QuestionHow do you remove the complete front strut/shock assembly to replace with a Monroe Quick Strut assembly. Everything looks pretty straight forwrd except the ball joint thing connected to the strut assembly. How do you remove that nut when their appears there is no way to hold the backside form turning?
AnswerSTRUT ASSEMBLY (FRONT)
REMOVAL
WARNING: DO NOT REMOVE THE NUT FROM THE STRUT ROD WHILE STRUT ASSEMBLY IS INSTALLED IN VEHICLE, OR BEFORE STRUT ASSEMBLY SPRING IS COMPRESSED.
Raise the vehicle. See Hoisting in the Lubrication and Maintenance section of this service manual for the required lifting procedure to be used for this vehicle.
Remove the wheel and tire assembly from location on front of vehicle requiring strut removal.
If both strut assemblies are to be removed, mark the strut assemblies right or left according to which side of the vehicle they were removed from.
Remove the hydraulic brake hose routing bracket and the speed sensor cable routing bracket from the strut damper brackets Brake Hose And Speed Sensor Cable Routing
CAUTION: When removing the nut from the stud of the stabilizer bar link, do not allow the stud to rotate in it's socket. Hold the stud from rotating by placing an open-end wrench on the flat machined into the stud Stabilizer Bar Link To Strut Attachment
Remove the stabilizer bar link from the bracket on the strut assembly Stabilizer Bar Link To Strut Attachment To do so, place an open-end wrench on the flat machined into the link's mounting stud, then remove the nut while holding the wrench in place. Push the stud out of the bracket.
CAUTION: The steering knuckle to strut assembly attaching bolts are serrated and must not be turned during removal. Remove nuts while holding bolts stationary in the steering knuckles.
Remove the 2 strut assembly clevis bracket to steering knuckle attaching bolts Strut Damper Attachment To Steering Knuckle
Remove the 3 nuts attaching the strut assembly upper mount to the strut tower Strut Assembly To Strut Tower Attaching Nuts and remove the strut assembly from the vehicle.
To disassemble and reassemble the strut assembly, refer to Disassembly And Assembly in this section.
INSTALLATION
Install strut assembly into strut tower, aligning and installing the 3 studs on the upper strut mount into the holes in shock tower. Install the 3 upper strut mount attaching nut/washer assemblies Strut Assembly To Strut Tower Attaching Nuts Then using a crow foot. tighten the 3 attaching nuts to a torque of 28 N·m (250 in. lbs.)
CAUTION: The steering knuckle to strut assembly attaching bolts are serrated and must not be turned during installation. Install nuts while holding bolts stationary in the steering knuckles.
Align strut assembly with steering knuckle. Position arm of steering knuckle into strut assembly clevis bracket. Align the strut assembly clevis bracket mounting holes with the steering knuckle mounting holes. Install the 2 strut assembly to steering knuckle attaching bolts Strut Damper Attachment To Steering Knuckle If strut assembly is attached to steering knuckle using a cam bolt, the cam bolt must be installed in the lower slotted hole on strut clevis bracket. Also, attaching bolts should be installed with the nuts facing the front of the vehicle Strut Damper Attachment To Steering Knuckle Tighten the strut assembly to steering knuckle attaching bolts to a torque of 88 N·m (65 ft. lbs.) plus an additional 1/4 turn after specified torque is met.
Install the stabilizer bar link mounting stud through the bracket on the strut assembly Stabilizer Bar Link To Strut Attachment
CAUTION: When installing the nut on the mounting stud of the stabilizer bar link, do not allow the stud to rotate in it's socket. Hold the stud from rotating by placing an open-end wrench on the flat machined into the stud Stabilizer Bar Link To Strut Attachment
Hand thread the nut on the end of the stabilizer bar link stud. Hold the stud from turning by placing an open-end wrench on the flat machined into the link's mounting stud, then tighten the nut while holding the wrench in place Stabilizer Bar Link To Strut Attachment Tighten the nut to a torque of 88 N·m (65 ft. lbs.)
Install the hydraulic brake hose and speed sensor cable routing brackets on the strut assembly brackets Brake Hose And Speed Sensor Cable Routing Tighten the routing bracket attaching bolts to a torque of 13 N·m (10 ft. lbs.)
Install the wheel/tire assembly on the vehicle.
Install and tighten the wheel mounting stud nuts in proper sequence until all nuts are torqued to half specification. Then repeat the tightening sequence to the full specified torque of 135 N·m (100 ft. lbs.)
