I am going to put on the RB springs and Tokico HPs in my SE. My question is 1. do I have to take the whold hub assembly(rotor) off inorder to remove the strut and the spring. If so, do I have to get new front wheel bearings and oil seals? I am deciding if I should just have a shop install the front spring and strut since I will have to have a shop to decompress the spring anyway. I think I can do the rear springs and shocks easily. Thanks for the help

JL

 

No, just undo the 2 bolts that hold the strut to the piece the ball joint bolts through. No need to remove the rotor/hub from the spindle.

 

They're called grease seals not oil seals. Wow, i'm a dick.

 

As CrazyJoe stated, you can remove the 2x17mm bolts (one long, one short) at the bottom of the spindle and remove the whole assembly once you've disconnected the 4x14mm top bolts at the strut towers.

A tip for you is to remove the links for your stabilizer bar in the front to help get enough flex in the front lower control arm so that you can remove without too much hassle - it's a lot easier to do this than to mess with having a long arm stickingout that you must lever to get the strut in and out once you're done.

Spring compressors aren't a necessity for this job, but you don't want to screw around with compression springs - whatever you use, just be careful. You'll need the compressors to get the top strut mounts and thrust bearings off, so save some trouble and go rent the right tools. Also, since you're obviously going to be taking that nut off of the stock strut rod, you'll need an air wrench or some other high torque wrench, combined with vice grips and/or long handled pliers to hold the TOP of the strut rod as you loosen that nut. DON'T hold the shiny strut rod at the bottom, or you'll score the rod which will ruin the gas seals. This is perhaps the most difficult part of taking the front strut assemblies out - that top nut. I took mine down to PEP Boys and had them air wrench them off. Going back on is easy.

Also, don't forget to add about 2-3 oz's of motor oil to the strut tubes before you insert the new cartridges. This is an oil bath to help dissipate heat that's generated by the strut as it works. Helps to dampen vibration and sound, too.

Other than these, it's straight forward installation. Good luck, and post back with your results. Rears are easy and about a 1 hour job if you take your time. HTH,

 

Remember to mark the location of your strut top to somewhere on your strut tower so you remember which way to put it back in. You have 4 different positions when you put it back in.

 

Thank you very much to all those who replied to my question. I will be getting the spring and shocks later on next week. I will be installing the rear spring and shock next weekend. I am still debating whether to do the front myself or take it to a mechanic to do it. I got a quote of $150.00 to install the springs and the struts. I will let everyone know what the result is. Again, thanks a lot for the replies.

Jeff

 

IMO, it's worth $150 bucks, but you should be there when the work is done so that you can learn something by it.

If nothing else, at least a professional mechanic has all the parts to do the work correctly. Something to think about is that you'll likely need an alignment after doing the new springs and struts, as these change front suspension geometry anytime you adjust ride height.

I got by for a year before readjusting the front suspension with RB springs and Tokico Blues installation, but the outside edges of the front tires were pretty worn. Worth the effort if you have good rubber that you want to last as long as possible. HTH,