90 front shocks - step by step, long

[Andrei Kogan <abk@phy.duke.edu>]

Hello. since there apparently is a fair amount of interest, I will try to 
recreate the events of that Sunday with as much detail as possible...

Before you read any further, be aware that apparently the shocks can be
done without removing the strut assemblies etc from the car. For the life
of me I cannot see how that can be done ( I don't question that it's
possible, however this is something I would have never attempted without
seeing someone else do it first). Ask Rob Meyers for details if interested.


Before I started, I went and got a few tools. I had to buy:

1. A cheap ($5) offset box wrench to use on the top nut. I couldn't find a
metric one,
so I got a closest standard which worked just fine and fits just between
the nut and the brass cup/plate/whatever 
that surrounds the nut. It could be made to fit better if ground a little
on the outside, but I didn't bother.

2. a 19mm socket

3. A set of allen keys for 3/8" ratchet ( an overkill for this job, but
Iwanted them for a long time). you will be fine as long as you have a 6 mm
and possibly a 7 mm allen keys.

To do everything right ( which I didn't because I didn't have this list in
front of me), you need to make sure you have the following available before
you start:

1. tie-rod Self locking nuts -1 per side
2. self locking nuts for strut assembly bolts  , 19mm --2 per side
3. Blue loctite or better yet, as per recent discussion, blue loctite + 2
fresh brake caliper bolts
4. a piece of wire/string/whatever, but something moderlately strong.

5. A pipe wrench
6. spring compressors ( can be rented at Autozone)
7. A universal gear puller can be helpful when doing the tie rod, however
   a pair of big pliers worked fine for me.


On each side, in no particular order, you need to do the following 
(car on stands, not too high, just enough to take
the wheels of, having made sure the car isn't going anywhere:)

1. Undo the clip that holds the brake line attached to the strut assembly

2. Carefully pry off the plastic wire holder which supports the ABS sensor
wire. ( sits on one of the horisontal bolt nuts). You may want to spray it
w wd40 or something, I did it on one side and it came of fine, on the other
I tried to remove it dry and it broke in half.

3. Don't do what the Bentley says and don't worry about the ball joint/
drive shaft bolt

4. Break the nuts on the two horisontal bolts loose. This is Tough. Keep
turning one side, even if the whole bolt turns, the tension you produce
will get it eventually. That way you can use both hands if there is none to
hold the bolt still. 

5. Remove the tie rod end nut, and press the tie rod out of the strut
shoulder.
	to prevent the shaft from turning, apply pressure to the bottom of the tie
rod end with either a gear puller or pliers. I used a big socket between
the puller tip and the tie rod so that the pressure is applied  to the case
and not to the bottom dish. Not sure if it matters. 

6. Remove the upper bolt from the brake caliper and swing the caliper
aside. otherwise the lower horisontal bolt won't come out ( you only need
an extra 3-5 mm of clearance in there) and remove the horisontal bolt


7. support the control arm from below and remove the top nut. Hold the
strut cartridge still  with the allen key whileundoing the nut.

8. Now, lower the control arm a couple of inches. Then , while, pulling the
bearing housing outward (towards you) and somewhat down, remove the top
horisontal bolt, catch the bearing housing with your knees ( hehe) and at
the same time remove the strut assembly. This is the only tricky moment in
the whole procedure, because there are several things to watch out for
simultaneously:

a) the brake line
b) the ABS sensor wire
c) the cv boot ( that's the only real danger, I always kept my finger
between the strut and the boot, figuring it can heal on its own if
something goes wrong but the boot cannot) 
d) The drive shaft. I heard that if one lets the bearing housing dangle
outward, it's weight can pull the driveshaft out of the inner cvjoint.
There is a clip in there which prevents it, but with enough effort it can
break loose and that will SUCK. Expect to have an inch or two of axial
travel in the driveshaft, that's normal, apparently.

9. While you work on the strut assembly, secure the bearing housing in
place in its normal position with a string/wire -- you can tie it down to
the control arm or something else.

Once the strut assembly is out, the best thing to do is to put it on a
bench with  a vice available. compress the springs till the top cover is
loose, remove the slotted nut, remove everything from the top, remove the
spring. The threaded cap that now has to be removed can be somewhat
difficult I don't know how well the special tool works, but a pipe wrench
always worked for me. Out then goes the old cartridge and all the crap
inside, in goes a fresh one and the assembly is the reverse of disassembly.
If you are putting in Bilsteins expect the front shocks to be much narrower
than the stock, there will be about 1/8" gap between the shock and the
inner surface of the strut housing. 

Hope that helps. I spent about 5 hours total on this project. Not having to
wrestle with the shaft and the ball joint makes it an easier project than
on a 4k.
 
Hope that helps,
Andrei