I replaced the front shocks on my 05 CV last weekend. i had planned to take pics and upload them here, but forgot my camera (naturally).
the general tear down and rebuild is easy. just follow the steps in your Haynes manual and there's no confusion.
However, here's some strong advice:
1. Once you remove the strut assembly (the shock and spring are held together in one piece and locked in place with a spring seat on top of the shock) please do yourself a massive favor and take it to a shop so they can compress the spring and swap the shocks. It cost me about $50 to have this done and saved me hours and hours of frustration. I've tried to use the manual spring compressors we can rent from AutoZone or Napa; I used them on my 70 LeMans and I tried them on my CV last weekend. It isn't worth it. I highly recommend you just let a shop do it.
2. Have a friend help you with reinstallation of the strut assembly. This is what I mean:
a. Have your friend press down on the lower control arm (be careful not to press down too far or suddenly or you'll risk damage to the ABS wire--this should be obvious to you once you get into the job).
b. The top of the strut has three bolts that must go through three holes on the strut tower. Move the strut assembly into place so that the bolts go through the holes.
c. Once the bolts are through the holes, your friend can release the lower control arm. The bottom end of the shock likely will NOT be lined up for the lower mounting bolt. Don't worry about that yet.
d. Thread the nuts back onto the three bolts on top of the strut tower. This ensures the strut will stay in place. Don't tighten all the way...just enough to keep the strut in place.
e. The next step is to align the bottom end of the strut (what I'll call the "eye") with the holes in the lower control arm. I did this by inserting a long (about 8-9") 1/2" ratchet extension through the eye at the bottom of the strut. Then, twist it slowly until it's aligned with the holes on the control arm.
f. Insert the mounting bolt and follow the steps for reassembly. Don't forget to tighten down the three nuts on top of the strut tower.
NOTE: You will probably have to loosen the upper control arm mounting shaft nuts at some point during disassembly. If you do, make sure you torque them down to spec on reassembly. After I installed my wheels, I lowered my vehicle to about ride height and torqued them down then.
What I described here was by far the most difficult part of this job, so I hope my experience helps someone else. if you have any questions I'll be happy to clarify or explain further.
the general tear down and rebuild is easy. just follow the steps in your Haynes manual and there's no confusion.
However, here's some strong advice:
1. Once you remove the strut assembly (the shock and spring are held together in one piece and locked in place with a spring seat on top of the shock) please do yourself a massive favor and take it to a shop so they can compress the spring and swap the shocks. It cost me about $50 to have this done and saved me hours and hours of frustration. I've tried to use the manual spring compressors we can rent from AutoZone or Napa; I used them on my 70 LeMans and I tried them on my CV last weekend. It isn't worth it. I highly recommend you just let a shop do it.
2. Have a friend help you with reinstallation of the strut assembly. This is what I mean:
a. Have your friend press down on the lower control arm (be careful not to press down too far or suddenly or you'll risk damage to the ABS wire--this should be obvious to you once you get into the job).
b. The top of the strut has three bolts that must go through three holes on the strut tower. Move the strut assembly into place so that the bolts go through the holes.
c. Once the bolts are through the holes, your friend can release the lower control arm. The bottom end of the shock likely will NOT be lined up for the lower mounting bolt. Don't worry about that yet.
d. Thread the nuts back onto the three bolts on top of the strut tower. This ensures the strut will stay in place. Don't tighten all the way...just enough to keep the strut in place.
e. The next step is to align the bottom end of the strut (what I'll call the "eye") with the holes in the lower control arm. I did this by inserting a long (about 8-9") 1/2" ratchet extension through the eye at the bottom of the strut. Then, twist it slowly until it's aligned with the holes on the control arm.
f. Insert the mounting bolt and follow the steps for reassembly. Don't forget to tighten down the three nuts on top of the strut tower.
NOTE: You will probably have to loosen the upper control arm mounting shaft nuts at some point during disassembly. If you do, make sure you torque them down to spec on reassembly. After I installed my wheels, I lowered my vehicle to about ride height and torqued them down then.
What I described here was by far the most difficult part of this job, so I hope my experience helps someone else. if you have any questions I'll be happy to clarify or explain further.
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