Understanding the necessary procedures on how to replace shocks can be accomplished by anybody.
Valuable information you need to be familiar with when replacing shocks on your car, truck or SUV.
The crucial function of vehicles' shock absorbers is to absorb bumps and potholes in the road to provide a smooth ride while you are driving. Without them the car would bounce around uncontrollably on the coil springs. Regrettably, shocks will eventually wear themselves out and definitely need to be replaced. Seeking a professional mechanic will leave a hefty hole in your wallet, but you do have a choice and can save costs by learning how to change shocks yourself. It is not as challenging as one may think and anyone can achieve this if they take some time to learn the fundamentals of replacing shocks.
We have taken the time to provide you the fundamental principles on how to replace shocks on almost any make or model of car or truck on the road today. However, because there are so many types of models we highly advise that you grab yourself a repair manual specific to your vehicle's model and year in case you run into any trouble.
To begin with, regardless of whether you starting on the front or rear shocks firstly loosen the lug. This allows you to easily remove them from the vehicle after it is jacked up. Once your car is jacked up you will need to position jack stands to safely maintain its elevated position as you attempt to change your shocks. Make sure to place the jack stands underneath the proper point of the undercarriage. You can refer to your car's general manual for this information.
The second step is to remove the tires and rims and place them away from your vehicle. You should be able to easily see the exposed shocks at this point. Be aware that this is the point where your shocks will be different from other vehicles. However, a general observation will help you notice that the shocks will either be mounted at the top by a horizontal bolt or they will be attached with a vertical bolt. If it is a horizontal bolt it would need to be loosened and tapped out of place and if it is a vertical bolt it would need to be removed from inside the engine bay or trunk.
Thirdly, unscrew the nut holding the shock to the suspension at the bottom and remove it from the bolt. Any standard socket wrench set can be used for this procedure on replacing your shocks. These steps will need to be repeated with the nut located at the top as well. After removing each bolt make sure to set them aside in an order where you will remember which nut belongs to which location. Remove the shock absorber off of the bottom bolt and then do the same thing to the top. Now lay it beside the new shocks and compare them to make sure all grommets and bushings will go back into the same spots when installing the new ones.
Fourthly, you can now install the new shock absorber on in the same way that you removed the older shock. You can insert it into either the top or bottom bolt first as it really does not matter. Something to note here is that you may have to apply some pressure with your hands to compress the shock as it slides into position. However, there is no need to be concerned as it usually will not require a lot of effort to slide it onto the bolt. After successfully inserting the shock into position, slide each nut onto the top and bottom bolts and gently tighten them into place.
Fifthly, use the correct wrench from your socket set and further tighten the bolts the rest of the way. There are no specific torque requirements so a regular socket set is adequate enough to tightly secure them into place. If you do own a torque wrench simply tighten them to the same resistance that it took to take off the old shocks or refer your vehicle`s manual for exact specifications.
Now that you have completed the first step on how to change shocks on your car or truck you can proceed to the other 3 remaining shocks and repeat the same steps. Each of the other 3 older shocks should be identical from one side to the other so you should have no difficulty in replacing shocks on your automobile. After both the front and rear shocks are completed, put on your tires and rims and tighten all the lug nuts back into their original places. You have now successfully accomplished all the rudimentary steps on how to replace shocks on your vehicle.
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