Do you need to take the hub off if your putting in new shocks too
01-25-05, 07:38 PM
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Do you need to take the hub off if your putting in new shocks too
Well i know i said i was going to get a shop to put in some new regular shocks with my front springs cause my dad decided we shouldn't mess with all that junk in the front but now it's kinda changed. I still dont have the springs in but i just ordered tokico blues(YES!!) from nopi(it seems like they kinda charge a lot for shipping). Is there a way i can just leave the hub, caliper and rotor alone and just throw in the tokicos with the new spring compressed onto the strut? If no, and this is a stupid question then sorry. : ) later and Jesus loves you
01-25-05, 08:03 PM
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84SE-EGI helpy-helperton
Well, yeah - you can leave the hubs in place, and I assume you mean the brake rotors.
The best approach to replacing shocks (and springs), is to remove the strut completely taking off the 4x14mm nuts on the top of the pillow mount inside the engine compartment, remove the 2x17mm bolts at the bottom of the strut where it attaches to the knuckle arm, remove the 2x14mm brake caliper mounting bolts, and then remove the strut entirely.
Once the strut is out, the spring is still compressed. Get some good, solid, spring compressors and clamp those guys down so that you can get the upper mounts free of tension. You'll need an air wrench to get the top nut off the shock strut, along with a pair of vice grips, but once you get that off, you're most of the way there. Be VERY careful not to score the shiny chrome shock rod too far down the shaft or you'll kill the seals on compression - this goes for the new ones, primarily.
Spin that top nut off, and start removing parts, keeping track of what order they come apart. Lay them out on a piece of cardboard or something so that you get it all back together correctly. As you get to where the springs can be removed - BE VERY CAREFUL - this kind of spring tension can kill you if it pops out of there and releases all that energy. Use the right tools for the job - most auto stores will rent spring compressors for next to nothing.
With the spring off, you'll see that the shock is held inside the strut by a large flanged nut that fits into inside threads on the strut. Get the right sized wrench and unscrew this flanged nut until you can remove it by hand. You may find that there's oil that comes out when you get the shock removed - this is normal, in fact, you're going to be adding MORE oil when you put the new ones in; it conducts the heat out of the shock and into the strut for better performance and helps to damp vibration forces.
Your Tokico Blues will come with new flange nuts and some spacers that will fit between the flange nut and the top of the Blue shock. Find the right size spacer by installing the shock in the strut (after adding about 1/2 cup of 10W-40 engine oil), and see how much threading you can get that flange nut to hold with - you want quite a bit, but you don't want the flange nut down tight and room for the shock to move up and down in the strut housing. Ideally, you want the shock locked down tight with most of the flange nut threaded down, and tight - you don't want this coming loose later on.
With the shock installed, check the bump stop height. If you're installing aftermarket 'lowering' springs, you might want to cut about 1/2" off the bump stops - these are rubber donuts that fit onto the shock rod and keep the suspension from pounding itself to death. Reinstall the spring on the perch, put the mounting parts back on in the order that they were removed, and then tighten the pillow mount nut to finish the job on this side.
Put the strut back in the car by lifting it into position and starting 1 or 2 of the 14mm nuts at the top, then get the 2x17mm bolts lined up on the lower control arm and steering knuckle. It may help to have removed the Stabilizer bar link and the Radius Arm from the lower control arm, but some have done this without taking those parts off. YMMV. Get started on the other side.
This is a 'Medium' difficulty project - if you have the right tools. Take your time and you can expect it to take an afternoon or so, depending on your level of mechanical efficiency.
Good luck, and reply back if questions,
The best approach to replacing shocks (and springs), is to remove the strut completely taking off the 4x14mm nuts on the top of the pillow mount inside the engine compartment, remove the 2x17mm bolts at the bottom of the strut where it attaches to the knuckle arm, remove the 2x14mm brake caliper mounting bolts, and then remove the strut entirely.
Once the strut is out, the spring is still compressed. Get some good, solid, spring compressors and clamp those guys down so that you can get the upper mounts free of tension. You'll need an air wrench to get the top nut off the shock strut, along with a pair of vice grips, but once you get that off, you're most of the way there. Be VERY careful not to score the shiny chrome shock rod too far down the shaft or you'll kill the seals on compression - this goes for the new ones, primarily.
Spin that top nut off, and start removing parts, keeping track of what order they come apart. Lay them out on a piece of cardboard or something so that you get it all back together correctly. As you get to where the springs can be removed - BE VERY CAREFUL - this kind of spring tension can kill you if it pops out of there and releases all that energy. Use the right tools for the job - most auto stores will rent spring compressors for next to nothing.
With the spring off, you'll see that the shock is held inside the strut by a large flanged nut that fits into inside threads on the strut. Get the right sized wrench and unscrew this flanged nut until you can remove it by hand. You may find that there's oil that comes out when you get the shock removed - this is normal, in fact, you're going to be adding MORE oil when you put the new ones in; it conducts the heat out of the shock and into the strut for better performance and helps to damp vibration forces.
Your Tokico Blues will come with new flange nuts and some spacers that will fit between the flange nut and the top of the Blue shock. Find the right size spacer by installing the shock in the strut (after adding about 1/2 cup of 10W-40 engine oil), and see how much threading you can get that flange nut to hold with - you want quite a bit, but you don't want the flange nut down tight and room for the shock to move up and down in the strut housing. Ideally, you want the shock locked down tight with most of the flange nut threaded down, and tight - you don't want this coming loose later on.
With the shock installed, check the bump stop height. If you're installing aftermarket 'lowering' springs, you might want to cut about 1/2" off the bump stops - these are rubber donuts that fit onto the shock rod and keep the suspension from pounding itself to death. Reinstall the spring on the perch, put the mounting parts back on in the order that they were removed, and then tighten the pillow mount nut to finish the job on this side.
Put the strut back in the car by lifting it into position and starting 1 or 2 of the 14mm nuts at the top, then get the 2x17mm bolts lined up on the lower control arm and steering knuckle. It may help to have removed the Stabilizer bar link and the Radius Arm from the lower control arm, but some have done this without taking those parts off. YMMV. Get started on the other side.
This is a 'Medium' difficulty project - if you have the right tools. Take your time and you can expect it to take an afternoon or so, depending on your level of mechanical efficiency.
Good luck, and reply back if questions,
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