Here you can find information regarding the assembly of the Chevy Sonic front end. In this guide we will cover the
essential repairs for the front end of this vehicle. Included within these repairs
is the inner and outer tie rod removal and change, the front wheel hubs installation, ball joint removal and
installation, the upper and lower control arms, and the front shock installation. Along
with the repair procedures we also include the corresponding bolt torque specs for each fastener involved. These
guides are intended to assist in each procedure to help diyers with the job.
Chevy Sonic Tie Rod Change/Removal
To install a new tie rod on a Chevy Sonic you must first remove the old one from the vehicle. This can be
done by raising the vehicle up by either the use of a floor jack or a vehicle hoist.
Once the vehicle is in the air you can remove the corresponding tire for the side that you want to change the
tie rod on. Once the tire is off you can now access the old tie rod and remove it for replacement.
The inner part of the tie rod uses an nut that will need to be removed, this nut may spin depending on how
rusty it is. I suggest using a pair of vice grips to hold the portion of the bolt to prevent it from
spinning. You may also use a wire brush to clean off the threads prior to removal and or use penatrating oil to
aid in the removal. Once removed you can now tap out the tie rod from the spindle and
start to remove it completely. If you want to replace just the outer portion of the tie rod you can use a wrench
to hold the inner tie rod and spin off the outer tie rod. I usually count how many turns
it takes to come off so that I can then use the same number when installing the new part. This helps to avoid
alignment costs and hassles, although you may still want to get your vehicle realigned.
Once the outer tie rod is off you can now screw on the new part and reinstall it the same way it had been
removed. Once you get the nut back in place you can torque it to 22 ft-lbs plus an additional 130 degree turn. Be sure to tighten
back up the nut on the middle of the tie rod to ensure it does not move your alignment. If you happen to be
installing the inner tie rod as well you will need a special tool to loosen and tighten
the inner part. The torque specs for the inner tie rod are 65 ft-lbs.
Chevy Sonic Outer Tie Rod Torque Spec : 22 ft-lbs + 130°
Chevy Sonic Inner Tie Rod Torque Spec : 65 ft-lbs
Front Wheel Hub Installation
The front wheel hub on the Chevy Sonic gets pressed into the steering knuckle and will need to be pressed out in order to be
changed. To achieve this you must first remove the steering knuckle from the vehicle. This can be done by loosing up the upper and
lower connections that go to it. Staring with the 2 bolts which hold the strut to the knuckle and then moving to the lower ball joint
pinch bolt. Next the outer tie rod nut can be removed and then the center axle nut which hold the cv axle to the steering knuckle. From here
the old steering knuckle and hub should be removable from the vehicle. Now you will need to use a press or pressing tool in order to remove hub
from the knuckle. The old hub can be pressed out and the new hub pressed in. The steering knuckle can then be reinstalled onto the vehicle by doing
the reverse procedure as the removal. When installing be sure to tighten up the lower strut bolts to 82 ft-lbs. Next the lower ball joint can be
inserted into the steering knuckle and the pinch bolt can be tightened down to 22 ft-lbs plus an additional 35 degree turn. Finally the outer tie rod
can be installed and tightened down to 22 ft-lbs plus an additional 130 degree turn. All that is left now before reinstalling the braking system and tire
is the center axle nut which tightens down to 37 ft-lbs plus an additional 60 degree turn.
Chevy Sonic Front Axle Nut Torque Spec : 37 ft-lbs + 60°
Front Ball Joints Installation
The Chevy Sonic has one front ball joint being the lower ball joint. In order to remove the lower ball joint on this vehicle
you will need to remove the entire lower control arm along with the lower ball joint. To do this you will need to remove the 2 bolts
which hold the lower control arm to the vehicle frame and then the single pinch bolt which holds the ball joint to the steering knuckle.
Once remove you can remove the old control arm from the vehicle and then place the new part in the location of the old one and hand tighten up the
frame bolts. Once tightened you can torque the single rearward frame bolt to 118 ft-lbs and then an additional 35 degree turn. Next the single frame bolt
towards the front side of the vehicle can be torqued down to 85 ft-lbs and then an additional 65 degree turn. Finally the ball joint shaft can be
pushed into the steering knuckle and the pinch bolt for the lower ball joint can be torqued down to 22 ft-lbs and then an additional 35 degree turn.
Make sure to tighten up the frame bolts when the knuckle is at ride height as this extends the life of the bushings.
Chevy Sonic Lower Arm Rear Frame Bolt Torque Spec : 118 ft-lbs + 35°
Chevy Sonic Lower Arm Front Frame Bolt Torque Spec : 85 ft-lbs + 65°
Front Control Arm Installation
Lower Control Arm
The Chevy Sonic has one front control arm being the lower control arm. In order to remove the lower control arm on this vehicle
you will need to remove the entire lower control arm along with the lower ball joint. To do this you will need to remove the 2 bolts
which hold the lower control arm to the vehicle frame and then the single pinch bolt which holds the ball joint to the steering knuckle.
Once remove you can remove the old control arm from the vehicle and then place the new part in the location of the old one and hand tighten up the
frame bolts. Once tightened you can torque the single rearward frame bolt to 118 ft-lbs and then an additional 35 degree turn. Next the single frame bolt
towards the front side of the vehicle can be torqued down to 85 ft-lbs and then an additional 65 degree turn. Finally the ball joint shaft can be
pushed into the steering knuckle and the pinch bolt for the lower ball joint can be torqued down to 22 ft-lbs and then an additional 35 degree turn.
Make sure to tighten up the frame bolts when the knuckle is at ride height as this extends the life of the bushings.
Chevy Sonic Lower Arm Rear Frame Bolt Torque Spec : 118 ft-lbs + 35°
Chevy Sonic Lower Arm Front Frame Bolt Torque Spec : 85 ft-lbs + 65°
Front Strut Installation
To replace the front struts on the Chevy Sonic you will need to lift the vehicle up into the air and start by removing the tire on the side you want to replace.
Once the tire is off the first thing to do is remove the ABS sensor bolts so that you don't put stress on the bolts or ABS sensor cord. Next you can remove the sway
bar link nut from the side of the strut. With the sway bar removed you can start to remove the lower strut bolts. There should be 2 larger bolts
which are used to clamp the bottom of the strut to the steering knuckle. You may need to use a hammer to pound these bolts out once loosened. I
always put the nut on a few threads before tapping it to protect the threads from damage. With the lower 2 bolts removed the last fastener to take off
is located at the top of the strut and can be accessed from under the hood. There is a single nut on the top of the strut which is used to hold down the strut to the
vehicles frame. Once removed the strut should come out from the car. The
new strut can be installed in reverse order of the removal. Starting with sliding the new strut into the strut tower and tightening the upper nut to
48 ft-lbs. Then you can install the lower strut bolts and tighten them to 82 ft-lbs.
The stabilizer nut can be tightened down to 46 ft-lbs.
Chevy Sonic Front Strut Upper Nut Torque Spec : 48 ft-lbs
Chevy Sonic Front Strut Lower Bolts Torque Spec : 82 ft-lbs
Chevy Sonic Front Stabilizer Endlink Torque Spec : 46 ft-lbs
Front Swaybar Installation
The front swaybar on the Chevy Sonic consists of a series of brackets that hold it to the frame of the
vehicle and a couple of endlink nuts that fasten it the the outer side of the car. To remove
the swaybar you will need to jack up the front of the vehicle and remove both the endlink nuts as well as the
brackets. To install the new swaybar you will need to move it back into the place as the old one
and torque the endlink nuts to 46 ft-lbs and then torque the bracket bolts to 45 ft-lbs as well.
Chevy Sonic Front Swaybar Bracket Torque Spec : 45 ft-lbs
Chevy Sonic Front Swaybar Endlinks Torque Spec : 46 ft-lbs
