If the struts on your vehicle have gone bad, you have a choice of replacing the strut assembly completely or any broken parts within it. Either way, removing and disassembling a strut is a dangerous task best left to professionals if at all possible. Also, the exact procedure can vary depending on the vehicle, so it is recommended you check out a repair guide for your exact model.
Removal
Before working on the strut, apply the car's parking brake and block the rear wheels. Disconnecting the negative battery cable is also a good idea in case there are any electrical connectors you must deal with. Now raise the vehicle's front end on jack stands and remove whichever wheels correspond with the strut you're removing. The front struts are mounted with three nuts that are accessible from under the hood. You may need to loosen these nuts first, but don't remove them yet. The strut is usually connected to the brake hose and stabilizer bar through brackets you must remove; there can be other parts that need disconnecting. Before you separate the strut assembly from the steering knuckle, balance the knuckle with a floor jack so it won't drop and strain the brake hose. Mark the strut's position to the knuckle with chalk or washable paint. Once you've removed the strut-to-knuckle bolts and the three nuts on top of the strut, it may take another person's help to lower and remove the assembly from the wheel well.
Disassembly/Reassembly
To disassemble a strut, it needs to be mounted in a vise. You also need a high-quality spring compressor to compress the strut's spring so all pressure on the upper mount is relieved. Hold the central damper rod in place with one type of socket wrench while removing its nut for the upper mount with another wrench. Once you remove the upper mount from the rod and the spring seat that's underneath it, use caution as you remove the spring from the assembly turning the ends away from your body. The last part to remove is usually the rubber bump stop; it may have a dust cover on it as well. Be sure to set everything in the order it was removed so you can install them and/or any replacement parts in reverse order. Also, the springs for the left and right struts are different, so mark them if you're disassembling both.
Installation
If you are replacing a whole strut assembly, line up the new strut with the old one and add the same markings to the new one so you know how to line it up with the steering knuckle. When lifting the strut assembly back in the wheel well, make sure the studs on top fit into their original holes so you can then apply the mounting nuts from the engine compartment. You can now reconnect the strut in the reverse order that it was disconnected, including reconnecting it to the steering knuckle, reconnecting the brackets for the stabilizer bar and brake hose and tightening the mounting nuts.
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