A few weeks ago I replaced my blown rear struts and decided to do the front as well. We finally got some nice (not rainy) weather here in the NorthEast yesterday (Cinco de Mayo), so that was the day.
Again, the impact wrench (air gun) came in quite handy on the 17mm bolts on the bottom. And, it's true, the fronts are MUCH easier to remove than the rears. Personally, I didn't find the rears that hard to do, but the fronts were easier.

Until I went to compress the springs.

Due to the design of the struts, and the design of the spring compressors I borrowed from Autozone, I could only 'grab' three of the coils (there are 5 or 6 coils, depending on which side of the spring you're looking at). This does not compress the coil enough to release the pressure on the top strut mount. Getting them off wasn't a problem (and quite exciting), but replacing the top mount was a colossal PITA.
I ended up compressing the springs as much as possible with the spring compressors, setting the whole thing in a vise, and literally hanging on it to compress the springs another 1/2" so my lovely partner could get the bolt on top (again, without spilling a drop of her marguerita).

Moral of the story: get some spring compressors that can 'grab' at least 4 of the coils on the front. You can then depress the spring enough to install it on the strut.

So, 4 new struts, and less body roll. If I had it to do over, I would have gone the whole route and bought new strut mounts, and new springs (although not lowering springs). And, the write-up on 4DSC was very valuable again, especially the copied Chilton's pages with the 'exploded' parts illustration.

Happy Motoring!

 

I know what you're saying......i had to borrow a second set of compressor to get this done.

 

- i also had to use 2 sets to compress them safely

 

When you replaced your struts, did you replace the strut mounts? I am getting ready to delve into this project and was wanting to know if there is anything I should watch out for. Any assistance would be appreciated

 

get some lowering springs, they are alot easier to work with especially on the back, no compressors required

 

LOW SPRINGS ON STOCK SHOCKS WILL LAST 2 MONTHS, if thier innew condition.

 

i had 10 year old stockers on the back for about a year with ST springs and they never went out, they were too soft tho so now i have konis

 

you are right the weather was GREAT!

my spring compressors from VIP work OK, but they do about the same thing as yours. Did you use 2 on each spring? Then tighten them evenly so they dont pull on a angle and touch the spring mounts. OEM springs are the biggest pain to compress so I fell for you.


And back with the rain in Maine.

 

I plan on replacing the front and rear with Tokico (blues) next week and will stick with the stock springs for now at least. I'll try and get my hands on 2 spring compressors or one that can grab 4 coils, thanks for the heads up. I wanted to know if anyone had an opinion on this item number 7972909400 on ebay I know it's not pretty, but if it fits I can't see why it would perform any worse than the more expensive ones. It is just a metal bar used to triangluate the suspension, right?

 

how you like the suspension technique springs koni struts combo?
Im going to be picking up some koni from mr.gone soon, and will be order some ST springs from automart.
My car isn't going to ride all stiff as **** like those cheap lowerd civics is it?
I don't want to hit a particle of dirt and have my whole car jolt.
I heard ST springs and koni struts gives you a nice soft, but yet still great handling performance? true?

 

hey btw, how much was it to rent the spring compressor from AZ? and how long can you burrow them for?

 

Its a 50 deposit, but you get that back when you return the spring compressors, so in reality its free. The one here in Greensboro said you can use them for 7 days.

 

STs and Konis will be VERY stiff I'd imagine. ST springs are stiff and so are Konis (though I suppose you can adjust them to their softest setting).

 

I think Eibachs have a higher spring rate that the STs. I run Eibach/Konis on about 1/2 stiff all around. Good for me.

 

Personally, going from ST/Toks to Eibach/Toks seemed to soften the ride a bit for me.

 

Wow. Here in VA, you rent the tools for the entire price, minus the tax. You can keep the tools for a maximum of 90 days. After that time, it is assumed that you wanted to purchase the tools. I really liked that as it allowed me time to take my time when I did my front suspension--I still need to do the rears, however.

 

i've heard different from other people too, but you guys seem sure, that eibach/koni is going to be softer than ST/koni....anyone else have an opinion on which one provides a softer ride?

 

Wow, lots of discussion:
It DEFINITELY would have helped to have two sets of spring compressors for the front. The hardest part was keeping the spring "straight" while compressing -- I could 'grab' 4 coils on one side, but only three on the other (and still leave clearance to mount the spring on the strut) -- this yielded a lopsided affair that would have taken Schwartzenegger to get the bolt on.
I ended up using the two spring compressors, a bench vise, and two "come-along" type tie-downs to get the dang thing compressed enough to mount it on the spring.

The compressors were a $40 deposit at Autozone. I'm not sure how long I "could" have kept them, but I had them for 3 days the first time, 5 days the second.

My mounts were fine -- even after 180,000 miles (I'm quite sure these were the stock struts and mounts). However, if you have the cash, replace them. When you remove the front mounts from the strut assembly, be careful because it's going to come apart and you don't want to drop the bearing in the dirt.

In retrospect, if you can rent a compressor, air gun (impact wrench), and 1/2" drive metric socket set (sizes 14mm - 22mm) for reasonable money, you should DEFINITELY do that. I'm not a wimp, but I couldn't BUDGE the mounting bolts with a 14" breaker bar. I had the impact wrench at hand, so I didn't waste any more time after that. Oh, and the impact wrench is useful for turning the spring compressors, too -- saves a lot of time.

If you're in the Southern Maine/NH Seacoast area, I do have the tools, and I'd be happy to help anyone who's not sure if he/she wants to tackle this job alone.