Seat Leon 2013 Instruction manual

Workshop Manual
León 2013 ➤
León ST 2013 ➤
Running gear, axles, steering
Edition 06.2018
Service
Service Department. Technical Information

List of Workshop Manual Repair Groups
Repair Group
00 - Technical data
40 - Front suspension
42 - Rear suspension
43 - Self-levelling suspension
44 - Wheels, tyres, vehicle geometry
48 - Steering
Technical information should always be available to the foremen and mechanics, because their
careful and constant adherence to the instructions is essential to ensure vehicle road-worthiness and
safety. In addition, the normal basic safety precautions for working on motor vehicles must, as a
matter of course, be observed.
Service

Contents
00 - Technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1 Safety instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.1 Safety precautions when working on vehicles with a start/stop system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.2 Safety precautions when working on a high-voltage system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.3 Safety precautions when working in the vicinity of high-voltage components . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.4 Safety precautions when working on subframe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2 Repair instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2.1 Leaking shock absorbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2.2 Noisy shock absorbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2.3 Checking shock absorbers when removed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.4 Steering rack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.5 Gaskets, seals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.6 Bolts, nuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.7 Electrical components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.8 Raising wheel bearing assembly to unladen position (vehicles with coil springs) . . . . . . . . 5
3 Evaluating accident vehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
3.1 Checklist for evaluating running gear of accident vehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
4 Waste disposal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
4.1 Releasing gas and draining front gas-filled shock absorbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
4.2 Releasing gas and draining rear gas-filled shock absorbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
40 - Front suspension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
1 Front axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
1.1 Overview of fitting locations - front axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
2 Subframe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
2.1 Assembly overview - subframe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
2.2 Removing and installing subframe without steering rack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
2.3 Removing and installing subframe with steering rack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
2.4 Repairing subframe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
2.5 Removing and installing anti-roll bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
2.6 Removing and installing coupling rod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
2.7 Repairing thread in longitudinal member . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
2.8 Fixing position of subframe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
2.9 Lowering subframe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
3 Suspension strut, upper suspension link . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
3.1 Assembly overview - suspension strut, upper suspension link . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
3.2 Removing and installing suspension strut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
3.3 Repairing suspension strut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
4 Lower suspension link, swivel joint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
4.1 Assembly overview - lower suspension link, swivel joint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
4.2 Removing and installing lower suspension link . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
4.3 Checking swivel joint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
4.4 Removing and installing swivel joint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
4.5 Renewing bonded rubber bush for lower suspension link . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
5 Wheel bearing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
5.1 Assembly overview - wheel bearing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
5.2 Removing and installing wheel bearing housing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
5.3 Removing and installing wheel bearing unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
6 Drive shaft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
6.1 Overview - drive shaft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
6.2 Assembly overview - drive shaft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
6.3 Removing and installing drive shaft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
León 2013 ➤ , León ST 2013 ➤
Running gear, axles, steering - Edition 06.2018
Contents i

6.4 Loosening and tightening threaded connections of drive shaft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
6.5 Removing and installing drive shaft heat shield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
6.6 Dismantling and assembling drive shaft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
6.7 Checking outer constant velocity joint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
6.8 Checking inner constant velocity joint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
42 - Rear suspension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
1 Rear axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
1.1 Overview - rear axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
1.2 Lowering rear axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
1.3 Removing and installing rear axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
1.4 Removing and installing shield for rear axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
2 Axle beam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
2.1 Assembly overview - axle beam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
2.2 Renewing bonded rubber bush for axle beam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
3 Subframe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
3.1 Assembly overview - subframe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
3.2 Assembly overview - add-on parts for subframe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
3.3 Secure the subframe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
3.4 Repairing subframe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
4 Anti-roll bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
4.1 Assembly overview - anti-roll bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
4.2 Removing and installing anti-roll bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
4.3 Removing and installing coupling rod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
5 Suspension link, track rod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
5.1 Assembly overview - transverse links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
5.2 Assembly overview - track rod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
5.3 Removing and installing upper transverse link . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
5.4 Removing and installing lower transverse link . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
5.5 Removing and installing coupling rod (for anti-roll bar) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
6 Suspension strut, shock absorber, spring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
6.1 Assembly overview - suspension strut, shock absorber, spring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
6.2 Shock absorber: removing and fitting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
6.3 Repairing shock absorber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
6.4 Removing and installing spring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
7 Wheel bearing, trailing arm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
7.1 Assembly overview - wheel bearing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
7.2 Assembly overview - trailing arm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
7.3 Removing and installing wheel bearing housing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
7.4 Removing and installing wheel bearing unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
7.5 Renewing bonded rubber bush for wheel bearing housing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
7.6 Removing and installing trailing arm with mounting bracket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
7.7 Repairing trailing arm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
8 Drive shaft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
8.1 Assembly overview - drive shaft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
8.2 Removing and installing drive shaft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
8.3 Dismantling and assembling drive shaft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
8.4 Loosening and tightening threaded connections of drive shaft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
8.5 Checking outer constant velocity joint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
8.6 Checking inner constant velocity joint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
43 - Self-levelling suspension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
1 Electronically controlled damping system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
1.1 Assembly overview - electronically controlled damping system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
1.2 Removing and installing electronically controlled damping control unit J250 . . . . . . . . . . 276
León 2013 ➤ , León ST 2013 ➤
Running gear, axles, steering - Edition 06.2018
ii Contents

1.3 Removing and installing front body acceleration senders G341 / G342 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
1.4 Removing and installing rear body acceleration sender G343 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
2 Vehicle level sender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
2.1 Assembly overview - front vehicle level sender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
2.2 Assembly overview - rear vehicle level senders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
2.3 Removing and installing front vehicle level senders G78 / G289 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284
2.4 Removing and installing rear vehicle level senders G76 / G77 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
44 - Wheels, tyres, vehicle geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
1 Wheel alignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
1.1 Notes for wheel alignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
1.2 Test requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
1.3 Preparing for measuring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
1.4 Specified values for wheel alignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294
1.5 Setting vehicle to initial position for wheel alignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
1.6 Wheel alignment procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
1.7 Necessity of wheel alignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
1.8 Front axle camber: correction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
1.9 Adjusting camber at rear wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
1.10 Adjusting toe setting at rear wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
1.11 Adjusting front axle convergence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
1.12 Wheel runout compensation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
1.13 Vehicle data label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
1.14 Checking full wheel lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310
2 Rough running due to wheels/tyres - causes and rectification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311
2.1 Causes of imbalance when driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311
2.2 Conducting a road test before balancing wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311
2.3 Balancing wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312
2.4 Vibration control system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316
2.5 Checking radial and lateral runout of wheels and tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316
2.6 Checking radial and lateral run-out on wheel rim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
2.7 Matching wheels and tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
2.8 Determining flat spots on tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319
2.9 Lateral deviation: verification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320
3 Adaptive cruise control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324
3.1 Calibrating adaptive cruise control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324
4 Front camera for driver assist systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335
4.1 Calibrating front camera for driver assist systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335
48 - Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342
1 Steering wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342
1.1 Assembly overview - steering wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342
1.2 Steering wheel: removing and fitting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342
2 Steering column . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345
2.1 Assembly overview - steering column . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345
2.2 Checking steering column for damage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346
2.3 Handling and transporting steering column . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346
2.4 Steering column: removing and fitting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347
2.5 Removing and installing control unit for electronic steering column lock J764 . . . . . . . . . . 356
3 Steering rack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 358
3.1 Assembly overview - steering box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 358
3.2 Removing and installing steering box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362
3.3 Dustguard: disassembly and assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378
3.4 Removing and installing coupling rod (for anti-roll bar) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 381
3.5 Removing and installing track rod ball joint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 384
León 2013 ➤ , León ST 2013 ➤
Running gear, axles, steering - Edition 06.2018
Contents iii

3.6 Repairing steering box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385
4 Sensors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389
4.1 Removing and installing steering angle sender G85 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389
León 2013 ➤ , León ST 2013 ➤
Running gear, axles, steering - Edition 06.2018
iv Contents

00 – Technical data
1 Safety instructions
(ERL003798; Edition 06.2018)
⇒ “1.1 Safety precautions when working on vehicles with a start/
stop system”, page 1
⇒ “1.2 Safety precautions when working on a high-voltage sys‐
tem”, page 1
⇒ “1.3 Safety precautions when working in the vicinity of high-
voltage components”, page 2
⇒ “1.4 Safety precautions when working on subframe”,
page 2
1.1 Safety precautions when working on vehicles with a start/stop system
Risk of injury due to unexpected motor start
If the vehicle’s start/stop system is activated, the engine can start
unexpectedly. This can be identified by a message in the dash
panel insert.
– Deactivate start/stop system by switching off the ignition.
1.2 Safety precautions when working on a high-voltage system
Danger to life due to high voltage
The high voltage system carries high voltage. Risk of severe or
fatal injury due to electric shock.
– Persons who wear electronic or medical devices on their body
(both inside and outside) to maintain vital functions or improve
their health may never carry out work on the high-voltage sys‐
tem. These devices may include for instance internal dosage
pumps for pain killers, implanted defibrillators, pacemakers,
insulin pumps and hearing aids.
– A correspondingly qualified person must switch off the power
for the high-voltage system.
Risk of injury due to unexpected motor start
On electric and hybrid vehicles, the operational readiness of the
vehicle is difficult to detect. Body parts may become jammed and
get pulled in.
– Switch off ignition.
– Always store the ignition key outside the vehicle.
Risk of damage to high-voltage cables
Improper handling can damage the insulation of high-voltage ca‐
bles or connectors.
– Never support yourself on high-voltage cables or connectors.
León 2013 ➤ , León ST 2013 ➤
Running gear, axles, steering - Edition 06.2018
1. Safety instructions 1

– Never support tools on high-voltage cables or connectors.
– Never bend high-voltage cables tightly or kink them.
– Always connect high-voltage connectors according to coding.
1.3 Safety precautions when working in the vicinity of high-voltage components
Danger to life due to high voltage
The high voltage system carries high voltage. Death or severe
physical injuries caused by electric shock if components and high-
voltage cables are damaged.
– Subject high-voltage components and cables to a visual in‐
spection.
– Never use cutting or forming tools, or any other sharp-edged
tools.
– Never use heat sources such as welding, brazing, soldering,
hot air or thermal bonding equipment.
1.4 Safety precautions when working on
subframe
♦ No welding or straightening work can be done on the support
and guide elements of the wheel guide system.
♦ Always renew corroded nuts and bolts.
♦ The bonded metal-rubber bushes have a limited torsion mar‐
gin. Therefore, tighten the bolted connections of components
with bonded rubber bushes only when the wheel bearing
housing has been raised (unladen state) ⇒ page 5 .
León 2013 ➤ , León ST 2013 ➤
Running gear, axles, steering - Edition 06.2018
2 Rep. gr.00 - Technical data

2 Repair instructions
⇒ “2.1 Leaking shock absorbers”, page 3
⇒ “2.2 Noisy shock absorbers”, page 3
⇒ “2.3 Checking shock absorbers when removed”, page 4
⇒ “2.4 Steering rack”, page 4
⇒ “2.5 Gaskets, seals”, page 5
⇒ “2.6 Bolts, nuts”, page 5
⇒ “2.7 Electrical components”, page 5
⇒ “2.8 Raising wheel bearing assembly to unladen position (ve‐
hicles with coil springs)”, page 5
2.1 Leaking shock absorbers
Shock absorbers are often replaced because of externally visible
leakage. Inspections on the test rig and in the vehicle have shown
that in the majority of cases this replacement is not justified.
Slight loss of fluid (“sweating”) at the piston rod seal is not a rea‐
son for replacing a shock absorber. A shock absorber with slight
fluid leakage can be accepted as "OK" under the following con‐
ditions:
♦ Fluid seepage (as shown in the shaded part of the illustration)
is visible, but the fluid is dull and possibly dried by dust.
♦ The fluid seepage extends only from the top shock absorber
seal (piston rod oil seal) down to the bottom spring plate
-arrow-.
2.2 Noisy shock absorbers
Shock absorbers are often replaced because of noises (rumbling,
etc.) experienced by the customer. Inspections on the test rig and
in the vehicle have shown that in approx. 70 % of these cases
there is no case for complaint. The replacement was not justified.
In the case of complaints regarding rumbling or knocking noises
please proceed as follows.
– Carry out a road test with the customer - if possible on a dry,
uneven road - to establish when, where and how the noises
occur.
Note
These noises are only very rarely caused by the shock absorbers.
León 2013 ➤ , León ST 2013 ➤
Running gear, axles, steering - Edition 06.2018
2. Repair instructions 3

2.3 Checking shock absorbers when re‐
moved
Defective shock absorbers can be identified by loud rumbling
noises when driving, caused by wheel hopping, especially on bad
roads. Heavy fluid leakage is an additional visual indication.
Note
Shock absorbers are maintenance-free; shock absorber fluid can‐
not be topped up.
After removal, a shock absorber can be checked by hand as fol‐
lows:
– Compress shock absorber by hand.
• The piston rod should move smoothly over the entire stroke
with uniform resistance and without jolts.
– Release the piston rod.
• If the shock absorber has sufficient gas pressure the piston
rod will return by itself to its original position.
Note
♦ If this is not the case, the shock absorber does not necessarily
need to be renewed. Provided there has been no major loss
of fluid, it will still be as effective as a conventional shock ab‐
sorber.
♦ Even without gas pressure, the shock absorber will provide full
damping effect as long as there has been no major loss of fluid.
However, it may produce more noise.
2.4 Steering rack
To achieve the desired results when performing repairs on the
steering box it is important to work with the greatest possible care
and cleanliness, and to use proper tools in good condition. Always
observe the basic safety rules when performing servicing proce‐
dures.
A number of general notes on the individual repair procedures,
which were otherwise repeated in the relevant sections of the
manual, are summarised here. They apply for this particular work‐
shop manual.
♦ Thoroughly clean all unions and the adjacent areas before
disconnecting.
♦ Ensure proper seating of dowel sleeves for centralising sus‐
pension bracket and steering box when installing.
♦ Place parts that have been removed on a clean base and cov‐
er them so that they do not get dirty. Use foil or paper. Use
only lint-free cloths.
♦ Only fit clean parts: remove the wrapping of the spare just be‐
fore use.
♦ Use only the grease and sealants with specified part numbers.
♦ If repair work cannot be performed immediately, carefully cov‐
er or seal components.
León 2013 ➤ , León ST 2013 ➤
Running gear, axles, steering - Edition 06.2018
4 Rep. gr.00 - Technical data