How do you change shocks on a 2004 Mitsubishi lancer?

Answer 1

You should have a floor jack and MUST HAVE JACK STANDS. Use six point sockets and box wrenches, not open end ones.

And all this comes from my experience this past two weekend because I couldn't find any real instructions in service manuals on-line. The first shock took two days but the second one about two hours. I had to figure out what i had to do as I went along. GOOD LUCK AND DON'T FORGET ANTISEPTICS FOR YOUR CUTS.

1. Lock the parking brakes on a level solid surface. Gravel drive is OK but not dirt.

2. Inside the trunk, remove the plastic lock pins holding the side trunk liners in place. Some of these are removed by pushing the center pin in a little ways (not all the way) and remove the pins. There will be about 4 plus one that screws on.

3. Drop the rear seat back on the side you are doing and remove the two plastic pins holding the vertical plastic cover on the side of the opening into the trunk. This is needed to allow the side trunk liner to be pulled to the center so you can access the mounting nut on the top of the shock absorber.

4. Using a deep 14mm (yours may be 13mm), remove one of the two top mounting nuts and loosen the other but leave it on the stud so the shock will not just drop.

5. Jack the rear end and place both side up on jack stands so that BOTH rear wheels are off the ground.

6. Remove the rear wheel on the side you selected.

7. Using a 12mm deep socket, remove the nut on the bottom end of the stabilizer bar, it's up inside the under side of the lower control arm. Make sure you do not lose any rubber bushings or washers.

8. Place a floor jack under the end of the lower control arm just behind the brake drum and lift the lower control enough to ensure that the arm will not drop in the next step.

9. Using a deep SIX POINT 17mm socket and a 17mm BOX wrench, remove the bolt connecting the lower control arm to the trailing arm.

10. Before you lower the control arm, using your 17mm box wrench and socket, remove the nut from the bolt mounting the shock to the control arm.

11. NOW, lower the control arm and when it's free, remove the shock absorber mounting bolt. It probably will be necessary to use a hammer to drive it out.

12. NOW, remove the nut from the second stud on the shock top mount. It will drop down a little but should not fall out.

13. Push the control arm down enough to swing the shock out of its mounting hole.

14. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A GOOD WRENCH TO HOLD THE TOP END OF THE SHOCK ROD WHEN REMOVING THE TOP NUT BECAUSE THAT LITTLE END OF THE ROD WILL ROUND OFF. Follow the directions you receive with the new shocks, use an approved spring compressor, and move the spring, upper mount, lower rubber spring mount to the new shock. BEFORE LOOSENING THE SPRING COMPRESSOR, make sure the path through the lower shock bushing is aligned in the same direction as between the two top mounting studs.

15. Insert the upper end of the shock/spring coil-over assembly into its mounting cavity and then press down on the lower control arm to allow the bottom end of the assembly to drop into the slot of the control arm.

16. The top mount studs should now be showing up in the truck cavity so replace the nuts on the studs but loosely, just to hold the shock up.

17. FOR BOTH THIS BOLT AND THE ONE CONNECTING THE LOWER CONTROL ARM TO THE TRAILING ARM, THE BOLT SHOULD BE INSERTED FROM THE FRONT. This keeps dirt from fouling the threads so bad. Replace the bolt that holds the shock lower bushing to the control arm. Tighten to about 17 million foot pounds (that's how much it took to break one of mine loose) or until it's good and tight, about as much as you can pull with a half inch ratchet and a 12 inch box wrench. I could find no specifications for this but suspect it's about 75 ft.lbs.

18. Now, with the floor jack, raise the lower control arm until the bushing hole aligns with the hole in the trailing arm. Yes, the same one you took the bolt out of. You will most likely have to use a screwdriver or something to get the holes to align. Tighten the nut like you just did for shock absorber.

19. Replace the bushings and washer on the stabilizer and tighten the nut until you feel it bottom, but do not over tighten.

20. Now tighten the nuts on the top mounting studs, equivalent to what you experienced removing them. Sorry but once again, no specs. available.

21. OK. So we have tightened the top mounting nuts, the shock to control arm bolt, the control arm to trailing arm bolt, the stabilizer nut. And hopefully you knew what you were doing in reassembling the shock. So, lower the floor jack and remove it, and replace the wheel. Tighten wheel lug nuts to 73 +- 7 ft.lbs (A SPECIFICATION!!)

22. DO THE OTHER SIDE. And remember to lower it from the jack stands because this is a front wheel drive and you could drive it off the stands and really mess things up.

23. Put the trunk interior back together.

24. DO NOT cut open the old shocks or place them in a fire. Or use them for any function they were not specifically designed for.

There is a service manual that is reasonably low price (about $25) at any Auto Zone for your vehicle that will walk you through the complete process. IT will be much easier than the one described. NO offense to the first answer but a little to difficult for anyone to actually follow without illustrations.

The procedure that is given is for McPherson Struts which are different that shock absorbers and are only used on the front in most vehicles.

On any bolt, use a rust breaking lubricant to help release the rust that has built up on the fasteners. Sea Foam or even WD40 will work.