Replacing the Rear Shock Absorbers on a Honda Civic 1999.
by Mjtrinihobby in Workshop > Cars
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Replacing the Rear Shock Absorbers on a Honda Civic 1999.
My ten year old shocks needed changing. I bought new shocks for the rear suspension today and went about doing the changeout. Was pretty easy compared to changing the hubs which I performed a few weeks ago.
First thing first is to Jack up the rear of the car, use a safety jack to take its weight on a support beam, remove the wheel, Chuck the other rear tire, handbrake up.
Lube All Bolts and Nuts Real Good.
Using penetrating oil on all the relevant bolts and nuts for any job will make your life so easy. I use power lube and removing each bolt/nut was a breeze.
Never put a shift in or take it out without good lube! Hahaha. Lol. Seriously, do it.
Just apply as much as you want and sit back and have a drink of your favorite beverage. After about 10 minutes those nuts and bolts will come off without swearing.
Never put a shift in or take it out without good lube! Hahaha. Lol. Seriously, do it.
Just apply as much as you want and sit back and have a drink of your favorite beverage. After about 10 minutes those nuts and bolts will come off without swearing.
Unbolt the Lower Three Bolts and Upper Two Nuts on the Shock Absorber.
The civic 1999 needs a 14mm socket or spanner to remove the bolts and nuts. I chose to remove the control arm to make removal and installation easier. Therefore 3 bolts and 2 nuts to remove.
Use Spring Clamps to Remove the Old Shocks and Install the New One.
I careful applied the two clamps and equally tightened the clamps. The old shocks needed a spanner to hold the tip and a 14mm spanner to remove the nut. The new shocks needed an Allen key to steady the stem.
Install the New Shocks.
The control arm needs to be raised with a jack. The bolt nearest the wheel tends to give some trouble to get back in. A light tap with a small hammer will help if it's really stubborn.
The nuts on the top of the shock absorber inside the trunk will need to be finger tight at this point. Final tightening of those 2 nuts and the 3 bolts is when the car is supported by the wheel. Remember that for any vehicle!
The bolts and nuts need to be tightened properly when the car is supported by its wheels with a torque wrench. In the absence of one just hand tighten without arm wrestling the bolts or nuts. Don't forget to tighten the nut on the stem of the shock absorbers since they will be raised with the weight of the car pressing on the struts.
Now the car has new shock absorbers!
As an afterthought, I will use my impact wrench in the future for any work of this sort. It takes much time and effort to remove and install bolts and nuts. Just for the installation part I will finish the tightening with a torque wrench.
The nuts on the top of the shock absorber inside the trunk will need to be finger tight at this point. Final tightening of those 2 nuts and the 3 bolts is when the car is supported by the wheel. Remember that for any vehicle!
The bolts and nuts need to be tightened properly when the car is supported by its wheels with a torque wrench. In the absence of one just hand tighten without arm wrestling the bolts or nuts. Don't forget to tighten the nut on the stem of the shock absorbers since they will be raised with the weight of the car pressing on the struts.
Now the car has new shock absorbers!
As an afterthought, I will use my impact wrench in the future for any work of this sort. It takes much time and effort to remove and install bolts and nuts. Just for the installation part I will finish the tightening with a torque wrench.