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How to: Change your front springs (and shocks)

59K views 33 replies 22 participants last post by  corsa_man 
#1 ·
Hi guys, I'm going to hopefully explain to you clearly how to change the springs on the front of your car and also how to change your shocks if you are uprating them too :thumbs_up:

TOOLS

  • 9mm socket
  • 10mm socket
  • 13mm socket
  • 18mm socket
  • 18mm spanner
  • 18mm drop neck ring spanner
  • jack
  • axle stands
  • spring compressors
  • adjustable wrench (or a socket or spanner the right size for you spring compressors)
  • wheel nut wrench
  • hammer/mallet

STEP 1

The first thing to do is to remove the cap over the top of the mount under the bonnet.





STEP 2

Using the 9mm socket and the 18mm drop neck ring spanner, loosen but DO NOT fully undo the nut on the mount.

NOTE: This may be very tight so a bit of WD40 may give you a bit of help :)



STEP 3

With the car in gear and with the handbrake on, loosen the wheels nuts of the relevant wheel.



STEP 4

Jack the car up and support with axle stands and then remove the wheel.





STEP 5

Using the 13mm socket, remove the two bolts that hold the strut in place at the top.



NOTE: On the drivers side all of the wiring may be in your way of one of these 13mm nuts. If this is the case then using a 10mm socket remove the two nuts (in green) holding the wiring casing in place, and just move it out of the way to gain access to the 13mm nut (in red) which is underneath.



STEP 6

Using the 18mm socket and 18mm spanner, loosen and remove the two bolts that connect the bottom of the strut to the brakes.





STEP 7

With a bit of gentle persuasion, you should be able to remove the whole unit.





STEP 8

Now you want to use the spring compressors to take the force out of the spring.



STEP 9

Once that's done you can fully remove the nut that you loosened earlier on the top mount using the 9mm socket and 18mm drop neck ring spanner.





STEP 10

Remove the spring compressors from your old spring and then get your box of new ones :)



STEP 11

Put your new spring on the strut (or onto your new struts if you have them) making sure that it sits properly and has been put on the correct way. Then put all of the other bits back together and tighten the nut on the top mount enough to hold it all together.



STEP 12

Refitting is just a reversal of removing. Put the strut back in place and fully tighten the 13mm nuts on the top. Line up the bottom of the strut with the two bolt holes (this may require a bit of tapping from a hammer/mallet) and tighten the two bolts fully. Then tighten the middle nut on the top mount fully as well.

STEP 13

Put your wheel back on and hand tighten the nuts. Remove the axle stand and start to SLOWLY wind the jack down.

NOTE: At this point it is CRUCIAL that you lower the car on the jack slowly so that you can repeatedly check that the spring is sat properly.

STEP 14

Fully tighten your wheel nuts, double check everything else has been tightened and then release the car from gear and release the handbrake.

RESULT

VOILA! lowered :)



One last thing, don't forget to get the tracking redone once you have finished this job as it will more than likely be out!
 
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#2 ·
Fantastic tutorial! Hopefully it will help a lot of people out.
 
#4 ·
STEP 2

Using the 9mm socket and the 18mm drop neck ring spanner, loosen but DO NOT fully undo the nut on the mount.

NOTE: This may be very tight so a bit of WD40 may give you a bit of help :)

Also at this stage, if the bolts are a real b*tch to get off, putting a piece of metal tube over the end of the spanner to make it longer gives you more leaverage making the bolts easier to undo.

Great tutorial :thumbs_up:

Dan :)
 
#7 ·
Normally it's a no though, as the new springs are usually much more compressed.
 
#11 · (Edited)
Put axle stands on rear jacking points then put the jack under the rear beam.
Unbolt the bottom of the shocks, should be 2 bolts.
Lower the jack under the rear beam and take out the springs.
Put new springs in and raise te jack back up. Check they are positioned properly before that are wedged in place.
Bolt shock back to rear axle.
Lower down, get a brew.

If you want to do shocks aswell, I assume it's just a case of dropping them through the top mount when the beam is lowered.
 
#26 ·
I had the same issue first time round. I couldn't for the life of me loosen it off and ended up bending a couple of tools trying. I ended up filling the small cup with WD40 and then put the black cap back over it and left it for a while (around a week or so but a day would probably do the job). Also coke will probs do the job instead of WD40.

After the nut had been soaking for a while I was then able to undo it with no problems. Another thing you could try is heating it up with a blowtorch as the expansion under heat can help loosen it.

Also, unlike other old threads, tutorials are fine to revive - that's what they're there for :)
 
#31 ·
Start a new help thread please.
 
#30 ·
Need to hold the piston top, with a small spanner/socket whilst un-doing
But with a spanner
 
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