Changing front struts is not an easy job no matter what kind of car you have. You should consider a Haynes or Chilton's manual for your vehicle's make, model and year. Have a wide variety of automotive tools and technical savvy before attempting to replace the struts. You'll also need a strut compressor. Portable strut compressors are not really recommended and if you've never used one before, as it can be a safety hazard. Before jumping into this project, take a wheel off your car and size up everything you're going to have to remove in order to do this.
Call ahead to some local service station and see if they'd be willing to compress your old struts and place your news ones into the coil springs. Some places will do this for a minor labor charge compared to actually installing the struts in your car altogether. This will still save you money on labor as you've done all the bull work of removing the strut from the vehicle.
Instructions
1. Park the vehicle in a flat, level paved or concrete surface. Place the wheel chocks in front and behind of one rear tire. Turn the ignition key to accessory, to unlock the steering wheel. This will allow you to move the wheels freely when suspended. If other electrical options are on, such as a radio or blower motor, shut them off as this will take some time and you could possibly kill the battery. Setting up a battery charger on trickle charge might not be a bad idea, but it's not entirely necessary.
2. Release the hood latch and prop the hood on the hood support rod if applicable. Also, take note of the strut tower and how much room you'll have to remove the bolts for later. Some cars are very accessible, while others might make you change your mind right then and there if you want to get into this project.
3. Break the lug nuts loose on both front tired without removing them. Just break them loose.
4. Lift the vehicle with the floor jack and secure the vehicle onto the jack stands under the frame if possible. You do not want to place the jack stands under the control arm as this will need to suspend in order to remove the struts. Depending on the vehicle, the pinch panels might be an option, but for safety first, look for frame rails under the vehicle and if they're there, use the for the support points.
5. Remove the wheels and visually inspect all the components that are attached to the strut. Everything attached to it is going to have to come off. Go to your tool box and measure all your tools with all the nuts and bolts and clips and have them ready by your side, but out of the way.
6. Remove the sway bar links. from the strut if applicable. Most sway bar links are attached at the bottom or the top of the strut in some manner. You may need an open end wrench on the back side of the sway bar link to hold it in place while you're using a ratchet and socket to remove the nut. In other applications, you might need to place a closed ended hand wrench on the nut while holding the bolt of the sway bar link with a smaller closed ended hand wrench. There are too many applications to determine how yours might be set up. This is where the 1/2-inch ratchet and sockets and hand wrenches will need to be matched up for the job. Remember, what makes a good mechanic is to be able to take things apart and then remember put them back together with no extra parts leftover.
7. Remove any rubber brake hose bracket from the strut and also any ABS brake lines that may be attached.
8. Remove the outer tie rod end from the strut only if it's attached to the strut. If it's not, you should not have to remove it.
9. Remove the strut bolt nuts. This is going to take a good degree of strength. Some strut bolts are splined meaning the bolt will not move in the slot and you only have to worry about removing the nut. However, some require you hold the head of the bolt with a hand wrench while removing the nut with a breaking bar and socket. Once the nut is broken loose, switch the socket to the 1/2 inch ratchet to speed up the job.
10. Remove the struts bolts. Most likely these are going to have to be pounded out with a hammer. You need to make sure you do not damage the threads of the bolts and that you do not mushroom the end of the bolt. A good trick is to screw the strut bolt nut back on and leave it flush to the end of the bolt and pound on that. Replacing a nut is much cheaper and easier than a bolt, but you'll still want to make sure to be somewhat careful. You could use a thick and short punch if you had one and place the punch on the end of the bolt. If the strut bolts are splined, you're going to have to give them some pretty good whacks to remove them. At this point, once the upper and lower strut bolts are removed, the knuckle of the wheel should be able to move somewhat. If you don't think you're going to have enough room to manipulate the knuckle and have not removed the outer tie rod end from the knuckle, you may reconsider. Either way, you're going to have to consider having a front wheel alignment performed on the car, so removing the outer tie rod end from the knuckle is not going to make much difference. In some applications, there's plenty of room to not have to remove it, but this is a step you're going to have to evaluate based on the application of your vehicle. There are even some applications where the caliper, caliper bridge, and rotor would help you out if removed, but not always the case.
11. Remove the wheel hub socket from the spindle of the drive shaft. Most applications will use a 36 millimeter deep well socket. The transmission spine should hold the drive shaft from spinning while loosening this and there will be a washer behind it.
12. Pry the strut loose from the knuckle with the large pry bar. You can hammer on the base of the strut if it helps. Try not to puncture it as it contains pressurized gas, but denting won't matter much since you're replacing it. Hammer the drive shaft spindle inwards to loosen it from the splines of the knuckle. You won't be able to punch it all the way out until you have more mobility with the strut and the spindle will help you hold the strut in place until you remove the strut tower nuts.The strut will come out of the knuckle held only by the drive shaft spindle, but will be supported by the three nuts on top of the strut tower.
13. Using a hand wrench or ratchet and socket if there's enough room, remove the strut tower nuts. When you're removing the last one, be strategically standing on the side of the vehicle by the wheel well, so you can hold the coil spring of the strut in one hand while removing the strut tower nut with your other hand. This will help you hold the strut when it's released and not allow it to fall and cause damage on the brake hose, ABS line if applicable, or any other delicate components. Manipulate the knuckle with a pry bar if need be to separate the knuckle from the drive shaft spindle and allow the strut to drop down. Be careful not to let the drive shaft be pulled out of its inside spline where it attaches to the transmission.
14. Mark the one of the strut mount holes and bolt so the mount can be reinstalled the same way when the coil is compressed. You might want to mark an L or an R on it as well, so you'll remember which one is left and which one is right, just in case the strut replacements are different part numbers. Repeat this steps on the other side of the vehicle.
15. Bring the old struts still in the coils and the new struts still in the boxes to a parts store with a machine shop or a local service station. You should have called them first if you heeded advice and they'll know you're coming. Since it might be later than you expected, call again before you leave to make sure they can still accommodate you. It is highly recommended you do not try to remove the strut from the coil unless you have a wall mounted strut compressor or have used a portable coil compressor before. However, if you have and know use one well enough, then you wouldn't need to read this step by step procedure figuring out install front struts. Coil springs are under tremendous pressure and trying to remove struts from them without knowing what you're doing could result in serious or fatal injuries.
16. Reinstall the new struts in the same manner they were removed. Lining the three bolts up into the strut tower can be a little challenging and you may want to recruit a neighbor or someone in the household watching TV to thread the nuts onto the plate bolts when you finally line up the holes and push the strut upwards. You may only be able to get one or two bolts through at first, but that's okay. Get a nut on a few threads to secure it and then you can manipulate the position of the strut. Tighten all the strut tower nuts securely. Be sure to look at the marking your made on the strut mount to line the right bolt through the right strut tower mark and that you're putting the left strut in the left side and right in the right side. It's pretty self explanatory and if you mess up at this point, it may be time for a break.
17.Attach everything you took off took apart from down below. Start in the opposite manner your removed everything. Start with the drive shaft spindle making sure to line the splines up right in the hub, tighten the nut securely. Re-attach the rotor, caliper bridge, and caliper if you needed to remove them, the outer tie rod if you had to remove that, and so on. No left over parts. Don't forget to reattach the brake hose bracket and ABS lines, and sway bar links, if applicable.
18. Place the tires on and tighten the lug nuts as tight as you can with the vehicle elevated.
19. Lower the vehicle to the ground and torque the lug nuts in an alternate pattern with a 1/2-inch drive adjustable torque wrench to the proper torque specifications of the vehicle. Remove the wheel chocks.
20. Call an alignment center and set up an appointment for a front wheel or four wheel alignment.
