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Hi everyone,
Armed with 9to5's instructions from last Sunday (see link below) and also some instructions from robp in Oct 2002, I replaced the rear shocks on my 2000 SE V6 wagon today. I went with Bilstein HD's from Import Parts Specialists (site sponsor). I thought I'd offer up some things that I came up against that I wasn't expecting and hopefully help others who might attempt this on their own.
1) The lower shock bolts on both my struts were a huge pain in the @ss to get off. I heartily recommend using a six-point 13/16ths" socket and probably some type of extension on the ratchet handle to increase the leverage necessary. The 13/16ths" socket was a tight fit, but it worked. On my passenger side, it was only after fitting the long handle from my floor jack over the ratchet handle (thus getting a lever about 4 feet long) that I was able to move the bolt at all. I had also used a spring compressor to remove all tension in the strut assembly; don't know if that helped or not.
2) The top nut and shaft threads on both original shocks had a bit of rust on them. Together with the nylon locking threads on the nuts, it made it very difficult to remove the nut. I soaked the nut and threads with Liquid Wrench, but still it was pretty hairy. Both 9to5 and robp suggest holding the shaft stationary with a wrench while you remove the nut. On both original shocks, the shaft got rounded out so bad by using the wrenches that I resorted to a set of vice-grips to hold the shaft while I reefed on the nut.
3) When fitting the strut assembly with the new shock back on the car, I found it necessary to use my floor jack to compress the assembly so that the lower shock mount hole lined up with the hole on the swing arm. This was after I had bolted up the four upper spring housing bolts.
4) A spring compressor is a necessity; a floor jack, while not necessary will make your life quite a bit easier. I got a spring compressor from my local Autozone for a $40 deposit, fully refunded when I brought it back.
The ride is definitely firmer and more controlled now, which is what I was after. Aero bars are in the mail and should arrive next week, so we'll see how easy that turns out to be.
Chris
posted by 207.69.139...
, Sun, 14 Mar 2004 08:44:04
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