your right I dont...whoopty do

 

I was watching a show last night, and they were changing the struts of a Toyota Echo. I read many, many "How to" but could never get it. After watching that show and actualy watching them changing the struts, it looks freakin easy.

Take off the brake line
Take off the 2 bolts at the bottom
Take off the 3 bolts on the tower
Take out the strut
Swap the spring
Do everything in reverse

I wish I saw that before

 

It really is that easy, just make sure you don't have any bolts left over at the end, and you should be good to go!

 

dont do that...jsut the one bolt in the center of the tower...you will see and figure it out

 

if you are REALLY REALLY crazy.. i saw a guy who did it without a spring compressor

he use a bunch of zip ties around the coils and it held it long enough for himt o take it apart.. then all the zip ties broke off VERY shortly after..

-joe

 

Isn't that the one that holds down the spring?
Aren't those 3 bolts holding up the strut assembly?

 

If I do that, I might as well sit on it while taking off the screw

 

yes, the 3 bolts come off first, releasing the strut from the whole works, then while you've got it on the ground and the spring compressed, the top one comes off releasing the spring.

 

yeah the best idea is to take out the 2 large bolts on the bottom and the 3 on the strut tower and remove the whole strut assembly, then clamp the springs and remove the top hat nut....as mentioned you could probably walk into a shop and ask someone to clamp the springs and pop the nut off for you, it'll only take 2 minutes...and yes it is as easy as it sounds

 

what about the 5th bolt ?

 

whoa Doc. Crash, since when u are in Ontario?

 

really, i didnt do it like that. i left those on. put the compressor on before i took the strut out and then un did it. worked fine for me.

 

why make more work for yourself

 

well, it's easier to get the compressors on when the whole strut is on the ground instead of in the wheel well, isn't it? anyway, both steps are necessary, the order you do them in doesn't really matter.

 

My springs are on, and god does it even look tight. Installation took 4 hours with impact wrench and spring compressor. Installation was alot easier than expected. For anybody who wants to install springs... don't pay to get them installed. Make the mod your-self, unless you have no way to get access to spring compressor and/or impact wrench.

I'll you guys some pictures tomorrow...