My 2004 WRX is in need of some new shocks. I've swapped shocks many times on Miatas, Civics, Mustangs and trucks, but I've never messed with struts before.
Is this a repair that I want to tackle myself?
My 2004 WRX is in need of some new shocks. I've swapped shocks many times on Miatas, Civics, Mustangs and trucks, but I've never messed with struts before.
Is this a repair that I want to tackle myself?
Removing the spring seems to be the only challenging part of any shock replacement and you have already done that on a Miata. Have you checked the how-to's online?
Totally dude. "Rent" the spring compressor from Autozone or wherever, and be sure and use it! Getting the spring off the strut is the only challenging part, oh and it might take a pipe wrench to remove the strut insert if you don't have a special tool. Most of mine succumb to the persuasion of the bench mounted vice.
removing the spring from the strut is easy... putting it back on the new strut is harder.
Do this outside!!! Face strut into street while standing on spring. impact wrench to the top nut. make sure path in front of strut is clear
I've got my own spring compressor, because I no longer trusted the used up rentals. I've removed a bunch of springs, but it is my least favorite automotive task.
If there's nothing really unusual about this job, I'll most likely tackle it myself.
I didn't find it too difficult all in all. Having an impact wrench is pretty nice- I used the HF electric with success.
What are you going with, strut-wise?
You'll have to do an alignment afterwards, but you already know that. There aren't camber adjusters in the back, so it's worth picking up some camber bolts for the rear. Rear is easier in a wagon, compared to a sedan, but not substantially so.
Rear struts can be a pain in getting to the top mounts. Depending on the car. When doing the fronts, be sure to check the thrust bearing in the top mount.
It's a sedan and I haven't made a choice on the brand yet. This car is my daily driver and will remain so. I'm not going crazy on these as I already have a track car. I'm looking at the best mix of affordability and decent quality.
If its anything like the older Imprezas, the brake hoses clip into the strut bodies with a tab, so you're "supposed" to disconnect the hoses to replace each strut. Not a problem if you don't mind bleeding the brakes afterward, but you can save a little effort by notching the tabs to remove the lines. Notch the tabs on the new struts beforehand and install as normal. You probably have to pull the rear seat to access the strut mounts in the back.
I just did them on my 09 in about 3 hours the other night late....It was pretty simple.
Two things will make it simpler for you:
I sent my snap-on impact gun batteries in to get re-cored last week, so had to do it all using hand tools (extra half-hour)
the 09+ rear takes longer than the older models, which are just struts....
All in all, no more difficult than any other car I've done suspension on.
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