Torsion beam and rear suspension arms — removal and installation (Opel Astra G)

1. Raise the rear of the vehicle and place it on stands, lower the wheels.

2. On station wagon models with pneumatic height adjustment of the rear suspension, remove the cover of the rear right light in the luggage compartment and release air from the system by opening the valve.

3. Lower the parking brake lever, remove the lever boot and loosen the cable adjusting nut

4. Disconnect the parking brake cable from the rear brakes (on models with rear drum brakes, disconnect the short cables from the front of the brake shield; on models with rear disc brakes, disconnect the cables from the brake shoe actuator levers, remove the cable casings from the brackets - see photo).



5. On models with ABS, disconnect the wires from the wheel speed sensors.

6. On models with a rear brake proportioning valve, unscrew the bolt and remove the limiter and unhook the spring.

7. To reduce fluid loss, tightly screw the tank cap on, placing a piece of polyethylene film underneath, unscrew the fitting nuts and disconnect the tubes from the hoses. Plug the holes.

8. Raise the suspension beam with a jack dolly and disconnect the shock absorbers from the suspension arms.



9. Carefully lower the beam and remove both springs with support cups and plates.

10. Loosen the bolts securing the beam bracket to the body bottom (see photo).



11. Lower the beam and remove it from under the car.

12. Replace rubber bushings if necessary. Disassemble the suspension by removing the hub and rear brake components.

13. Perform assembly in the following order.

A. Check the condition of the threads on the bottom of the body, if necessary, go through the threads with a tap.

B. Without tightening the bolts, adjust the suspension so that the distance between the base of the springs on the levers and the underbody is 168±1.0 mm on sedan and hatchback models, and 198.0±10.0 mm on Zafira models. Tighten the middle bolts of the suspension brackets to the specified torque.

B. Tighten in several stages (see Technical data) front bracket bolts, install springs. Raise the suspension so that you can insert the lower shock mount bolts, tighten these bolts.

G. Connect the brake pipes to the hoses, install the limiter and the metering valve spring, connect the parking brake cables.

D. After finishing, remove air from the brake hydraulic drive, adjust the parking brake.