Shocks and Struts

Replacing anything on the suspension of a vehicle can be VERY DANGEROUS. The springs on most vehicles has enough force behind them to sever limbs if they get in the way. I recommend taking the vehicle to the shop for servicing.

It is a good idea to get a front end alignment after replacing and part of the front suspention.

that he wastes his life

You put the car up on jack stands - make sure it is secure - i typically put a spare tire under 1 of the wheels for safety in case one of the jack stands fall over - you can never be too careful - also make sure the location is flat

you have 2 bolts at the top of the shock and 1 bolt at the bottom
undo the bolts and pull out the shock and replace shock with new one
tighten up the bolts and head to the next shock

The cost of labor to change the front shocks on a 1997 Chevy S-10 pickup varies greatly by the place where service is performed. As of 2014 this ranges from 41.50 per shock to 80.00 per shock.

do you have to have the springs compressed when changing both rear struts on a 1996 Toyota Avalon

*** Yes you do need to have a spring compressor. Get the McPherson spring compressor. It is a must. You can rent them at O'reillys auto parts, Kragen, maybe Auto Zone. I have a 1996 Avalon XL as well. To get a better understanding on how to change it out, I recommend a chilton 95-97 Camary Manual. Now I can't remember the exact tools you need but the ones I can remember are 22mm socket, 14mm socket, 12mm socket, for the 2 large stubborn bolts I had to impact drill them, and with that 12mm socket don't forget to take the brake line off the strut. When you jack up the car try using its stock jack stand if you don't want to bend the running bars underneath where you jack it up as the car is a unibody jacking it up too high will lift the cars whole side and you only need to jack it enough to take the tire off. The back struts require you to take out your back seat which are also easy to take out. Help switching them is always nice and faster but unneeded.

Difficulty: easy (with the exception of stubborn bolts just use PB Blaster)

Time per strut: 30 min / stubborn bolts, pieces, and lack of knowledge may increase that time to 1-2 hours

additional notes: make sure to replace boots, bellows/bumpers, and spring seats. While your changing the struts it will be advisable to inspect CV axle boots in front, sway bar links, and any type of suspension parts, also check the boots to the steering arms.

When replacing struts, ALWAYS replace them in pairs.

Well it wont necessarily be a bad thing to change one but if i were you i would change both so that way you dont have to change the other one later.

Edited by me from previous post. Front struts on Venture are tucked under the windshield. It is a pain but do-able on a 2003 Venture. Access to the strut mount top bolts is tight and doing the passenger side requires removal of the majority of the wiper transmission. I used a T30 Torx for the wiper motor, a 15mm ratcheting wrench for the top nuts and an 8mm socket for the wiper trans bolts. I used rust penetrant on all bolts before starting and spray fluid film afterwards to prevent future rust.

Buy the new strut and spring all in one. The springs were sagged so an all in one was required. I bought KYB but there are other brands.

Remove wheel. Disconnect the sway bar link. It may be the right time to replace the sway bar bushings and links. I used a jack to adjust the control arm height to get the bolts in and out.

Remove the two bolts holding the strut to spindle assembly (the bolts do not turn (splines on bolt shaft), remove nuts then drive out the bolts.

Now the top side.

Remove wiper arms. There is a plastic cap over the real nut. Mine were corrosion stuck. A puller would have been nice to have.

Remove the plastic tray under the wipers (plastic push pin retainers). In 2003, there is no access to the top of the strut tower from the wiper area.

Remove the bolts holding the wiper arm shafts. Loosen the T30 Torx fasteners around the wiper motor. Loosen the screw on the shaft that connects to the wiper trans. A tap on the loosened screw will free the motor. Remove the large black wiper transmission bar on both sides. Any transmission cross bars in the way need to be removed. This allows enough room to reach in and get to the strut mount nuts.

There are three 15mm nuts, remove them; the strut should be free.

Reinstall in the reverse order.

approx $600-$800, and can be $1000+ at a Honda dealer

Buy a service manual and the correct tools, this can be dangerous if you do wrong!!

Air shocks are not designed to lift. They are designed to aid the suspension to maintain the correct level. The shock mounts are not designed to hold the weight of the vehicle.

Actually to answer your question..if you have it jacked up for awhile while working, the shock or strut would stick slightly and would take its original form when you take it on a drive. You would never notice this. Secondly, that is where you would jack it up to relieve tension on the mounting bolts for removal/reinstallation of your shock/strut. The only damage that can be done is depending on the size of bowl/cup that your jack has. If your jack cup/bowl is very small you can damage the treads on the bottom mounting bolt if you are not careful. No worries. Hope this helps. V/R SSG Sadosky, USA Army Maintenance Supervisor

BAD BALL JOINTS

instuctions

Raise and safely support the vehicle securely on jackstands. Remove the wheels. Remove the upper nut and retainer. Remove the two lower mounting bolts. Remove the shock absorber. To install: When installing the shock absorber, make sure the upper bushings are in the correct position. Replace any worn or cracked bushing. Tighten the top nut to 25 ft. lbs. (34 Nm). Then, tighten the lower bolts to 17 ft. lbs. (23 Nm). Install the wheels. Lower the vehicle. Raise and safely support the vehicle securely on jackstands. Remove the wheels. Remove the upper nut and retainer. Remove the lower mounting bolt. Remove the shock absorber. To install: When installing the shock absorber, make sure the upper bushings are in the correct position. Replace any worn or cracked bushings. Hand-tighten the shock absorber fasteners. Install the wheels. Lower the vehicle. Once the vehicle is at normal ride height, final-tighten the shock absorber fasteners to 60 ft. lbs. (82 Nm).

ha only the transmission is over a 1000 plus labor costs it would be like 1500+

what year is it, how many miles on it? does it do it at high speeds? i culd be shock or struts.

Cadillac sts has air shocks wich are controlled only by a air pump, or a hidden air valve, which u can then pump air into it like you are pumping up a tire at a gas station. For each air shock it is around $140- and up. If you are thinking about replacing them due to not leveling out your suspension at all, check to make sure the air pump is on/working if not that would be the first step in getting them to work properly. If so your air shocks are probably worn out to were you got to replace them.

Most often that would be caused by a tire that has separated inside. That in turn is often caused by making tires roll the opposite way than they have been used to

Have a friend drive behind closely and watch for wheel bouncing.

Yes

You have to gain access thru the passenger side wheel well, remove the liner and look towards the front and you will see the small compressor.

5 times

In the 8th Generation Corolla, 1998 to 2002, it's a pain. You must remove the back seats, because that is where the bolts that hold the struts are accessed. Then jack up the car and remove rear wheels. You possibly can access the bolts on the struts without taking the wheels off, but it's easier with them off) Please support the car properly for safety Do not use the tire change jack. Unbolt the bottom of the strut, and remove brake line (not from the brakes just unclip it from the strut, it's attached) Go back inside and unbolt the three bolts from the strut and pull up and out from inside the car. Install new struts same way opposite. (note: They are really more of a shock absorber than a MacPherson strut, you will not need a strut compressor for installation)