Usually, we remove the shock absorber if the shock absorber parts are out of order:
- - wear of the upper support bearing;
- - sag or breakage of the shock absorber spring;
- - dips and breakdowns when driving on uneven surfaces due to the destruction of the shock absorber and compression buffer.
A more accurate check of the shock absorber condition can only be determined after removing and disassembling it.
Removing and disassembling the front shock absorber
Prepare the car for work. Install the car on a lift.
Open the hood. Disconnect the negative terminal of the battery.
Using a 21 mm open-end wrench, loosen the tightening of the upper shock absorber mount nut, holding the shock absorber rod from turning with a 6 mm Allen key.
Remove the wheel and securely fix the car on the stand.
If the car is equipped with ABS, use a 10 mm open-end wrench to unscrew the bolt securing the wheel speed sensor wiring harness holder.
Move the holder with the wiring harness away from racks.
Using an 18 mm socket, unscrew the nut of the bolt that secures the upper strut to the steering knuckle, holding the bolt with a wrench of the same size.
Also unscrew the nut of the lower strut mounting bolt.
Remove the bolts or knock them out with a punch made of soft metal.
We remove the steering knuckle from the eye of the strut bracket.
Holding the strut from falling, finally unscrew the nut of its upper mount.
We remove the shock absorber strut.
Remove the rubber-metal support washer of the upper mount of the shock absorber strut.
To disassemble the strut, install two spring clamps diametrically opposite each other so that they engage four turns of the spring.
Uniformly rotate the tie rod screws to compress the spring.
After the spring stops pressing on the support cups, use a 27 mm open-end wrench to unscrew the upper support mounting nut, holding the rod from turning with a 6 mm Allen key.
Removing the strut support
Removing the upper support bearing
Remove the upper spring cup.
Remove the spring with clamps, compression buffer with protective cover.
Assembly
Assemble and install the strut in the reverse order.
We install the spring so that its lower coil rests against the protrusion of the lower cup of the spring, and the upper coil rests against the stamping of the upper cup of the spring.
We tighten the nut of the upper support of the strut to a torque of 62 Nm.
We tighten the nuts of the bolts of fastening the strut to the steering knuckle to a torque of 105 Nm.
The nut of the upper fastening of the shock strut to the body is tightened to a torque of 44 Nm. This nut should be tightened when the car is on its wheels.