Well after seeing so many folks here having difficulties replacing struts and putting the bearings in I decided to make a post on how to do this. I will go step by step and include the necessary tools to get the job done safely and without too much self inflicted pain.
Take this information for what it's worth, some folks may do things differently but this is what I do. If I left something out let me know and I will try and up date it ASAP.
These are the Monroe part numbers for the parts I used and the prices I paid. These prices will vary depending on location and the store you go to.
Rear Right Mount PT# 902968 $26.49
Left Rear Mount PT # 902969 $26.49
Front Mount x2
PT # 902973 $32.99 ea. ($65.98 for the pair)
Rear Lower Isolator Pad x2
PT # 904941 $52.99 ea. ($105.98 for the pair)
If in good condition these can be re-used from the old struts
Also check the Moog brand too they may be cheaper!
Front Lower Isolator Pad x2
PT # 904942 $13.99 ea. ($27.98 for the pair)
If in good condition these can be re-used from the old struts
Front Upper Isolator Pad x2
PT # 904943 $13.99 ea. ($27.98 for the pair)
If in good condition these can be re-used from the old struts
Front Strut Bellow x2
PT # 63622 $15.99 ea. ($31.98 for the pair)
If in good condition these can be re-used from the old struts
Rear Strut Bellow x2
PT # 63973 $15.99 ea. ($31.98 for the pair)
If in good condition these can be re-used from the old struts
So First off we will have to gather all the parts that we will want to install on our vehicle. For this article I had my set of KYB AGX struts that I had waiting to be installed along with Vogtland springs and a set of Monroe Strut mounts and bearings. With everything ready here is a snap shot of the tools we will be needing to get this accomplished.
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Note we'll need a 1/2" rachet and breaker bar, BFH (aka: Big f*c*i*g Hammer) also a 3/8" rachet a 21mm, 19mm, 15mm deep well sockets. 19mm and 18mm box end wrenches as well as a set of torx sockets. These are the hand tools we'll be using during all of this.
I also had new Monroe Strut mounts w/bearings p/n (902973) and new upper insulators (p/n 904942) I also got the pogo eliminator mod from my local dealer (p/n 10203412)
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Here is the Spring compressor we'll be using as well, do not I REPEAT do not take the springs off without one of these. There is a lot of energy stored in these and they will fly off and go somewhere, I speak from experience. Nothing like seeing a spring shoot into a wall! Again not good to drink while working on cars.
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The next set is some optional tools that help things get done a little quicker. If you dont have these then it'll just take you longer to get shit done. These are air tools that can help speed things up, a compressor, air rachet and an an impact gun. Why wrench away when you can just pull a damn trigger and get it done that much quicker.
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This is for motivation and only should be consumed after all the work is done. No getting sloppy drunk when we have to test drive when we're done. Pick your poison, nothing helps like a nice cold drink when you work and finish it all up. Yes that is a fridge in my garage!
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We will now safely jack out car up and place jack stands under the sub frame. dont put the jack stands under the LCA (lower control arm) we will need to be able to manuever it around.
DO NOT JUST USE A JACK TO HOLD THE CAR UP. Safety, first last and always no sense in giving your GF/wifes new boy toy run of your house spending your death benefits.
Once the car is jacked up and secure we will remove the wheels with our handy dandy 19mm socket. Our next step will be to loosen the nuts holding the strut to the HUB assembly. These nuts are a 21mm and may require a little bit of coaxing to get them loose. Below is a shot using a breaker bar as well as one with an impact wrench.
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If your bolts turn you will need need to use the 18mm box end wrench to keep the bolt from turning.
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Now that we have the nuts loose we can remove the bolts from the struts. Here is where our friend the BFH comes into play. You will need to put some ass into this to pop these suckers free and they will go flying so be careful. Try and hit it square so as not to round off the end, if this happens you'll need to grind it to be able to put the nut back on.
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Now that both bolts have flown across your driveway and you've retrieved them the lower portion of the strut should be loose. We will move onto the upper half of the strut and remove the bolts holding the upper mount to the car. You will note 3 15mm bolts that will need to be removed, either use an air ratchet or a regular ratchet to achieve this.
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The strut will now be free from the confines of your inner fender, be careful when pulling it out as to not nick the side of your car. Now may be a good time for that beer break if you have some.
While we have this are disassembled it would be a good time to check your LCA's (
Lower Control Arm) bushings as well as the ball joints and tie rods. If any of the bushings are torn/seperated/ loose/missing now is a good time to replace them. These can be purchased through any of the supporting vendors,
www.gmpartsdirect.com, or found on ebay. You will also hear about MPC (Morad Parts Company) who also can supply you with a low milage used set for a decent price, Call them for pricing. I recommend new but if money is tight used may be the way to go.
With the newer LCA's the come with new ball joints attached, if you feel adventurous and want to replace just the
ball joints TRW (
PT# 104257) has some for $45.99 each.
Tie rods will show signs of wear and should be replaced in pairs since we will be doing an alignment. The outer tie rods can be had for about $35.99 each for the TRW brand with a limited lifetime warranty (
PT# ES3453 for both)
We will now progress onto disassembling the strut to rebuild it with new parts. We will now use the spring compressor to compress the spring to take the load off of the strut mount so that we can safely remove it.
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Note where the bolts go on the compressor so that they dont hit the strut as we begin to compress the spring. This is where our 19mm will come into play again as we begin to tighten the bolts.
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You'll note now that the spring is compressed and we can safely take off the strut mount. (The strut mount on this strut was installed incorrectly, hence why I am changing them) not my car BTW another I was working on after mine.
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You can remove the top nut one of 2 ways either a 19mm box end wrench and a torx socket to keep the strut from spinning or you can use an impact wrench and the 19mmto just zip it right off.
Some Stock setups may have a 21mm nut so double check, also you'll need and offset boxend wrench for this task as well.
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Now that the nut is off of the strut we can remove the strut mount from the strut, remove the spring, shield and Isolator as well. We will be re-using these parts on our new set up unless you have purchased new parts.
We will begin to rebuild our new set up starting with our new struts. You can stand the strut up and place lower spring insulator inplace.
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Next we will place the Shield on the strut, this is the part that keep debris from getting at the strut.
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We can now place our spring onto the new strut assembly, note the notch on the lower insulator where the spring can sit.
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Now lets build our strut mounts the correct way. I used Monroe strut mounts (p/n 902973) We will open up the box and examine the contents of what we have.
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Note the strut mount, the bearing the wedge and the bearing back. You'll also get 3 new cruch nuts and 2 isolator cups. Now is a good time to get the Pogo mod either through a vendor or go to your local dealer and pick them up (p/n 10203412)
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We will now commence putting the strut mount back together and in the correct order with visual aids, First we grab the strut mount itself
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and the wedge (retainer backing)
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There are 3 arrows on the Monroe wedge that shows how it should be orientated, you cant miss them and they will ensure proper alignment of the retainer backing.
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This will fit very snug and you may have to use your man hand to get it down there securely.
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Now we will install the strut bearing, yes that yellow thing. ensure that the BLACK bearing piece is facing upward toward you not down.
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Snap it in place
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We will now install the bearing backer (plastic cup piece)
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Place it on the bearing and ensure it sits in there nice ans smooth, rotate the pack around and ensure it turns easily.
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We will now install a new upper insulator, I bought new ones as mine were old had tar and road schmegma on it. Monroe (p/n 904942)
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Here is the finished product when all is said and done, it is now ready to install on the strut.
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We will now put our finished assembly on our struts, use your spring compressor to compress the strut assembly and place the strut mount on the strut. You will need the 19mm to tighten the nut.
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Loosen the spring compressor and stand back bask in the glory that is your new strut.
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Now let put that bad puppy where it belong, GET IN THE HOLE THE HOLE IS YOUR HOME>
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I like to put the top nuts on first to hold the strut in place. You can use either an air ratchet or a 3/8 ratchet and a 15mm socket to accomplish this task.
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Next we can move to the two lower bolts and button up the bottom end. I apply a liberal coat of Anti Seize on them (sucks to live up North)
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Place the bolts into the holes and tap them in a little with the BFH, nothing to spectacular just so there's enough threads showing on the other side.
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TAP TAP TAP it in!
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Again you can tighten these with an Impact wrench or a good ole fashion 1/2" ratchet with your 21mm again. If your bolts spin use the 18mm open end wrench to hold it in place.
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Your strut is now in place and should look something like this.
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The front and rears will be removed and replaced in the same manner. The rears will not have a bearing as the rear tires will stay in a fixed postion. The strut will sit on the strut mount with no upper isolator. We will also need to place the rear sway bar linkage back on the strut.
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You will need a 15mm deep socket and a skinny 19mm or 3/4" boxed end wrench to get behind the strut to hold the nut from turning.
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you can now tighten the linkage onto the strut.
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Your finished product should look similar to this.
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This buttons up the back of the car and you can now place the tires back on and put the car back on the ground removing the jack stands first.
After this work is done is is important to
get a 4 wheel alignment on your car. We have just drastically changed the dynamics of your suspension and your caster and camber are not within specifications. If you have to you can drive the car but it is recommended that with the next 24 hours you get it aligned. You should not drive any distance with the alignment this far off.
This information is for instructional purposes only and is just for reference to help you through replacing your struts. I take no responsibility if you kcuf anything up.Now we are finished and we can go back to our beer.
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This is how it sits now with the Vogtland springs and AGX struts, Keep in mind the springs haven't settled yet either.
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Not bad looking if I do say so myself!
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