How to Remove Steering Knuckles

Steering knuckles are the point where your car's wheel and tie rod connect to one another. Depending on the design of your suspension system, it also connects your lower and upper ball joints or supports the bottom of the strut and lower ball joint. If your car has disc brakes, then the brake caliper also mounts to the knuckle. Normally, if you need to remove a steering knuckle, you repair one of these attached parts.

Instructions

1

Loosen your lug nuts one turn and then lift the front of your car with the jack and stands. Take the wheel off.

2

Take the caliper off, and then take out the mounting bracket that connects to the knuckle. Detach the brake pads from the rotor. Then, slide the rotor off. You should be able to remove it by hand.

3

Hang the caliper from the frame to relieve the brake lines of any tension. Then, take out the cotter pin and bolt from the lower part of the tie rod. Use the 2- or 3-jaw puller to yank the tie rod out of the knuckle.

4

Make a mark on the strut bracket to show where the camber sits. Then, take out the steering knuckle. This should involve taking out two more nut and bolt sets, and the bolts connecting the knuckle to the ball joint.