possibly stupid question but please help

[jonezyboy6]

hey im trying to take the struts outa my 88 civic what bolts do i undo and how do i get the strut out? im use to working on oldschool rwd havnt been under a fwdyet so please help

[croolies]

try a 14mm socket and extension and your eyes

[DrRubber]

urm....the front you will have to loosen off the 14mm bolt on the back of the strut/fork, then remove the large bolt that holds the fork into the lower arm....the fork will drop.

then undo the nuts at the top ( and the brake lines if they attach to strut)

and its out, remember that when refitting there is a tab on the backside of the strut that has to face inwards........(and kinda click into place)

the rear should be fuckin easy, if you can change your undies you can sort the rear out :wink:

[SLOTEG]

oldskool rwd = no springs and modgies? that why ya dont know?

[jonezyboy6]

ops: u left out the lack of bump stop

[VTAKYO]

Take off the rims and put the car on four axle stands.

Rear: In the boot, remove the interior caps that go above the tophats of the struts, use a deepsocket 14mm to remove the two bolts. On the top arms, remove the 14 or 12mm bolt and knock the top arm out of lock - this allows you to push the whole suspension arm down further to get the strut out. Remove the 14mm bolt that goes through the bottom eye of the shock, you will probably need a powerbar to get it started. At times it may jam or appear to not be turning, spray some CRC in and try hit it through with a hammer and screwdriver or something~ a little just to free it up, but not too much as to risk stripping the thread. Just make sure that the suspension arm isn't moving around and making the bolt bind up. Once it is out get one person to push down on the hub while another person jiggles the strut around until you can get it out.

Front: In the enginebay undo the two 14mm bolts on the tophat. Undo the pinchbolt, 14mm I think, around the bottom of the shock. Then get a 17mm ratchet and a 17mm socket on a powerbar and work on the bottom bolt at the bottom of the fork. Undo this by turning anti-clockwise with both powerbar and socket. Once its loosened up you can change the powerbar for another ratchet. Use a 12mm socket to remove the brakelines off the brackets on the shock. Drop the fork down over the axle and the strut should come out. You may need to slip the 14mm nuts on the tophat and use a hammer to hit the fork off the bottom of the shock, then undo the nuts and pull the strut out.

Putting them back in is just the opposite.

Hope that helps. Don't think I've forgotten anything.