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11.05.2007: Axle nut |
While the car is still on the ground, pop the cover in the middle of the
wheel and loosen the axle nut using a 32 mm socket on a large breaker bar.
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11.05.2007: Jacked up |
Raise the car and remove the wheels. Take your time spraying the fasteners
with a rust solvent.
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11.05.2007: Axle nut |
Remove the axle nut completely. If you find the rotor spinning, block it
with a screwdriver inserted through the caliper bracket.
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11.05.2007: ABS sensor |
Unplug the ABS sensor from the connector on the fender wall. Take extra
care as the brackets get brittle with age.
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11.05.2007: Caliper spring |
Remove the caliper spring and the rotor screw. Those are notorious for
getting stuck, you might need a screw extractor.
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11.05.2007: Caliper bolts |
Unbolt the caliper (10 mm Allen socket) and suspend it on a wire so there's
no strain on the brake line.
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11.05.2007: Brake rotor |
Remove the rotor and undo the tie rod end nut (18 mm socket).
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11.05.2007: Tie rod end |
Use a ball joint separator on the tie rod end.
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11.05.2007: Sway bar link |
Unbolt the sway bar link from the control arm. Hold the upper part with an
11 mm wrench and undo the nut with a 13 mm socket.
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11.05.2007: Ball joint nut |
Loosen the ball joint nut (18 mm wrench). If you pull the axle out slightly,
it might give you more room for the wrench.
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11.05.2007: Ball joint separator |
Split the joint using a ball joint separator.
Don't use fork type separators - that would damage the rubber boot.
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11.05.2007: Suspension arms |
If the ball joint won't budge, or if you don't have a proper separator,
proceed with unbolting the arms from the subframe.
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11.05.2007: Axle |
The lower end of the strut is now free, so you can swing it sideways and
pull the axle out.
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11.05.2007: Strut mount |
Unbolt the final three nuts on top of the strut mount and lower the
strut to the ground. Be careful - it's quite heavy.
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11.05.2007: Strut |
The strut on the ground, ready for disassembly.
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11.05.2007: Spring compressor |
Attach a spring compressor and tighten it until the spring releases the
tension on the strut mount.
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11.05.2007: Top nut |
This is a proper way to undo the damper rod nut on top of the strut mount.
The big nut needs a 24 mm wrench, while the rod itself has an 11 mm hex
head on the top (my Bilstein dampers call for a 7 mm Allen instead).
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11.05.2007: Impact wrench |
However, in real life the top of the rod will be rusted, and attempting
to use a small wrench on it will likely end up with a stripped head. The
solution is to grab the rod with vice-grips and use an impact wrench
on the nut.
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11.05.2007: Strut mount |
The spring support, thrust bearing, strut mount and related hardware.
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11.05.2007: Upper spring seat |
The 9-3 upper spring seat is integral with the dust cover. On the NG900
they were separate.
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11.05.2007: 9-3 spring support |
The old rubber spring seat is detached from the support plate. The plate is
the right size to match the seat from the 9-3, but the inner rim diameter is
too small.
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11.05.2007: Spacer |
A solid rubber spacer will solve the problem of keeping the upper spring
seat centered. These silicone rings I had were just the right size. A piece
of used accessory belt could be a good fit too.
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11.05.2007: Lower seat |
The lower spring seat needs adjustment too. The coil stop is too narrow and
close to the center to hold a wider 9-3 spring.
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20.05.2007: Coil stop |
The lowest point of the spring seat is in the back, so that's where the new
spring stop should be. Insert a short bolt into one of the drain holes and
secure it with a nut.
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20.05.2007: Spacer |
The shape of the lower spring seat does not quite match the spring profile,
so a spacer is needed to gradually raise the first coil. I used an old
rubber piece of the top mount.
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11.05.2007: Springs |
A stock NG900 spring vs Eibach 9-3 spring vs Intrax NG900 spring. You
can see the differnce in length, as well as tapered vs full size ends on
NG900 vs 9-3.
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11.05.2007: Spring compressor |
Compress the spring to prepare it for installation.
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20.05.2007: Spring |
Place the spring onto the strut so the last coil rests against the modified
stop. I put an old piece of hose on it so the spring doesn't rub against
the seat metal. This should protect the spring coating and keep it from
developing rust.
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11.05.2007: Upper seat |
Insert the upper spring seat with a dust cover, install the bump stop if
applicable and slide the metal support plate over the rubber piece.
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11.05.2007: Strut mount |
Install the strut mount and tighten the upper nut on the damper rod.
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11.05.2007: Assembled |
Here's a finished strut with a 9-3 spring. The installation is the reverse
of removal, see this
document for additional details and torque specs.
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11.05.2007: Finished |
The car on the ground. The right height is about 1" lower that stock, the
old Intrax springs were even lower than that.
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