Quote:
Originally Posted by buckseventysix
I installed springs today. No need to remove the struts from the car to do this. Just unbolt the top hat bolts using a pass through and allen wrench combo, undo the sway bar in the front and the LCA bolts on the rears. The struts will lower just enough so you can rotate them out enough to put the new springs in.
For the rears, I used the jack the car comes with to lift the LCAs and guide the strut back into the hole.
Start to finish took about 2 hours for all four corners double checking everything.
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Thanks for this man!
If anyone is keeping the stock shocks or just swapping in camber plates or replacing the top mount, this method is a sub 1 hour job per wheel.
Steps are:
1. Undo the upper strut nut... use a 17mm pass through socket and a L-allen key. The trick here is to get a wood block or something to let the allen key wedge against it so it won't rotate.
2. Get car on stands, jack up, etc.
3. Pull the wheel off.
4. Undo all the sensor, ABS, brake lines - flathead screwdriver for this. 12mm socket to undo the brake line mount. DON'T DISCONNECT ANYTHING, just undo the guide mounts.
5. Undo the sway bar link - you may need an impact gun for this to get it to loosen. The stock torque is only 34lb but it's on there.
6. You should be able to give the strut a good yank down as the spring will already have expanded and the strut assembly will rotate or drop forward. Watch the FENDER when it does!
7. From here - lift the stock spring and top plate up and off. Can also access the strut top mount if you want to swap that.
8. To drop in new springs... you will need a spring compressor. Auto stores rent them for like $50 in Norcal. They were out so I bought mine for $35.
Position the springs in the strut perch and SEE where the coil bottom ends. You'll need to position the spring compressor to 1 - compress the spring so you can get the strut top and mount on, 2 - be able to REMOVE the spring compressor after you've put it all together.
9. Stand on the hub for leverage and gently guide the strut back into place.
Use a jack under the wheel hub to gently move it up. Also a good time to put the sway bar nut back on too.
Hope this helped you guys!
First time I did this, was a 3 hour job for one wheel. I was experimenting. By the time I got to wheel 2, it was 45 min.