I finally got around today to start swapping out my old, worn out struts and spring seats. I WANT EVERYONE TO REALIZED THAT THIS IS NOT A JOB FOR A NOVICE DIYer. THIS IS A DANGEROUS JOB IF NOT DONE CORRECTLY AND YOU CAN GET HURT. I TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY IF YOU MESS UP.
So, that said. Here is my step by step how to:
1: Jack the front of the car and support both sides on jack stands. NEVER WORK ON A CAR SUPPORTED WITH JUST A CAR JACK!!.
2: Remove both front tires.
3: Remove the sway-bar endlink. It uses a 17mm bolt.
4: Remove the ABS wire from the strut tower.
5: Remove the two bolts holding the strut to the steering knuckle. Make sure you have a jack underneath it or the knuckle will fall. The bolt is a 17mm and the nut is a 19mm.
6: Remove the 3 13mm bolts from the strut mount and lower the strut out from the car.
7: Now this is where you need to pay attention to what you are doing. The spring is under a lot of pressure so watch what you are doing. Get your spring compressor and start to compress the spring.
8: Once you have the spring compressed, you can start to remove the 2 bolts that hold the strut mount and the spring seat to the strut. These bolts are both 19mm. If you have an impact gun, this job is a lot easier. If you don't, you can do it the way I did but make sure there are no young children around because they will be learning some new words. Also, if your struts have never been replaced, your second bolt will be a little different. You will need you use an adjustable wrench to get it off.
9: This is what a broken spring seat looks like and is what was making all the noise on my car. Once you have the strut all apart, you can reassemble it the opposite way you took it apart.
10: Installation is the opposite of removal.
This is what you will end up with once the strut is back in the car. You will need to get the alignment done once you get the new struts in. If you have any questions, please let me know.
