What you need is:
Note: no spring compressors required. Woot!
The rears are easy.
For the fronts: (If you do not have a Grande, ignore steps 3 and 4 below)
Torque Settings:
- A good workshop trolley jack
- Jack stands
- A good socket set
- A good breaker bar
- An allen key you are willing to sacrifice to make it shorter
- A helper
Note: no spring compressors required. Woot!
The rears are easy.
- Jack up and place jack stands on the chassis.
- Remove wheel and place jack under the axle to jack it up.
- Remove top shock nut and loosen bottom bolt. Lower axle a bit. Compress the shock and it should come free.
- Replace new shocks and then jack up the axle.
- Tighten bottom bolt and top nut.
- Replace wheel and repeat for other side.
For the fronts: (If you do not have a Grande, ignore steps 3 and 4 below)
- Jack up and place jack stands on the chassis (under front doors).
- Remove both wheels.
- You will need a shortened allen key to remove the 2 socket head cap screws that holds the TEMS module to the bracket at the top of the strut. One screw can be seen. The other one is behind the TEMS module and can't be seen.
- Remove TEMS bracket from the top of the strut. Feed the TEMS cables back into the engine bay and secure it away from moving parts.
- Remove sway bar link. Loosen sway bar mount on the chassis or remove it altogether. (remove bashplates if you are removing the swaybar entirely)
- Jack up on the lower control arm (LCA) until the jack takes the weight.
- Remove top strut nut.
- Remove lower strut nut (do not turn the lower strut bolt as this will damage the screw thread).
- Remove 2 bolts on the LCA (the ones either side of the castle nut).
- Loosen the cam bolts on the LCA paying attention not to move the cam as this is the alignment adjustment for camber (if it moves a bit, it doesn't matter as you will need an alignment anyway).
- Now lower the jack and the strut will separate from the spring.
- Once the strut is fully extended, remove the bottom strut bolt and the strut and spring is now free.
- Put the new spring and strut in, inserting the lower strut bolt first and loosely spin on the nut.
- with a helper, slowly jack up the LCA while threading the top strut pin through the hole. As you do this the spring will compress.
- Jack up until the jack takes all the weight.
- Tighten nut on top of the strut.
- Replace the 2 bolts on the bottom of the LCA.
- Tighten up the cam bolts.
- Tighten up the lower strut bolt and nut.
- Lower jack and remove (REMEMBER: steps 18 and 19 must be completed with the jack taking all the weight or the bushes will wear out prematurely)
- Repeat for the other side.
- Once both sides are done, replace sway bar.
- Put wheels back on.
- Go for a test drive and re-torque wheel nuts.
- Once suspension height has settled, go for an alignment.
- Spend the money you saved to take the missus out for dinner.
Torque Settings:
Description | Torque (Nm) |
Tie rod end lock nut | 88 |
Shock absorber piston rod x Suspension support sub-assy | 25 |
Shock absorber (upper) x Body | 64 |
Shock absorber (rear) bracket x Body | 29 |
Stabilizer link x Steering knuckle | 70 |
Hub nut | 112 |
Shock absorber x Lower arm | 135 |
Upper arm x Steering knuckle arm | 110 |
Skid control sensor x Upper arm | 13 |
Upper arm x Body | 115 |
Lower arm x Suspension cross member | 135 |
Lower ball joint attachment x Steering knuckle arm | 225 |
Stabilizer bracket x Body | 40 |
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