How to Replace the Springs in a Nissan Sentra

The Nissan Sentra was originally a subcompact, but the Sentra has grown into a compact car. The Nissan Sentra has been a popular economical model for many years. The springs on the Sentra are part of the MacPherson strut assembly and the steps for replacing the front and rear springs vary slightly. No special tools are needed to replace the springs.

Instructions

Replacing the Rear Springs

1

Raise the Sentra and support the wheels securely with jack stands before removing wheels, strut mounting nuts and the strut's protective cap.

2

Put a jack beneath the car to support the rear axle and take note of the struts position on the car's body.

3

Take off the lower strut mounting through-bolt and two mounting nuts before removing the strut from the body of the car and placing it in a vice with a spring compressor.

4

Loosen up the piston rod locknut in order to compress the spring and remove the locknut. Be careful when compressing the spring as the spring can cause injury if released improperly.

5

Separate the spring from the strut components. Be sure to note the position of the spring within the strut assembly. Replace the spring before compressing it and reattaching it to the strut assembly.

6

Reinstall the removed components in reverse order using the previously noted positions of the components as a guide. Tighten all nuts and bolts according to specifications.

7

Reattach the strut and rear wheels before lowering the Sentra and performing a rear wheel alignment if needed.

Replacing the Front Springs

8

Raise the Sentra and support it securely before removing the wheels, brake tube and ABS wiring from the strut.

9

Use a jack stand to support the transverse link and remove the steering knuckle.

10

Take off the three upper attaching nuts while supporting the strut and remove the strut.

11

Put the strut assembly in a vise and attach the spring compressor in order to loosen the piston rod locknut, compress the spring and remove the locknut.

12

Remove the spring from the strut assembly and replace it before reassembling the strut.

13

Reassemble all removed components. Make sure to position the alignment mark of the strut facing towards the outside of the Sentra.

14

Bleed the brake system, reattach the wheels and align the front end.