs.). After connecting the outer tie rod with the Steering Knuckle you should install the Wheel Hub and bearing assembly before installing tire and wheel. After removing the lower Control Arm support, lower the vehicle before performing alignment.