Remco AXLE-LOCK User manual

Instruction
Booklet
INSTALLER: GIVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS TO THE OWNER AFTER INSTALLATION
FOR THEIR FURURE REFERENCE
AXLE-LOCK
Note: See pgs. 19-21 Ford Freestar/Monterrey
Swayba
r M
odificatio
n
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LIMITED WARRANTY – July 01, 2002
I. LIMITED WARRANTY ON AXLE-LOCK: REMCO – RECREATIONAL EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURING
CORPORATION warrants their products to the original purchaser for a period of one (1) year from the original
date of purchase.
REMCO WARRANTS THEIR PRODUCTS AGAINST DEFECTIVE MATERIALS AND WORKMANSHIP. THIS
WARRANTY IS VOID IF THE PRODUCT IS DAMAGED BY ACCIDENT OR UNREASONABLE USE, NEGLECT,
IMPROPER SERVICE OR OTHER CAUSES NOT ARISING OUT OF DEFECTS IN MATERIAL OR
WORKMANSHIP. THIS WARRANTY IS NOT SUBJECT TO MISUSE, ABUSE, ASSIGN OR TRANSFER.
REMCO will either repair or replace during the above one (1) year all defective parts. Defective parts must be
delivered or shipped prepaid and insured to REMCO. Parts must be accompanied with proof of date and place of
purchase. The exclusive remedy under any and all warranties and guarantees expressed or implied is limited to
the repair and/or replacement as provided herein. In no event shall REMCO be liable for any indirect, incidental,
special, exemplary, punitive or consequential damages of any nature whatsoever, including, without limitation, any
such damages for loss of profits, loss or delay of equipment use or other intangible damages.
II. WARRANTY SERVICE AND REPAIR:
a. If the REMCO AXLE-LOCK becomes unserviceable during the warranty period, the purchaser should first,
if possible, contact the installing dealer or mechanic for a determination of the problem. If the dealer or
mechanic cannot be contacted then call REMCO at 1-800-228-2481 or 1-402-339-3398.
b. Either the dealer or the purchaser must contact REMCO to obtain authorization before any warranty repair
is performed.
c. REMCO will pay no repair claims unless the repair is authorized by REMCO personnel in Omaha,
Nebraska.
d. The purchaser will be responsible for arranging to obtain the labor to repair the AXLE-LOCK.
e. REMCO will either repair or replace during the above one (1) year all defective AXLE-LOCK parts.
Defective parts must be delivered or shipped prepaid and insured to REMCO. Parts must be accompanied
with proof of date and place of purchase. The exclusive remedy under any and all warrants and
guarantees expressed or implied is limited to the repair and/or replacement as provided herein. REMCO
shall not be liable for damages from loss or delay of equipment use, consequential or incidental damages.
f. Material evidence of component part failures resulting from the use of the REMCO AXLE-LOCK must be
delivered prepaid and insured to REMCO or an appointed representative.
g. Certification of the origination of all returned parts, i.e.: vehicle VIN, vehicle mileage, date of removal, list of
parts by number, must accompany delivery to REMCO or an appointed representative.
h. After REMCO has inspected the material evidence indicating the failure resulting from the use of the AXLE-
LOCK, REMCO will reimburse the labor and material cost to the purchaser, pro-rated on a 100,000 mile
expected service life of the transmission, based on the mileage recorded on the original
speedometer/odometer.
i. All transmission warranties cease one (1) year from the purchase date of the REMCO AXLE-LOCK
system.
III. LIMITATIONS: The warranties stated above are not unconditional guarantees against all hazards and failures.
THE ABOVE WARRANTIES DO NOT COVER:
a. Any damage to parts caused by acts of nature or accidents of any kind.
b. Abnormal usage such as high speed racing, heavy trailer towing or other abuse and/or neglect.
c. Failure of parts or equipment not supplied by REMCO.
d. Leaking seals or boots.
e. Failure due to use of improper or inadequate amounts of transmission fluids.

These instructions contain information on installing the AXLE-LOCK into front wheel drive vehicles.
You will be replacing the right, front (passenger side) axle shaft. The illustration below is generic, but
will familiarize you with the nomenclature used on the following pages.
SAFETY NOTICE: Proper installation procedures are vital to the safe, reliable operation of all motor
vehicles, as well as the personal safety of those performing installations.
WARNING#1: This installation instruction manual details the installation of the AXLE-LOCK into
vehicles that were available to us for test installations. There may be slight differences between
our test vehicles and other vehicles of the same type in different parts of the country (i.e.
vehicles built to slightly different specifications to comply with local laws or conditions). These
instructions DO NOT supersede any instructions obtainable from your vehicle manufacturer, or
any repair manual obtainable from the vehicle manufacturer. If you find any deviations between
these instructions and your vehicle, refer to an instruction manual obtainable from your vehicle
manufacturer.
Although the information in this manual is based on industry sources and is as complete as
possible at the time of publication, the possibility exists that the manufacturer made later
changes which could not be included here. While striving for total accuracy, we cannot assume
responsibility for any errors, changes or omissions that may occur in the compilation of this
data.
WARNING #2: You will be replacing the right, front (passenger side) axle shaft. During this
installation you could discover that your left, front (driver side) boots are defective. DO NOT
use these instructions for removal of the left, front axle shaft. Some vehicles require special
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tools and/or techniques for left, front axle shaft removal. Refer to an instruction manual
obtainable from your vehicle manufacturer.
WARNING #3: Take extreme care when modifying the swaybar on the Taurus, Sable and Continental.
A plastic gas line runs along the inside edge of the frame only inches away from where the cut
and weld are made. This gas line is shielded by formed sheet metal but sparks can fly up and
get trapped between the shield and gas line causing the gas line to melt and igniting the
gasoline. A protective shield (eg. sheet metal, welding leathers, water-soaked shop towel)
should be placed between the swaybar and gas line while cutting and welding to prevent the
flash sparks from contacting the gas line.
BEFORE DISCONNECTING THE STRUT ASSEMBLY FROM THE KNUCKLE, PLEASE
NOTE:
Strut Mount
Jounce Bumper
Strut Shield
Spring Seat
Spring Insulator
Drive Axle Removal
1. When servicing items in BOX 1 at right, use this scribing procedure:
a. Using a sharp tool, scribe the knuckle along the lower outboard
strut radius.
b. Scribe the strut flange on the inboard side, along the curve of the
knuckle.
c. Make a chisel mark across the strut/knuckle interface.
d. On reassembly, carefully match the marks to the components.
By following this method you will be able to return to your original BOX 1
Camber setting. It will be necessary, however, to check/adjust the
Toe-in setting.
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2. When servicing items in BOX 2, the scribing procedure is not done.
After reinstalling these items, you must check/adjust both camber
and toe-in.
BOX 2
Front Ride Spring
Strut Damper
Knuckle
CAUTION: Always support both ends of the driveshaft/axleshaft assembly during removal to prevent
damage to boots.
BEFORE STARTING INSTALLATION
Step 1 Place a block of wood behind the left rear (driver’s side) tire. See figure 1, page 5.
Step 2 Remove the right front (passenger’s side) hub cap. Loosen the wheel lug nuts, but do not
remove at this time.
Step 3 Put transmission in Neutral.
Step 4 Jack up the front of the vehicle high enough that the front tires are completely off the ground
and lower control arm is extended downward fully. See figure 2, page 5 for jack point. Place

jack stands or solid blocks below the frame to insure a stable vehicle while you are performing
the installation. See figure 1, page 5.
Step 5 Remove the right front (passenger’s side) lug nuts and remove the tire and wheel.
Figure 1 Figure 2
AXLE-LOCK INSTALLATION
Figure 3
Step 1 Remove clamp bolt securing ball joint stud into steering knuckle (figure 3).
Figure 4
Step 2 Separate ball joint stud from steering knuckle by prying against knuckle leg and control arm.
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CAUTION: Do not damage ball joint or C/V joint boots (figure 4).

Figure 5 Figure 6
Step 3 Remove cotter pin and bearing lock nut. It may be necessary to remove the lock nut with an
impact wrench or while depressing the brake pedal (figure 5).
Step 4 Remove brake caliper from steering knuckle and suspend it with wire. NOTE: Most Ford and
Mercury models do not require brake caliper removal. On such vehicles simply unbolt the
brake line mounting brackets from the inner fender panel and/or shock strut. However, DO
NOT disconnect brake lines (figure 6).
Figure 7
Step 5 Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable - Remove the sway bar link from the sway bar on both sides
of the vehicle (figure 7)
NOTE: Most Ford and Mercury models use a single bolt and nut (figure 8).
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Figure 8

Figure 9
Step 6 Using a plastic hammer, tap the end of the axle shaft and free it from the axle hub (sometimes a
puller may be necessary). Turning the steering wheel from side to side will help free the axle
shaft from the axle hub (figure 9).
Figure 10
Step 7 Using a hammer and brass bar, remove the axle shaft assembly from the transmission housing as
shown. Your hammer pressure must over ride a collapsible circlip (figure 10).
NOTE: FREESTAR/MONTEREY – You are replacing the complete OE axle assembly with a
complete Axle-Lock assembly, including the c-v joints. Once the OE axle assembly has
been removed skip to “Step 25” on page 12 to continue your installation.
Figure 11
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Step 8 Place the axle shaft in a vice. Using a screwdriver, loosen the inboard and outboard boot clamps
and slide boots inward, away from the inboard and outboard joints (figure 11, page 7).
NOTE: CV joint boots are supplied with the AXLE-LOCK kit whenever possible. Once the original
axle shaft has been disassembled, compare the REMCO boots and clamps to the original boots
and clamps to be sure of a proper fit. If they will not fit, you may reuse the original boots or call
REMCO for further instructions or purchase new boot kits from your local automotive parts
store..
Step 9 Remove the inboard joint from the axle shaft.
a. On models with a tripod joint, simply pull the outer cup off the joint. This leaves the inner
race with rollers on the axle shaft.
b. On models that use a cage and ball type joint, use a screwdriver to remove the large inner
snap ring. While removing the inboard joint from the axle shaft, clasp the cage and balls by
hand to prevent them from disassembling and becoming lost or damaged (figure 12).
Figure 12
NOTE: Before inner tripods or cage and ball races can be removed from the axle shaft, you must
determine which locking system applies to your model. SEE CHART 1 and 2, page 16.
Step 10 On Ford axles spread the snapring and slide away from inner race. Slide the inner race down
the axle shaft. This exposes the circlip. Remove the circlip. Slide the inner race off the axle
shaft. Slide the snapring off the axle shaft (figures 13 and 14). GM vehicles usually use an
expanding clip. On these models expand the clip and slide the inner race off the axle shaft.
(Refer to Chart 1, page 16 to determine the type of clips you are working with.)
Figure 13 Figure 14
Step 11 Remove inboard boot from the axle shaft.
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Step 12 Some models have a harmonic dampener on the axle shaft. Using a screwdriver, remove the
clamp and remove the dampener from the axle shaft (figure 15).
Figure 15 Figure 16
Step 13 Clamp the axle shaft in a vice with the outboard joint pointing downward so that the inner
bearing race is exposed. Use an air hammer with an old blunted chisel against the inner race to
drive off the outboard joint (figure 16). You will be scissoring through a circlip that may or
may not collapse. The joint may pop right off, or it may take some work, but it will come off.
NOTE: 92 & NEWER FORD PRODUCTS – Outer C-V joints are removable
According to Ford, the outer CV joint is not removable. The only change is that the splines of
the inner race are “square cut,” not rounded as in previous years. The C-V joints will come off
but may require a little more work. Do not use the brass bar and hammer method. The joint
will only bounce on the circlip. Use an air hammer with an old, blunted chisel to drive the C-V
joint off the axle (Figure 16). It will come off. It may come off in a couple “burps” or it may
take a few minutes, depending on how much of the circlip that you have to “scissor” through.
Also, see pages 14 and 15 for specific instructions for Windstar and Taurus/Sable/Continental
swaybar modifications.
NOTE: Once the CV joints have been removed from the axle shaft, compare the overall length and
splines on each end of the original axle shaft with that of the AXLE-LOCK axle shaft.
THEY MUST BE EXACTLY THE SAME.
Step 14 Before installing the boots and clamps onto the AXLE-LOCK, wrap the AXLE-LOCK drive
shaft splines with vinyl tape to prevent boot damage. Install the outboard boot onto the
outboard end of the AXLE-LOCK axle. Remove the vinyl tape (figure 17).
Figure 17
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NOTE: Outboard joints normally use the conventional round boot rather than the tri-lobe type (figure
18)
Figure 18
Figure 19
Step 15 Transfer snap ring and/or circlip removed in Step 10 onto outboard end of AXLE-LOCK shaft.
(See figure 19.)
Step 16 Clamp outboard joint in a vice and press outboard end of AXLE-LOCK shaft into the joint.
NOTE: Do not hammer on the AXLE-LOCK shaft. If necessary, you may hold the outboard joint and
AXLE-LOCK shaft by hand in a vertical position and drop them carefully on a block of wood to
force engagement. Check full engagement by trying to remove the AXLE-LOCK shaft by hand.
Step 17 Before positioning outboard boot and clamps, pack the outboard joint and boot with CV joint
grease (figure 20).
Figure 20
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