[phpBB Debug] PHP Notice: in file /viewtopic.php on line 988: date(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'Europe/Moscow' for 'MSK/3.0/no DST' instead
[phpBB Debug] PHP Notice: in file /viewtopic.php on line 988: getdate(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'Europe/Moscow' for 'MSK/3.0/no DST' instead
SolaraGuy.com • View topic - Front strut installation instructions
Non-tutorials will be deleted.

Front strut installation instructions

Front strut installation instructions

Postby Jeffrey Olson » Sun Dec 24, 2006 10:41 am

I installed the front struts & mounts on my 99 SE the other day. Here's a set of instructions. It takes about an hour if you compress the springs enough the first time and make sure the spring is correctly seated before releasing spring compressor.

Tools: 22mm, 19 mm, 14mm & 12mm sockets; 1/2 breaker bar, 6" long 1/2" extension, 3' of 3/4" iron pipe or equivalent, 1/2" ratchet, spring compressor, and large mouth wrench.

1. Remove wheel

2. Remove 12mm bolt holding brake line & abs line to strut

3. Remove 14mm nut from vertical stabilizer. Do not try and remove the bolt part of the fitting from the strut yet.

4. Put a scissors jack under the axle carrier (or whatever it's called) and gently tension. this keeps the wheel & brake assy from falling.

5. Put 22mm socket on one of the two big nuts at bottom of strut , 6" extension, and breaker bar and iron pipe extension. Gently pull up till nut gives. Do the same on the other nut. Remove both nuts and bolts.

6. Put 14 mm socket on one of the three nuts holding the strut mount to the body of the car and remove all three nuts. The strut assy won't fall as it is being held up by the scissors jack and cv assy. The very careful mechanic might put a piece of wood between bottom of the strut and cv boot.

7. Gently remove strut from car. Now you can remove the 14mm vertical stabilizer bolt from the strut.

8. Put strut assy on a bench and attach spring compressors.

9. compress springs so that the springs being compressed are about an inch from one another. this is the most time consuming and hardest part of the job. My spring compressor was fairly cheap, and so wrenching the big nuts involved lots of muscle. I stared at the letters, "Made in China" for my whole compressing experience.

10. Take 19mm socket and ratchet and remove the nut at the top of the strut. If the nut pops off, you have not compressed the spring far enough. Compress it some more now.

11. I reused the rubber strut boot and the rubber ring on which the large/bottom part of the spring rests. I had new boots that were the wrong kind, but used the new hard foam piece that slides over the shaft of the strut. Clean everything that is going to be reused.

12. Put new strut inside of spring assy.and place vertically on the floor. Put old bearing holder on spring with the arrow that says out pointing parallel to the two large holes for 22mm bolts. Put on the new bearing, and then the new strut mount. Be sure that the cut-out underneath the threads on the strut shaft are parallel with "out" on the strut mount. This is crucial. If you don't, you'll find the same noise you started this whole process to fix. I didn't align the top of the strut and strut mount and had to turn the nut at a Trader Joes parking lot to fix.

13. If you compressed the spring enough it is easy to start the bolt on the top of the strut. If you didn't, then you need to take the whole thing apart again and wrench/compress the springs some more.

14. You can push down on strut mount and gain access to the strut, but it takes three hands to do this and start the 19 mm bolt.

15. Once you started the 19mm bolt well enough to feel it's not going to come off, put the assy back on the bench and tighten the 19mm nut. As you get to the end where it starts to tighten, twist the strut mount back and forth to seat the mount in the parallel cut outs on the strut. You can feel it when you've got it aligned. Tighten as much as possible on the bench.

16. Install assy in reverse order.

17. Slide assy into the three holes in the body and start the three 14mm nuts.

18. Insert strut into axle assy and raise and lower it with the scissors jack til it fits. Put in the two 22mm bolts and start the nuts til hand tight.

19. Tighten the 14mm nuts on the strut mounts in the engine compartment. use a torque wrench to 59 pounds

20. tighten 22 mm nuts to 162 pounds I think it was. Tighten the 19mm nut to some torque - I can't remember...

21. Take large mouth wrench/pliers and compress the horizontal part of the vertical stabilizer to the axle, guiding the vertical stabilizer nut into its hole. While continuing to use the wrench, put the 14mm nut onto the bolt and hand tighten. Now release the wrench. Tighten nut.

22. Put back the 12mm bolt into the strut assy.

23. Put back on tire and hubcap if any, and you'll have just saved yourself $75. I don't think I left anything out...
Jeffrey Olson
Regular SolaraGuy Member
Regular SolaraGuy Member
 
Posts: 52
Joined: Sun Jul 16, 2006 11:52 am

Return to Tutorials Gen 1 and 1.5

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 14 guests