How To Replace Front Coil Springs
If you planning to install replacement springs on your car, you’ll need to ensure that you have the right tools to get the job done. In some instances, you may even need to have a series of specialist equipment. While the job is not difficult, it can be very risky. Hence, you’ll need to take some precautions and in no time you’ll get the job done. Before you go further into the article I would highly recommend seeing Apex shocks.
1 – Vehicle Raising
The first step in the process is raising your vehicle. As such, you’ll need to get it off of the ground to gain access to the springs. To do so, a simple car jack should be securely placed under the car. Before you can place the jack under the car, you’ll need to locate a sturdy part of the engine cradle.
However, if you’re thinking of using a hydraulic jack, you can do so. Remember, safety is a must and it will prevent the car from slipping off of the jack. After raising the car, you’ll need to loosen the wheel nuts.
2 – Wheel Removal
After jacking up the car safely, the front wheels will need to be removed. However, this mainly depends on the type of vehicle that you’re working on. Various cars tend to have different setups and the removal process will also be different.
3 – Ball Joint
The control arm of the vehicle contains a ball joint that will be required to be removed. To do this, the correct size socket should be used. A pickle fork is then used between the spindle and the arm to separate the friction between both of them. However, to remove the control arm, the rotor will need to be jacked up.
4 – Removing The Strut
To get to the strut, you’ll need to open the hood and determine where the three mounting bolts are. After finding them, the nuts will need to be removed and the strut can then be slipped out of position. Remember, all nuts should be kept safely so that all parts can be removed and replaced since coil springs don’t usually come with nuts.
5 – Compressing The Coil
Before you can remove the coil from within the strut, the springs must firstly be compressed. However, this is one of the most dangerous pieces of your vehicle and all cautionary tactics must be taken. If something should go wrong, the spring can become uncoiled and do a ton of damages and injuries.
A 180-degree compression bracket should be used opposite each spring. These brackets should also be tightened at least 10 turns or even 8 before swapping them. When you notice that they are tightly secured, you can then remove the bolt at the top of the strut and remove the coil with care.
6 – Installing The New Coil Spring
It should be noted that before you can replace the spring, the new one should also be compressed. Hence the same compression method used previously should be done once more. After you’ve tightened the tool, you can place the new spring into the strut.
When you look at the bottom of the strut, you’ll see that there is a groove. The new spring should slip into it and sit with ease. When the spring is in the groove, you’re ready to tighten the bolt. After installing and securing the spring, you can safely remove the compression tool.
7 – Reinstalling The Strut
The reinstallation process is rather easy and is simply the reversal of the removal process. The strut should be replaced into the retaining hole of the body and the bolts should be put back in place. Next, the rotor should be jacked up to ensure that the control arm and the spindle are in place once more. For any additional parts, you’ll just need to continue with the reversal process.