Struts and shocks are the main components of your car’s suspension system and are responsible for handling and riding comfort. Generally, if you have driven over 130,000 km, your suspension system needs to be checked. If you suspect they are old and you can observe symptoms of worn-out struts like instability at high speeds, a bouncy ride, excessive squat and nose dive while accelerating and braking, and body roll, they have to be replaced. Replacing your old, worn-out struts is necessary to ensure a smooth, comfortable, and safe ride. They wear out with time, often go unnoticed, and, in worse cases, can break. The easiest method to replace your old strut is to purchase a complete quick strut assembly instead of replacing just the strut.
To avoid suspension failure, it’s necessary to carry out regular suspension system maintenance. However, if you are planning to replace your car’s struts and wonder how to do it, this article have you covered. Read on to learn how to replace your car’s strut assembly correctly without damaging other components.
In this article:
1. Should I Replace My Car’s Bare Struts Or The Complete Strut Assembly?
2. Step-By-Step Method To Replace Your Car’s Strut Assembly
- Locate The Strut Assembly
- Remove The Wheel
- Remove The Brake Line Support
- Remove The Sway Bar Link If Necessary
- Measure The Camber Angle
- Remove The Old Strut Assembly
- Install New Strut Assembly
- Recheck And Adjust Your Camber
- Install The Wheels
- Lower The Vehicle
1 Should I Replace My Car’s Bare Struts Or The Complete Strut Assembly?
A strut assembly comprises a strut, strut mounts, coil springs, isolator pads, jounce bumpers, top strut mounts, bearings, and a strut, also known as a shock absorber or a damper. Strut is an oversized shock absorber that runs through the coil spring and connects the vehicle’s frame to the steering knuckle. A complete strut assembly, also known as a MacPherson strut assembly, is a type of strut assembly that is commonly found in passenger cars with only one control arm (lower).
Difficulty
While replacing your struts, you can go for a separate replacement strut or you can purchase a complete strut assembly. However, replacing just the strut is more difficult compared to replacing the strut assembly. To replace just your struts, you have to disassemble your suspension and use tools like spring compressors to remove the coil springs as well. This is not an easy car repair to do at home and requires expertise.
Cost
Although it depends on the brand, replacing a strut is cheaper compared to replacing a complete strut assembly. However, if you get your struts replaced by a professional mechanic or at a garage, the cost of disassembling your strut assembly, time, and labor add up to the same as the cost of replacing a strut assembly. The cost of replacing a strut assembly in Canada can be somewhere between $500 and $900, including the parts and labor costs.
Condition
While replacing struts, it is recommended to replace your top strut mounts as well. This mount and bearing allow the strut to pivot according to the steering input. Usually, these bearings wear out and cause the strut to bind. The jounce bumper, isolator pads, etc. are other components that must be checked while replacing your vehicle’s struts. If they are damaged, they have to be replaced, and if they are left for later, you might have to replace them again and incur more costs.
Therefore, a complete strut replacement is a better option when replacing your car’s struts, as it costs approximately the same and will help you replace all your suspension components at once. If you can find a complete strut assembly, then it’s an easy DIY replacement you can do at home. Replacing just the strut requires more work, expertise, and tools.
2 Step-By-Step Method To Replace Your Car’s Strut Assembly
Tools Required:
Locate The Strut Assembly
The first step to replacing the struts of your car is to open the hood and find the strut bolts. It can be identified by a circle of three bolts on a pan in the engine bay compartment, on each side of the car, near the windshield. In the center of the ring of bolts will be the bolt for the strut pan itself. Don’t loosen any of these bolts yet, especially not the center bolt.
Remove The Wheel
First, loosen the lug nuts with a lug wrench. Lift the car with a jack. Position the jack according to the owner’s manual instructions. Place jack stands under the car once it has been raised to keep it safely lifted.. Remove the lug nuts that secure the wheel and remove the wheel.
It’s always important to use jack stands to secure the car. Do not attempt to do this job only by supporting the car on the jack. Jacks can shift suddenly, dropping the car and possibly trapping you under it.
Remove The Brake Line Support
In some cars, there can be a bracket on the strut assembly to hold the brake lines or other electrical wires. Use an appropriate-size socket wrench to open the bracket and keep it aside. While doing this, make sure you don’t bend the brake lines too much to prevent damage.
Remove The Sway Bar Link If Necessary
Sway bars, also called stabilizers or anti-roll bars, work along with the strut assembly to stabilize the car during bumps, irregular roads, and while cornering. Sway bars are connected to the suspension system with the help of a link, which is known as a sway bar link. To remove the mounting bracket, a socket wrench is required. Rotate the sway bar link out of the way after loosening the bolts. If your sway bar link is damaged, replace it.
Measure The Camber Angle
With the wheels removed, place a camber adjustment tool on the face of the brake rotor. This will help you know the precise camber and wheel alignment settings and values. Note down the camber values so you can bring your vehicle’s wheel alignment setting back after installing a new strut assembly. It is necessary to get your wheels aligned after replacing the suspension or steering components of your vehicle. To learn more about how to adjust the camber and wheel alignment of your vehicle yourself, refer to our comprehensive DIY wheel alignment guide.
Remove The Old Strut Assembly
The strut is attached to the steering knuckle by a couple of bolts. Loosen these bolts using a wrench. Often, these nuts may be heavily rusted and dirty, which will make the process of loosening the bolts very difficult. To avoid this, use an anti-rust or penetrating fluid to help loosen those nuts. In some cases, a jack may be required to raise the strut and expose the bolts.
After completing the above steps, open the hood and locate the top end of the strut towers. They are usually held by three small bolts and a big one in the center (do not remove the center nut or the strut will come apart, as it is under high spring tension). Remove the small three bolts surrounding the big one, which will completely loosen the strut. The strut assembly might fall down, so it is best for you to ask someone to hold it.
| Ford F150 (2004-2008) | Use a 30mm socket to loosen the nut that holds the bottom bolt of the strut. You might need a 27mm socket to hold the bolt on the other side and prevent it from slipping. Use a 15mm wrench and socket to loosen the three nuts on the top of the strut assembly. |
| Ford F150 (2009-2014) | Use a 15mm socket to loosen the nut that holds the strut from the top and for the bottom holding nut use a 27mm socket to hold the nut and a 30mm socket to loosen the bolt that holds the strut from the bottom |
| Dodge Ram 1500 (1994-2002) | Use a 21mm socket for the lower mount of the struts and 15mm sockets for the top plate. |
| Dodge Ram 1500 (2009-2018) | Use a 24mm socket to loosen the nut that holds the strut from the bottom and a 21mm wrench to hold the bolt from slipping. For the three top bolts holding the strut from the top, use a 14mm socket to loosen them up. |
| Chevrolet Silverado 1500 (1999-2006) | Use a 21mm socket for the lower mount of the struts and 17mm sockets for the top plate. |
| Chevrolet Silverado 1500 (2007-2010) | Use a 15mm socket to loosen the bolts which hold the strut assembly from the bottom and an 18mm socket to loosen the bolt which holds the strut from the top. |
| Honda Civic (2003-2005) | Use a 17mm socket to remove the tie rod end from the strut, a 19mm socket to remove the bottom nut that holds the strut, and a 14mm socket that holds the strut from the top. You will also need a 10mm socket to remove the brake lines and abs sensor out of the way. |
| Honda Civic (2006-2011) | You will need a 19mm socket to loosen the bolts that hold the strut from the bottom and a 14mm socket to loosen the nuts that hold the strut from the top. A 12mm wrench to remove the brake lines and pliers to remove the plastic holder which holds the ABS sensor wire. |
| Toyota Corolla (1995-1999) | You will need a 19mm socket for the two bolts holding the strut assembly from the bottom and a 12mm socket to loosen the nuts that hold the strut assembly from the top. |
| Volkswagen Jetta (2006-2010) | You need a 14mm triple square socket at the bottom and an 18mm socket on the other side to loosen the bolt and nut which hold the strut from the bottom. And a 13mm socket to loosen the bolt which holds the strut from the top. |
| Hyundai Elantra (2011-2016) | You will need a 16mm wrench to hold the nut and a 19mm socket to loosen the nut, which holds the strut from the bottom. And a 17mm wrench to hold the nut and use a 19mm socket to loosen the bolts which hold the strut from the top. |
| GMC Sierra 1500 (2007-2013) | Use 15mm deep sockets for removing the bolt that holds the strut from the top, and same size sockets for the bolts holding the strut from the bottom |
| Jeep Truck Wrangler 2009 | Use an 18mm socket to remove the bolt that holds the strut from the bottom and a 14mm socket to loosen the nut that holds the strut from the top. |
| Mazda 3 Series (2004-2013) | 17mm socket to loosen the nut which removes the bolt which holds the strut from the bottom and a 14mm socket to remove the bolts which hold the strut from the top. |
Install New Strut Assembly
Install the new strut assembly that comes preinstalled with springs, bushings, spacers, etc. Insert the new strut assembly into the wheel well of the vehicle and align the top tower bolts. To fit the strut at the bottom, you might have to expand the knuckle to make enough space for the new strut assembly. It’s a good idea to replace the old nuts and bolts with new ones and tighten them according to the torque specifications.
Recheck And Adjust Your Camber
Use the camber tool again by placing it on the brake rotor surface. Refer to your owner’s recommendation for the correct amount of camber, or adjust it back to the original readings you took in step number 5. If you do not have the camber tool or camber adjusting nuts to align your wheel, you can install your new tire assembly and get your wheels aligned at a local repair shop later.
Install The Wheels
After replacing your car’s strut assembly and adjusting the camber, ensure the brake lines, wheel speed sensor (ABS sensor), and other wires are properly attached in place. Now, install the wheel back and hand-tighten the lug nuts.
Lower The Vehicle
After installing the wheels, lower the vehicle by loosening the jack. Make sure to loosen the jack in a slow and steady manner. Tighten the lug nuts using a lug wrench and torque them to the manufacturer’s recommended specifications.
Take the car for a test drive as soon as you’ve finished putting everything back together to make sure everything is working properly. Don’t drive too fast. You should be able to gauge how the car handles and stops by taking a short drive around your neighborhood.
Move the steering wheel to see how the car reacts. You have successfully replaced your car’s strut assembly if the car is turning smoothly and you see no symptoms of a bad car suspension, noise, or steering difficulty. It’s crucial to get your car’s alignment checked by a professional after replacing the shocks and struts.
The information provided in this article is for educational purposes only. We highly recommend consulting a qualified technician or mechanic if you have any specific queries or issues regarding any of the subjects discussed here.
