So i did both rear S-Techs on my car, went fairly smooth, no seized bolts, everything went good.

Now the fronts. I have the strut detached from my car, in other words the LCA bolt is out and the top hat is disconnected, so the strut is free from my car. On the rear, you just dropped the LCA and the strut came out, but now on the front, i have the axle in there too.

basically, HOW DO YOU GET THE FRONT STRUT OUT? WHAT OTHER PARTS DO YOU NEED TO DROP TO BE ABLE TO GET IT OUT OF THERE?

 

it usually takes a lot of pressure with your foot on the rotor, just use some brute on it, it will come out.

 

yea and when you go to get it back in, good luck. the drivers side took me FOREVER. your probably going to need someone to help you.

 

gonna have this local shop do the fronts, i found a write-up somewhere else that said you can disconnect lower hook thing that connect to the LCA and it comes out, but that bolt is seized like none other, but i know the guys at a local shop and they'll do it for free, and also give me an alignment

 

well REMOVE that fork bolt around the back of that fork where it meets the strut... after bolt is removed hammer it abit to break it loose. THEN remove the sway bar conection rod....
strut should come right out! no need for a high dollar shop fee!



this pic should help ya out....
YES its large... BUT easier to see same way on both sides... the sway bar linkage is preaty much a bolt with bushings on both sides... use a wrench ontop and a wrench onbottom and it will come right loose.
and just take out that fork bolt all the way and use a hammer to kinda hit one side of the fork to twist it alittle and it should fall right down....
the rest is just tweaking the strut out... easier to pull the strut out down and towards the rear..
dont pay your shop to do it... thats realy easy...

ALSO before ya do any more work go buy a chiltons book for the car
thats what i did when i swaped mine out..

 

it's about time you threw those s-techs on, Flip

 

i know, im so f*cking lazy, im pissing myself off even....but i got two of them on, and if it wasnt for the seized bolt i would have finished, but the shop thats doing my alignment is doing the front two, so w/e, i tried DIY but i'm gonna leave the front two to the pros

 

there's no reason to undo the sway bar endlink. you just need to unbolt the fork from the shock, you can leave the fork sitting there, it doesn't have to come out

 

its very easy, unbolt the 2 top hat bolts, unbolt the lca bolt, unbolt the brake lines and unbolt the damper fork bolt. once everything is apart, just wiggle the suspension out. really shouldnt give u any problems, it very easy to, hell i just did another suspension install on my friends hatch lol.

 

O OK.... well i just did what the manual said to do for the front... blame them

edit.... brake lines are only on the pre 95s i think.... mine didnt have them on the strut but removing the 2 brake hose retainer bracket bolts did free up the brake lines alittle bit to remove and reinstal the strut... but didnt have to be pulled.

personaly i think the front where the easiest....
i just hate to see ya PAY more money to have them done when ya already got all the tools ya need......
alls ya had to do was take out that fork bolt and just seperate the strut and fork and the strut would come right out....

BUT if ya dont want our help..... [sm=dontgetit.gif][sm=sigh.gif][sm=violin.gif]