Replacing your vehicle's shock absorbers is a very tough task that only experts should handle. On most smaller cars, you can only change the shocks yourself on the rear wheels, and they are contained within an assembly that must be removed from the vehicle first. On most trucks, a similar type of assembly holds the shocks on the front wheels, while the rear shocks are connected by themselves to the wheel. The exact replacement process for your vehicle will vary, so check with your mechanic.
Shock Assemblies
Remove the wheel to reach the shock assembly. Raise and support the vehicle's end on jack stands to remove them. If you loosen the lug nuts on the wheels before raising the vehicle, the wheels will be easier to remove. A full shock assembly is mounted to the wheel well from the top side, which is accessible from under the hood or trunk. You might need to remove certain components from the engine, like the battery, before you can reach the mounting nuts on the wheel well. The module is usually connected to the stabilizer bar and the control arm; remove the bolts connecting these parts to the module. Support the control arm before disconnecting it by raising a floor jack under it. The module is heavy and may need two people to safely lower and remove it from the vehicle. To remove the shock absorber from the module, compress the large spring with a heavy-duty spring compressor and unscrew the nut on top of the absorber. When inserting the new shock absorber in the module, make sure you know the correct torque to tighten the nut to. Use extreme caution when releasing the spring compressor, then re-install the shock module in reverse order of removal.
Shocks by Themselves
On some vehicles, you don't need to remove the wheels to access the rear shocks. However, you still need to raise the rear end and also block the front wheels. Use jack stands from an auto supply store to raise the vehicle itself, then use the vehicle's stock floor jack to raise the differential; raise it just enough so there is no load on the shocks. The shock absorber should be connected to the steering knuckle or axle with a mounting bolt; remove this bolt first, then remove the remaining mounting nuts. You might need to compress the shock absorber to remove it from the wheel and install the new one; this will take considerable force. Connect all the old nuts and bolts to mount the shock absorber in place.
0 comments:
Post a Comment