What are the steps to replace front struts?
What are the steps to replace front struts?
Part 3 of 3: Replacing your struts Park your vehicle on a level, hard, and flat surface. Open the hood. Open the hood of the car to provide greater access. Loosen the lug nuts. Position the wheel chocks. Lift the vehicle with jack. Position the vehicle on jack stand. Remove lug nuts and wheels. Disconnect brake hoses. Remove bolts. Mount upper strut.
How long does it take to replace front struts in?
Plus, removing the rusty nut at the top of the strut could turn into a nightmare if the internal hex stripped out. But these days you can buy a complete strut assembly that eliminates the strut/spring/mount disassembly process. These assemblies allow you to replace both of your front struts yourself in less than two hours.
Why do struts need to be replaced?
Another common reason to replace struts is after hitting a major pothole, curb or after an accident. In any of these cases, the strut might be bent, which may not be visible, but can be detected during the wheel alignment. Driving with a failed strut or shock absorber is not safe.
Do I need alignment after replacing struts?
However, your vehicle does have adjustable camber settings and so, yes, the vehicle would have to be aligned if the struts were replaced. Once new struts are installed, if the alignment is roughly within spec., you can wait until you get your new tires to perform the alignment.
Plus, removing the rusty nut at the top of the strut could turn into a nightmare if the internal hex stripped out. But these days you can buy a complete strut assembly that eliminates the strut/spring/mount disassembly process. These assemblies allow you to replace both of your front struts yourself in less than two hours.
Another common reason to replace struts is after hitting a major pothole, curb or after an accident. In any of these cases, the strut might be bent, which may not be visible, but can be detected during the wheel alignment. Driving with a failed strut or shock absorber is not safe.
However, your vehicle does have adjustable camber settings and so, yes, the vehicle would have to be aligned if the struts were replaced. Once new struts are installed, if the alignment is roughly within spec., you can wait until you get your new tires to perform the alignment.
