Here you can find information regarding repairs to the CX-9 rear end system. These repairs include the
rear leaf spring, the rear differential system torque specs,
the rear diff fluid change procedures, and the axle driveshaft bearing removal and installation. All of these repairs and
procedures include in depth details on how to perform the replacement and or repair. They
also contain all the detailed torque specs needed for each bolt involved in the repair.
Rear Control Arm Installation
The rear Suspension on the CX-9 consists of a lower and upper control arm that is used to connect the steering knuckle to the
vehicles frame. The lower control arm also holds the rear spring suspension together by applying force between it and the frame.
The control arm is held together by 2 bolts one on each end of the arm. Both bolts should be torqued down to 75 ft-lbs. As for the upper
control arm there is also 2 bolts which connects the control arm to the vehicle. Both upper control arm bolts can be tightened down to 70
ft-lbs.
CX-9 Upper Arm to Frame Torque Spec : 70 ft-lbs
CX-9 Upper Arm to Knuckle Torque Specs : 70 ft-lbs
CX-9 Lower Arm to Frame Torque Specs : 75 ft-lbs
CX-9 Lower Arm to Knuckle Torque Specs : 75 ft-lbs
Rear Wheel Hub Installation
The rear wheel bearing is much the same as the front and uses 4 bolts which hold the hub to the rear knuckle. To remove the old hub
you will first need to remove the braking system from the vehicle and then remove those 4 bolts so that the hub can come loose from the car.
With the bolts out you can take the old hub off the car and place the new hub onto the vehicle. The 4 bolts get tightened down to 20 ft-lbs and
then an additional 60 degree turn. With the hub installed you can go ahead and reinstall the braking system and then tighten down the rear axle
nut to 180 ft-lbs. With that the rear hub has been replaced and you can reinstall the wheel.
To check the rear differential fluid on a CX-9 you must jack the rear end of the car up into the air and
then remove the diff fill plug using a 3/8's ratchet or breaker bar. The fluid level should be up to the bottom of the fill plug hole.
If the fluid level is low you can fill it using the hole until it comes out. If you want to change the fluid you can remove the
rear diff cover by taking out the outside bolts and pulling off the cover from the diff. When this is done the fluid will pour out
so be sure to have a container ready to catch it from hitting your floor. Once all the fluid is out you can reinstall the cover using some permatex or
silicon sealant and tighten down the cover bolts to 20 ft-lbs. The fill plug can be tightened down to 10 ft-lbs.
CX-9 Differential Cover Torque Specs : 20 ft-lbs
CX-9 Rear Diff Fill Plug Torque Specs : 10 ft-lbs
Rear Shock Installation
To replace the rear shocks on a CX-9 you will need to remove two sets of bolts/nuts. To do this you can jack up the vehicle and then
proceed to remove the lower bolt from the bottom portion of the shock. Next we can move to the back of the car and remove the plastic shielding
and gain access to the top nuts and remove that from the car. With that the shock should drop down and be loose from the car. To install the new
shock we can move the upper portion into the hole and hand tighten down the nuts to keep the shock in place. Next the lower bolt can be put in place
and tightened down to 110 ft-lbs. We can then go back to the upper nuts and torque them down to 25 ft-lbs.