The strut bearing is contained in the bearing plate at the top of the strut assembly in your vehicle. When the strut bearing goes bad, it can make noise when hitting bumps and squeak when you turn the wheel. The bearing plate is a ball-bearing assembly inside a plate that allows for the fluid movement of the strut as you turn the wheel. The plated part keeps the spring in place.
Jack up the front of the vehicle and secure it with jack stands.
Examine the underside of the vehicle behind the brake rotor. You are looking for where the base of the strut meets the steering knuckle. The steering knuckle is the part that holds the wheel to the car. There will be two bolts where the strut meets the knuckle.
Loosen the bolts at the base of the strut using a ratchet and socket. Hold the nut on the other side with a wrench.
Pull the bolts from the base of the strut.
Loosen and remove the three nuts at the top of the strut. These nuts are located under the hood, on each side near the windshield.
Pry the base of the strut away from the steering knuckle from under the vehicle using your pry bar.
Pull the strut down, from under the vehicle, and out of the vehicle.
Connect the spring compressor to the strut spring, once it is removed from the vehicle, by looping the hooks over the spring coils.
Tighten the spring compressor with a wrench until the spring is fully compressed.
Loosen the nut at the top-center of the strut using a ratchet and socket. This nut holds the bearing plate to the strut.
Remove the bearing plate from the top of the strut by pulling it off with your hands.
Place the new bearing plate in position by sliding the stud in the top center of the strut through the hole in the center of the bearing plate. Put the nut on the stud and tighten it with a ratchet and socket.
Loosen the spring compressor until the spring is fully extended inside the strut assembly. Remove the spring compressor.
Insert the strut in the vehicle from underneath. Line up the three studs at the top of the strut with the three holes in the strut tower, under the hood.
Push the base of the strut into the steering knuckle, from under the vehicle, and line up the two bolt holes. Press the two bolts into the lower strut holes.
Tighten the nuts onto the lower strut bolts using the ratchet, socket and wrench.
Place the nuts on the upper stud struts, under the hood, and tighten them using a ratchet and socket.
Repeat steps 2 through 17 for the strut bearing on the other side of the vehicle if needed.
Raise the vehicle with the jack and remove the jack stands. Lower the vehicle to the ground.
