A. Inspection

1. Separate the upper and lower halves of the slide-apart boot at the base of the steering column to expose the intermediate shaft coupling (Figure 1).





2. Inspect for a daub of green paint on the rubber isolation coupling (Figure 2).

^ Turn the steering wheel to observe for green paint anywhere on the coupling surface.

^ If a green paint daub is present on the coupling, no further intermediate shaft or fluid replacement service is required. (Any other paint markings, except for the coupling as shown in Figure 2, should be ignored.)

^ If there is no such paint daub on the coupling, proceed to replace the intermediate shaft as follows.

Note:
In addition to the green paint daub, the "good" shafts on involved 1990 model vehicles can further be identified by the upper rim of the coupling housing being "rolled over" to restrain the rubber in the coupling (Figure 2). The rim of the housing on suspect shafts that require replacement is not rolled over.

(The rolled over rim does not exist on 1988 and 1989 models and is not required on them because of a different shaft construction.)