Shocks and Struts

Vehicle does not have torsion bars

All you need to do to replace the rear shocks is open the trunk and you would see 2 black caps one on the left and one on the right and they are located unde rthe speakers. Once you have found these remove them by hand or with a flat headed screwdriver and you will see i large nut on the top and two smaller ones on the side. Remove the two smaller ones on the side and this will free the shock at the top. Do the same on the other side. With the car jacked up and the wheel off you can see where the shock attaches to the wheel assembly and then from there all you do is loosen the bolt that holds it and then put the new one in and attach it to the bottom bolt and then using a jack jack up the wheel assembly and then put in the top mounting bolts that you took off earlier.

It doesn't have shocks, it has struts. Yes it is a very difficult and possibly dangerous job, that is best left up to the experts.

the "DUD: that left the reply up here needs to be banned.

improved error here:

not really a difficult task. time TOOLS and a little know HOW.

TIME about 1-2 hours depending on your tools ans expertise( along with your garage set up.)

TOOLS.. tire remover, standard sockets and wrenches, and spring compressors.

how to:

1. jack car and open hood.

2. remove tire.

3. under hood "loosen" the NUT holding the top of the strut.

4. remove the nuts/ bolts holding the bottom of the strut.

styles differ here, so the description is vague. SORRY.

(could also be a structure to remove)

5. remove the assembly from the car.

6. apply the spring compressors to the spring and compress evenly.

7. finish removing the NUT loosened in step 3, remove the strut from the center of the coil spring.

order the pieces for reconstruction, for later

8. make NOTE of the location of the pieces, sometimes there is a particular direction the parts need to be in for best results.. ( see 99 grand am)

9. re assemble in reverse order, with exception to the NUT. feel free to snug it up as tight as possible during "exterior" assembly.

10, now that you have re assembled the shock/ coil spring/ and top half of the parts and dust cover. put it back in the car and finish assembly.

11. double check your work.

12. attache your tire and remove JACK. torque your wheel to correct foot pounds. about 100.

SEE YA.

It can range from 25 to hundreds, depending on how you do it. You can expect that it will cost a couple hundred at a local shop, or DIY. The price of the shocks themselves could cost anywhere up into the triple didgets, depending on the quality and brand. Go to Murrays or Autozone and ask them for more help on the subject.

Stabilizer bars are sometimes referred to as anti-sway or anti-roll bars. The purpose of the stabilizer bar is to keep the car from rolling over when it goes around a bend.

There aren't very many manufacturers of shocks and struts. With the exception of specific features, they're pretty much all the same.

In general, it's best to install the same type of shock or strut that was provided by the original vehicle manufacturer.

A lot of places will give you a sales pitch about the advantages of their shock or strut, but the reality is, the engineers who designed the vehicle wanted to provide the vehicle with good handling and a smooth ride. Anything you do that changes the original design will detract from the original performance.

Shocks and struts are attempts to control what is called the "Unsprung Weight", meaning the part of the vehicle that is BEFORE the springs and closely follows the road. Anyone who promises anything more should be viewed with suspicion since they obviously don't know what they're talking about.

Check for a broken shock.

Check all of your fender and bumper bolts, check hood too tighten every thing down, plastic can make some squeaky noise up against metal, just check it out really. Could be a suspension problem, have springs inspected, best advice, get under neath it and start moving stuff, maybe have friends help, but "shake the front end" or "bounce" it up and down while a couple people listen for a squeak.

It is under the passenger windshield wiper Park the wipers "up" by shutting off the ignition with the door open and the wipers running. Open the hood. On the passenger side-- Unscrew the large headed plastic screw (slotted) and pull out the 2 push rivets that hold the plastic cover at the bottom of the windshield. Pull this whole cover off, being careful about washer tubing or anything like that which can catch. The filter should then be visible. Make sure you put in the replacement right side up. It should have an airflow arrow on it.

Hope This Doesn`t Mess Up Your Question. To Install New Struts You Will Need Some Heavy Duty Jack Stands To Place The Car On. Then Remove The Struts Take Them To A Garrage That Can Install The New Ones Inside The Springs. + THIS REQUIRES A SPECIAL PRESS+ and you could get seriously injured trying to do this yourself even if you could. SUGGESTION" Call A Good Garrage Or Front End Shop And Get Prices. This Is The Best Way.

SHOCK ABSORBERS.

if you can't find them, it may not have any. brilliant of the manufacterer huh?

Compress the shock spring using a spring compressor. Remove the bolt on top of the shock plate. Remove the bolt on the bottom of the shock. Reverse the process to install the new front shock.

You really have to take them lose and look but it's been my experience that the mounts can go before the struts. My Alliance was so bad the upper mounts where totally separated at 150000 but the struts were fine.

Also, to check the struts themselves w/o removing, go to front of your car, put your hands on the bumper and push the car up and down really fast, then let go. If the car continues to bounce more than 3 times or keeps going for awhile, they are shot. Do the same with the rear.

You should check the struts.

bearings or diff. gears worn out.

BIG JOB and you need to have the front end aligned before you drive it. TAke it to a garage.

Shocks

China

I believe that you have to unscrew the headlight above the fog lamp you want to change. Then reach down and and change the bulb. It is not easy. It took the dealership 30 minutes to do one side. I would just check with your local dealership, they will usually do bulb changes for free if you come in for an oil change. just bring the bulb with you as this is too expensive for them to provide. About $35 Canadian each. Kumar

Till you get in an accident and DIE from a loss of control. No but seriously it is a safety issue and they should be replaced ASAP. Driving with them can also cause excess front brake wear so it's one of those things that will cost you more to wait on.

2001 Mercury Cougar

you gotta take off the interior piece on the ends of the backrest. at the bottom you'll find a 12mm bolt holding it on. you might have to take off the rear panel as well. 3 bolts on top, two on the bottom. use a spring compressor to remove the spring. you can rent one for free at some parts stores. get a haynes or chiltons!