Bjørn
Senior Member
- First Name
- Brian
- Joined
- May 17, 2020
- Threads
- 2
- Messages
- 54
- Reaction score
- 102
- Location
- Atalanta, Ga
- Vehicle(s)
- 2020 Civic SI Sedan PWP, 99 Miata NB1 HSM
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- Link
- Thread starter
- #1
I am a mechanic by trade. I used a drive on lift for the install as I work in a shop. It took me about 6 hours to do this job including an alignment. I took the entire knuckle off since I was doing the ball joints at the same time. My car only has 20k miles on it and I live in the south. So rust is not an issue for me. Take your time and be careful. Springs can be dangerous when under load.
Tools I used-
Jack
Jack stands x2 at least
Springs compressors
Ratchet
Impact gun(not needed but is quicker)
Impact driver(picture below)
10mm socket/wrench
12mm socket/wrench
14mm socket/wrench
17mm socket and wrench
18mm socket/wrench
19mm socket/wrench
Pry bar at least one foot length
Wd40
Pliers
Trim tool
Punch or small screwdriver
Breaker bar/ lug wrench
Torque wrench
Hammer
Air hammer
Washers x4
Rotor screws
1. Loosen lug nuts 1/2 turn while wheels are on the ground. I did the front first.
2.
Move to the engine bay. Remove rubber cap.
Loosen 17mm about 3-4 threads. Do NOT fully remove. This is all that keeps the spring under load.
*Optional-remove camber studs
Here it is removed. It will be the only stud around the struts without a nut. I forgot to take a picture with them installed. Place washers around the stud until only the threads are visible. Place nut on threads and tighten nut until stud comes out.
Here is the setup I used.
3. Jack up vehicle and place Jack stands at the pinch weld points(they sit lower than the rest of the pinch weld).
4. Remove lug nuts and wheels.
5.
Remove wire from bracket.
6.
Remove connector.
7.
Use pliers and release clip from strut.
Place wiring away.
9.
Remove both of these 12mm bolts.
10.
Remove 10mm bolt holding sensor in place. Gently remove sensor and place out of way.
11.
Remove both 17mm caliper bracket bolts and lay caliper to the side. Do not put tension on the brake hose. I had enough slack to let the caliper sit on the lift.
12.
Using impact driver, remove rotor screw.
Remove rotor from hub.( If the rotor is stuck to the hub, mine were not, there are two threaded holes in the rotor. Find bolts that thread in and tighten them down side to side until the rotor starts to move off the hub)
*Thescrews easily round out. I replaced my rotors at 9k and I had to drill one of these out. They were about $2 each at my local H dealer. Always a good idea to have some extras when removing rotors.
Impact driver.
13.
Remove cotter pin using pliers.
Remove 19mm nut.
I used a puller to remove the tie rod end. A hammer can be used by hitting the KNUCKLE, NOT the tie rod end.
14.
The axle nut will be staked to the groove in the axle. I used a punch to make the nut “round” again.
Remove axle nut. I used an air impact gun to do this.
Thread nut back onto axle shaft about 5-6 threads. Place punch or similar tool in to the dimple in the axle. Hammer punch until axle moves inward slightly. Just trying to “ free” axle so that it can be moved by hand later on. Remove nut.
15.
Remove 14mm sway bar link nut. Remove link from strut and move out of way.
16.
Remove the three 17mm ball joint nuts.
17.
Before lifting the ball joint off of the lower arm, be aware of this bracket with the hole in it. It can contact the boot and damage it.
18.
Push down on the control arm and pull the knuckle away from the vehicle while being aware of the bracket. Rest the ball joint against the control arm.
19.
Pull the knuckle away from the vehicle while being aware of the bracket. Slide the axle out of the hub and rest it on the sway bar. Rest knuckle against the lower arm.
20.
Loosen one of these 14mm nuts until it can be spun off by hand. Leave the nut threaded to the stud. Then, remove the other two nuts.
With one hand, support the strut/knuckle assembly. With the other hand remove the last nut and remove the assembly from the vehicle.
21. Note-These next few steps are for replacing the ball joints and are not necessary for spring replacement.
Remove cotter pin.
Remove 19mm nut.
Place studs on a block of wood so they are not damaged when hammering.
Hammer on the knuckle, NOT the ball joint. I only had to hit it a few times for the ball joint to free itself from the knuckle. Take care not to hit the bearing.
22.
Install new ball joint and thread on the original nut. Tighten down nut. I used an air impact and 19mm swivel socket to do this.
Line up castle nut with hole in the ball joint and install the cotter pin. I had to tighten my nut a little bit more to line them up.
23.
Place strut assembly on table and support strut in some way.
24.
Install spring compressors on spring. Tighten them down going side to side until the spring no longer has tension to the strut.
Do NOT stand in front of the strut mount. Move to the side away from the springs potential path.
Remove 17mm nut.
25.
Remove the strut mount.
26.
Remove dust boot from from lower portion of the strut.
Remove spring assembly from strut.
Take note of where the springs sit.
27.
Install upper bushing to the new spring.
Install the spring to the strut assembly.
Install the strut mount to the strut/spring assembly and thread on the nut.
Note-I did not need the springs compressors to install the springs to the struts. The whitelines are shorter and have no preload while the vehicle weight is not on the struts.
Note-I did not cut my bump stops. Whiteline is only a .8 inch drop. Refer to the manufacturer for cutting the bump stops.
28.
Tighten down the nut as far as you can. I fully tightened the nut once the strut was back in the vehicle and it was sitting back on the ground.
Install dust boot to the lower portion of the strut.
29. Install in reverse order of removal. Remember to be careful of the bracket on the lower control arm when installing the axle shaft.
30. This next step for finishing up the the Whiteline ball joint install.
These joints have bolts instead of studs. Bolts go through the control arm and then through the joint. The nuts go on the bottom. The ball joint is slotted to allow for more camber. I wanted as much negative camber up as I could get.
I pulled the ball joint all the way out and then held the bolts using a 17mm wrench and tightened the 18mm nuts using an impact. I then tightened them fully with a torque wrench. Can’t remember the torque at the moment. Will edit later.
31.
Don’t forget to tighten the strut top nut and the three strut mount nuts after the wheels are back on the ground, wheels torqued and the full weight of the vehicle is on the struts. This should provide enough resistance to tighten the strut nut to specification.
Tools I used-
Jack
Jack stands x2 at least
Springs compressors
Ratchet
Impact gun(not needed but is quicker)
Impact driver(picture below)
10mm socket/wrench
12mm socket/wrench
14mm socket/wrench
17mm socket and wrench
18mm socket/wrench
19mm socket/wrench
Pry bar at least one foot length
Wd40
Pliers
Trim tool
Punch or small screwdriver
Breaker bar/ lug wrench
Torque wrench
Hammer
Air hammer
Washers x4
Rotor screws
1. Loosen lug nuts 1/2 turn while wheels are on the ground. I did the front first.
2.
Move to the engine bay. Remove rubber cap.
Loosen 17mm about 3-4 threads. Do NOT fully remove. This is all that keeps the spring under load.
*Optional-remove camber studs
Here it is removed. It will be the only stud around the struts without a nut. I forgot to take a picture with them installed. Place washers around the stud until only the threads are visible. Place nut on threads and tighten nut until stud comes out.
Here is the setup I used.
3. Jack up vehicle and place Jack stands at the pinch weld points(they sit lower than the rest of the pinch weld).
4. Remove lug nuts and wheels.
5.
Remove wire from bracket.
6.
Remove connector.
7.
Use pliers and release clip from strut.
Place wiring away.
9.
Remove both of these 12mm bolts.
10.
Remove 10mm bolt holding sensor in place. Gently remove sensor and place out of way.
11.
Remove both 17mm caliper bracket bolts and lay caliper to the side. Do not put tension on the brake hose. I had enough slack to let the caliper sit on the lift.
12.
Using impact driver, remove rotor screw.
Remove rotor from hub.( If the rotor is stuck to the hub, mine were not, there are two threaded holes in the rotor. Find bolts that thread in and tighten them down side to side until the rotor starts to move off the hub)
*Thescrews easily round out. I replaced my rotors at 9k and I had to drill one of these out. They were about $2 each at my local H dealer. Always a good idea to have some extras when removing rotors.
Impact driver.
13.
Remove cotter pin using pliers.
Remove 19mm nut.
I used a puller to remove the tie rod end. A hammer can be used by hitting the KNUCKLE, NOT the tie rod end.
14.
The axle nut will be staked to the groove in the axle. I used a punch to make the nut “round” again.
Remove axle nut. I used an air impact gun to do this.
Thread nut back onto axle shaft about 5-6 threads. Place punch or similar tool in to the dimple in the axle. Hammer punch until axle moves inward slightly. Just trying to “ free” axle so that it can be moved by hand later on. Remove nut.
15.
Remove 14mm sway bar link nut. Remove link from strut and move out of way.
16.
Remove the three 17mm ball joint nuts.
17.
Before lifting the ball joint off of the lower arm, be aware of this bracket with the hole in it. It can contact the boot and damage it.
18.
Push down on the control arm and pull the knuckle away from the vehicle while being aware of the bracket. Rest the ball joint against the control arm.
19.
Pull the knuckle away from the vehicle while being aware of the bracket. Slide the axle out of the hub and rest it on the sway bar. Rest knuckle against the lower arm.
20.
Loosen one of these 14mm nuts until it can be spun off by hand. Leave the nut threaded to the stud. Then, remove the other two nuts.
With one hand, support the strut/knuckle assembly. With the other hand remove the last nut and remove the assembly from the vehicle.
21. Note-These next few steps are for replacing the ball joints and are not necessary for spring replacement.
Remove cotter pin.
Remove 19mm nut.
Place studs on a block of wood so they are not damaged when hammering.
Hammer on the knuckle, NOT the ball joint. I only had to hit it a few times for the ball joint to free itself from the knuckle. Take care not to hit the bearing.
22.
Install new ball joint and thread on the original nut. Tighten down nut. I used an air impact and 19mm swivel socket to do this.
Line up castle nut with hole in the ball joint and install the cotter pin. I had to tighten my nut a little bit more to line them up.
23.
Place strut assembly on table and support strut in some way.
24.
Install spring compressors on spring. Tighten them down going side to side until the spring no longer has tension to the strut.
Do NOT stand in front of the strut mount. Move to the side away from the springs potential path.
Remove 17mm nut.
25.
Remove the strut mount.
26.
Remove dust boot from from lower portion of the strut.
Remove spring assembly from strut.
Take note of where the springs sit.
27.
Install upper bushing to the new spring.
Install the spring to the strut assembly.
Install the strut mount to the strut/spring assembly and thread on the nut.
Note-I did not need the springs compressors to install the springs to the struts. The whitelines are shorter and have no preload while the vehicle weight is not on the struts.
Note-I did not cut my bump stops. Whiteline is only a .8 inch drop. Refer to the manufacturer for cutting the bump stops.
28.
Tighten down the nut as far as you can. I fully tightened the nut once the strut was back in the vehicle and it was sitting back on the ground.
Install dust boot to the lower portion of the strut.
29. Install in reverse order of removal. Remember to be careful of the bracket on the lower control arm when installing the axle shaft.
30. This next step for finishing up the the Whiteline ball joint install.
These joints have bolts instead of studs. Bolts go through the control arm and then through the joint. The nuts go on the bottom. The ball joint is slotted to allow for more camber. I wanted as much negative camber up as I could get.
I pulled the ball joint all the way out and then held the bolts using a 17mm wrench and tightened the 18mm nuts using an impact. I then tightened them fully with a torque wrench. Can’t remember the torque at the moment. Will edit later.
31.
Don’t forget to tighten the strut top nut and the three strut mount nuts after the wheels are back on the ground, wheels torqued and the full weight of the vehicle is on the struts. This should provide enough resistance to tighten the strut nut to specification.
Last edited: