Car struts are used at the front end on each front-wheel drive vehicle. They are similar to shock absorbers, but have more qualities than shock absorber and a different name. A strut will integrate various suspension parts inside one compact assembly. This usually includes coil spring, spring seats, shock absorbers, strut bearing and steering knuckle. The shock absorber part of the strut is the part that is serviced the most inside the strut assembly. As the strut has many different components inside one assembly, it can serve multiple purposes. The spring inside the strut is able to support the weight of the vehicle, while the vehicle is moving, so that it can adjust to the road irregularities. The internal shock absorber present can dampen the movement of the spring when it compresses and starts rebounding itself when the vehicle starts traveling. If you know how to replace strut then you can solve any such problems in the future.
One must check the strut of his or her own vehicle once a year and it should be always done with a conjunction along with the wheel alignment. Under normal circumstances the shock absorber portion, which is the carriage of the strut, will wear out and there will be losses in the ride quality of your vehicle. However, there are some signs that tell you when you need to replace the strut like bottoming out, excessive bouncing, rocking back and forth, drifting when breaking and swaying.
If your vehicle indicates that it needs a strut service, it may be a good time to change the coil springs as well. The reason you must do this because you will have to remove them when replacing struts and it will save your labor cost when you do two things together. Here are some simple steps on how to replace struts.
Steps:
- The first step for replacing the strut will be loosening the bolts that secure the wheel, but you must not remove them. Now open the hood and loosen the bolts that secure the strut assembly from the strut tower. You will have to lift the car with car jack; the spare tire jack of your vehicle will also work. Place the jack where you will place it for removing the tire. Once the car is in air, use jack stands for securing the car in place. You must place the jack stand besides the jack beneath the car, so that if the jack fails then the car will not fall. Now, start removing the wheels, and place some blocks under the control arm and leave a gap of 3-4 inches.
- Open the hood of your vehicle and start looking for the strut tower. This will be usually located in the central point of the inside fender well and will be similar to cylinders. These towers will be held in place with three small bolts, you will have to remove the strut tower bolts. When you do this, the assembly may fall so be careful about that. Now move towards the inside of the fender well and start following the strut until it ends. There will be two to three large bolts holding the strut on the steering knuckle. You will have to remove these large bolts by first taking out the nuts and then you must hammer them out of the strut to free them. Now you will be able to pull out the strut assembly and then keep it on the ground.
- Now the next step for replacing the strut will be installing the strut bearing and spring on the new strut. For this, you will have to make sure that the compressor is secured and pointed away from anything that can be damaged. You will have to compress the spring along with a spring compressor. Remember that you must use the compressor according to the instructions mentioned on it. On the top portion of the strut there will be a large nut, which will look like a disc, but it is a strut bearing. Take out the large nut from top of the strut with the help of a socket and ratchet combination. After that you will have to hold the strut rod with a wrench just beneath the strut bearing. Now that you have removed the nut, the strut spring and bearing will be free from the old strut.
- Now you can replace the strut. Take the spring and place it on the new strut, but make sure that you have included the rubber parts from the old strut. Start installing the strut bearing on the spring and then you can replace the strut rod nut to the manufactured specified torque.
- After replacing the strut you can install the completed strut assembly back inside the steering knuckle by reinstalling the bolts, but remember to leave them only finger tight, allowing the assembly to move freely.
- Take this strut assembly and place it back inside the strut tower and the start replacing the bolts of the strut tower. You will have to tighten the bolts, secure the strut assembly on the steering knuckle and torque as per the instructions on the manufacturer specifications.
- Now, you are done with replacing the strut so you can remove the jack from the steering knuckle and replace the wheel, start tightening the lug bolts, remembering to finger tight them or a little more will also do.
- Jack the vehicle up to take out the load from the jack stands and remove the jack stands and lower your vehicle. The last step will be to torque the strut tower bolts.
- Now just perform a final check to make sure that the process of replacing the strut is perfect. Take a small test drive of your vehicle for evaluating. However, you must avoid high-traffic areas because there are chances that the vehicle may need alignment. If the vehicle starts pulling on either sides or is not driving properly, then you will have to perform alignment.
Tips and Warnings:
- When replacing the strut, you must always remember that damaged, rusted or cracked springs must be replaced. You must never attempt to change these springs or struts unless you accept that the spring, compressor or strut may fail causing fatal injuries.
- When you replace the strut, you will have to be careful with the spring compressors. They can slip or fail, releasing all the energy that is stored in the spring and damaging anything that the spring hits.
- When you start mounting your vehicle on jack stands for replacing the strut, you must never use wooden blocks. This is an unsafe practice and can cause severe injuries.
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