Below guide will teach you How to Replace a Strut Assembly . Please follow the instructions carefully.
Things You’ll Need:
- Floor Jack
- Combination Wrench Set
- Coil Spring Compressor
- Socket and Ratchet Set
- Jack Stand Set
- 3/8 in. Drive Ratchet
- Shock Absorber and Strut
- Assembly
Estimated Costs:
- DIY Costs: Est. $113.16 parts only
- Shop Costs: Est. $434.98 parts and labor
Image may not be specific to your car
Instructions:
- Make sure that the car is parked on a flat surface with parking brake on. It is a god idea to put logs behind rear wheels as you have to lift the front of the vehicle.
- Loosen the lug nuts of the front wheels but don’t take them out.
- Take a floor jack and lift the front of the vehicle.
- As a safety precaution, secure the vehicle on jack stands so that you can work under vehicle more comfortably.
- Take the front wheel off the vehicle by removing the lug nuts.
- Inside the engine compartment, locate the strut assembly. Unfasten the top nuts holding the strut assembly to the mounting frame. Leave the center nut.
- It is a good idea to mark the mounting position of the lower strut on the hub for reference purposes. This mark will help you to align the new strut.
- Unfasten the bolts holding the strut assembly to the hub and take the strut assembly away.
- Find the spring compressor on one of the side and use it to apply pressure on the spring so that you can able to dismiss the top nut and washer. It is better to mark the top mounting position for future reference. Apply pressure on the strut assembly from above and take it out from the underneath of spring.
- Take a new strut assembly and glide it inside the spring and adjust it carefully. Use that mark as a guideline. Put back the washer and the top nut.
- Follow the manufacturer’s specifications and fasten the top nut.
- Position the strut assembly at its respective place in the vehicle.
- Fasten top nuts of the strut assembly slightly to the frame inside the engine compartment.
- Make adjustments to straighten the bottom nuts with the hub marks. Torque the bottom nuts properly.
- No move on the top nuts and torque it also. Make sure you follow the manufacturer’s specifications while doing so.
- Reattach the removed components back to the strut assembly.
- Fix the wheels back to the vehicle and secure the following the start pattern.
- Take a small drive and make certain that everything is operating properly and no adjustments are required.
Tips & Warning
After grounding the vehicle, bounce the vehicle up and down from the front to ensure shocks fit in their place properly. It is also important to make this thing certain that the vehicle is on even height on both the side. It must not lean on one side.
Alignment is must after the replacement of the strut assembly. If you are in doubt, take your vehicle to any professional technician to align it for you.
