OEM 2008 Chrysler PT Cruiser Axle Beam

2008 Chrysler PT Cruiser Axle Beam Parts and Q&A

• Q: How to Service and Repair an Axle Beam on Rear Disc Brake on 2008 Chrysler PT Cruiser?

  A: To service and repair the axle beam on rear disc brake vehicles, set up the forward trailing arm brackets on both sides, so they are lined up with the axle's trailing arm bushings and the bracket's thru-bolt is inserted inside from the back. Tighten the bolts only once the bolt goes in from outside, but do not overtighten it. Hold the axle beam over a transmission jack and place the trailing arms exactly where you had drawn your scribe marks before. Screw the axle-body support bolts into place until they are just now tight and then finish tightening later. Change the brackets according to the recommended settings and tighten every nut to 54 Nm. Put an isolator on each coil spring's end, line it up well and place the springs on the perches of the axle spring. Turn the coil springs until the flat part of each upper coil is parallel to the axle beam and when you raise the jack, it will help guide the springs into the spring mounting brackets. Carry on lifting the jack and only stop when you can fit and tighten the shock absorber lower mounting bolts to 88 Nm. If you fitted a rear stabilizer bar, hook the retaining clips from the cushion onto the axle and secure with new bolts, turning each to 61 Nm. Link the watts link bell crank to the axle by screwing them together with an appropriate bolt, washer and nut, maintaining a torque of 149 Nm. Set the spindle, seal and disc brake adapter onto the axle, clean the bolt threads, apply adhesive and secure all four bolts at 95 Nm after installation. Place the wheel speed sensor and screw on your vehicle with antilock brakes, then hold it in place with routing clips. Feed the parking brake cable through the trailing arm, place the brackets so they're lined up properly and tighten the bolts to 11 Nm. Attach the parking brake cable into the disc brake adapter with the locking fingers open. Then, fit the lever of the parking brake shoe actuator and the shoe assembly. Fit the hub and bearing to the spindle, then put on the new hub nut turned to 217 Nm and finally the dust cap. Put in the brake rotor and caliper and secure them with the caliper guide pin bolts at 22 Nm. Connect the flex hose to the axle, then put in the tire and wheel and tighten the wheel mounting nuts to 135 Nm. Get the car lowered until its back wheels are just off the floor, then attach the parking brake cable to the equalizer. Correct the position of the parking brake cables and then remove the pin punch attached to the parking brake lever for auto-adjustment. Leave the parking brake to the rear, watch for free movement in the rear wheels and lower the vehicle. Put back the center console, set the parking brake, remove the tire blocks, attach the battery's negative cable and set the air cleaner cover into place. After the brake pedal is stiffed, align the vehicle by ensuring the vehicle is on an alignment rack and tightening the trailing arm to its mounting bracket pivot thru-bolts to 122 Nm when at curb height. To change the thrust angle during rear wheel alignment, loosen the bolts on the trailing arm bracket, reposition the axle and retighten the bolts again.