The steering knuckle on your vehicle is a joint that allows the steering arm to turn the front wheels. Occasionally, the steering knuckle can become damaged, requiring that you remove the arm to make repairs. Removing the steering knuckle is a job that you can do in about two to three hours, saving yourself time and money in mechanic's fees and repairs.
Shift the vehicle into park and set the parking brake before attempting to remove the steering knuckle. Place a wood block behind one of the rear tires to keep the vehicle from moving.
Turn the lug nuts one complete turn with a tire tool on the front wheel you need to remove. Lift the vehicle up with a floor jack and secure it on a jack stand placed under the axle, near the wheel.
Remove the lug nuts with the tire tool then pull off the wheel and set it out of the way. Unscrew the upper and lower bolts on the brake cylinder with a socket wrench and slide the bolts out of the cylinder.
Take the brake cylinder off the rotor and remove the brake pads from the cylinder. Suspend the brake cylinder from the vehicle's frame with a wire hanger.
Slide the rotor off of the wheel hub and remove the cotter pin on the axle with a pair of pliers. Take the crown washer off the axle and remove the axle nut with a crescent wrench.
Remove the screws on the wheel hub with a screwdriver and use a wheel hub puller to remove the hub from the axle. Turn the steering wheel all the way to the right so you have room to work then detach the knuckle arm from the steering knuckle with a socket wrench.
Unscrew the nut on the bottom of the shock absorber with a socket wrench then detach the shock absorber from the suspension arm below the part. Unscrew the nut on the stabilizer arm with the socket wrench, then remove the nut, washer and bolt from the arm.
Pull off the stabilizer arm from the lower suspension arm and remove the snap ring and spacer from the axle with the pliers. Take the cotter pin and nut off of the upper ball joint and detach the steering knuckle from the ball joint with the socket wrench.
Remove the steering knuckle from the lower ball joint by unscrewing the four bolts on the joint with the socket wrench. Slide the lower suspension arm out of the way and remove the steering knuckle from the vehicle.
