Front strut removal and spring change

[adzs12]

(1) Start by removing the plastic caps situated on either side of the top strut mounts. Its worth spraying wd40 on the 17mm nuts found underneath as water likes to collect here in my experience and rust the nuts.

(2) Just loosen them on each side a few turns(you will see why later)and then jack up the front of the car and remove the front wheels. With the wheels removed turn the steering wheel onto full lock in either direction doesnt matter which to start and put the steering lock on if unasisted. This helps it from turning when your undoing the bolts.

(3)Firstly use a breaker bar to remove the 1st of 2 19mm bolts that hold the complete calliper on. i say a breaker bar as leverage is needed to free all the bolts. Then using the breaker bar to remove the 1st of 2 17mm bolts that holds the bottom of the strut to the knuckle for which the bolts are situated underneath.

(4) Now turn the steering wheel onto full lock in the opposite direction and again lock the steering wheel if you are unacompanied.

(5) Now remove the 2nd 19mm bolt and now the calliper can be wedged up out of the way without removing the brake hose.

(6) The 2nd 17mm bolt at the underside of the knuckle can be removed now to free the strut from the bottom.

(7) A hammer is used to bang the strut at the bottom to break the seal that is formed between the two metal surfaces over the years of heat and age, After the 3 17mm nuts which hold the top cup on are loosened.

(8) A long tough bar is the best thing i found to lever the bottom of the strut of its meeting knuckle joint. It is usefull to have someone help you do this as one will need to lift and support the strut itself whilst the other pushes or stands on the bar. Pull the strut to one side and get your assistant to remove the remaning 3 nuts up top and then the whole assembly is free to remove from the car. However as i found it is possible to do this ureself but it is a lot harder work.

(9)Repeat these steps on the opposite side so your pair of front struts are now off the vehicle.

(10) Spring clamps should be fitted evenly on opposite sides of the spring and compressed evenly to avoid the clamps slipping off and hurting your pinkies.

(11) Once the spring can be turned freely , stand the strut up and remove the 17mm nut (which you loosend at the 1st step of this guide). Carefully remove the top cup and now the spring can be slid off. Evenly loosen the spring clamps and take caution as they do hurt if they are to slip.

Repeat this process on the remaining strut assembly.

(12)Now if you are replacing your standard springs with a lowered spring then the spring clamps are not neccesarily used on reasembly.

(13)So start by sliding the lowered spring on to the strut ensuring you keep hold of the shock absorber as this will want to slide down into the strut itself. Put the top cup back on and just finger tighten the 17mm nut which holds the cup on.

(14)The process is the same as step (13) except to use the spring clamps if standard springs are being used instead of lowered ones.

The same is to be performed on the remaining removed front strut.

(Refitment)

(1) Feed the strut up into the wheel arch locating the 3 studs on the top cup into there desired holes. The top cup spins freely so either stud can go in to either hole.

Get a few turns on each nut so that the strut can hang freely, If possible ask for help.

Then the long bar is used again to force the knuckle down and allow the bottom of the strut to be located once again with its mating surface of the knuckle joint.

Once in place twist the strut to line up the 2 holes for which the 2 17mm bolts are fitted, too once again lock the strut to the knuckle joint.You may find it usefull to again lock the steering wheel or ask someone to hold it whilst the bolts are being tightened to prevent movement.

Make sure the spring is sitting in its desired place in the top and bottom cup.

At this point further tighten the 3 nuts on the top mount cup to secure the strut fully.Now reffit the earlier removed calliper and fully tighten the 2 19mm bolts that secure it to the brake disc.

Lastly with all other nuts and bolts tightend to there deisred torque or your happy go easy guesstimate lol. Tighten the 17mm nut onto the shock absorber situated at the centre of the top cup.

Same is to be repeated with the remaning strut.

Fit the wheels and lower the car off its jacks or axle stands and just double check the tightness of the centre 17mm nut and refit the plastic cap.

hope this helps and doesnt seem to confusing

Any questions feel free to ask

[PukkaSilvia]

Nice write-up Adz.

10 points to slytherin

[datdrift]

i had to change my front struts to put my ones with lowered springs and better shocks/disks in, and the bolts in them were all rock solid, i think they hadent been undone for about 10 years so i wd40 them and left to soak for a night, got 3 of the 17mm bottom bolts out and then one rounds off on me so i had to cut the bolt head off and beat it and the strut out......got there in the end tho.....

[alundra]

For the front strut I have only the cartridge (KYB Gr2); how change them?

[datdrift]

i dunno, the shocks arent uprated, but just in better con then the ones already on there.......

[northerner]

Alundra, basically you need to empty the Inner part of the original strut of Oil and the piston rod. Then drill a hole in the bottom of the strut so that when you insert the cartridge you can bolt it in place to the original housing. Then put large nut back on the strut, hey presto...