Schnoebdog

Hello there I recently replaced the front shock absorbers and it was not the straight forward procedure I was expecting so I I thought I'd post a few photos you may find helpful if you'll be doing this sometime yourself.



After lifting the front of the car (both sides!!!) and supporting it with jack stands, remove the tire and start by removing the slider bolt shown here on the brake caliper.





Pull the caliper from the top pin and remove the brake pads. Be sure not to let the caliper hang from the brake line.





Remove the top bolt of the caliper mounting braket using a 14 mm socket.





Turn the wheel (to the left if your working on the passenger side) and remove this bolt which is one of two that holds the lower part of the shock assembly. Use a 17 mm wrench. Removing the rear one first will allow you to spin the lower shock assembly so you can remove the lower caliper mounting bolt later, otherwise the lower caliper mounting bolt is a pain!





Remove the other lower shock mounting bolt with a 17 mm wrench.





With the shock assembly twisted out of the way you can now reach the lower caliper mounting bolt with ease using a 14 mm socket.





Remove the caliper mounting bracket.





Go up top and loosen the four mounting nuts in the engine bay using a 14 mm deep socket.





With the four nuts removed, you can then remove the shock assembly and use a spring compressor to compress the spring.





With the spring compressed, remove the mounting nut up top and remove the spring.





Remove this nut and the. Remove the shock cartridge. I snapped the welds on one of mine and used vice grips and a pipe to bust it loose. I also used about half a can of Pb blaster and propane heat. Reassembly is the reverse of removal.

t_g_farrell

iTrader: (1)

Using an impact wrench on the top nut of the strut to loosen it before unbolting the strut from the
tower makes it easy to work with once you pull the strut and remove the springs. Nice tip on getting
to that pesky lower bolt on the caliper bracket.

Schnoebdog

Thanks t g. I figured I'd leave something out

Qingdao

iTrader: (3)

Drop an ounce of motor oil down in the carrier before putting the new strut back into the carrier.

7aull

iTrader: (2)

Thanks for taking the time to post -



Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska

wahootee

iTrader: (50)

These are called front struts not shocks. Specifically you are replacing the strut cartridges inside.
Minor error but a good mechanic will always try to use the proper term for the part.
Shocks are what you have on the rear.
Flame me, but its a pet peeve when people call stuff by the wrong name.
Also makes you look like you are a FNG when you post or go to the parts store.
Otherwise good write up.
All I would add is that you need to make a note of the position of the strut mount before removing, preferably marking it so you can put it back in the same position.
Otherwise you might have to remove it drop it and reposition it again because your alignment will be off.
Look for the small notch on the mount and make note of which position it was facing at the top of the strut tower.
While you have the rotor off, good time to repack the bearings.
Make sure you follow the FSM procedure for tightening the spindle nut so you don't ruin your bearings.
And lastly - always use a new cotter pin! Don't risk your life for a .05 part!

wahootee

iTrader: (50)

Also - the 17mm bolts that secure the strut to the lower control arm are 'front" and "rear" specific.
Meaning that one is longer than the other.
Don't mix the up and put them in the wrong holes.
Also put a little of your wheel bearing grease on the bolt threads to make it easy to get them out the next time and keep them from rusting inside.

kippen

This thread needs more love! I just upgraded my struts today to the Koni red inserts and this tutorial was super helpful.