[sebtarta]

Well, here is a small write up on how to change the spring of our beloved car
Items needed:

- Jack stands or a lift
- Spring Compressors
- 12mm long socket
- 19mm socket
- 19mm wrench
- 12mm wrench
- Air gun (if possible)
- Allen wrench (5mm?)
- 17mm socket
- Fine Sand Paper

Torque Specs
Top Mount Bolts - 20Nm (2.0 Kgfm, 14 ft-lb)
Lower Strut Bolts - 175Nm (17.8 Kgfm, 129 ft-lb)
Front Brake lines - 32 Nm (3.3 Kgfm, 23.6 ft-lb)
Front ABS Speed Line - 33Nm (3.4 Kgfm, 24.3 ft-lb)


So ok, once you have the car in the air (front, back or both) take the wheels off and blast the bolts with some PB blaster. While they soak you can start taking the rear seat out, as the rear top mounts bolt behind the rear seat.




Once the rear seats are out, you can start by unscrewing the 3 bolts that hold the top mount in place. I used the air wrench and a gear-wrnch to take the bolt under the seat-belt holder. I also marked the bolt facing towards the front of the car in order to place it back the same way.



Get the 19mm tools and break free the lower strut bolts. Make sure to MARK the TOP alignment bolts on the front struts. There is no need to mark the rears.



With the 12mm you can get the bolts that hold the brake lines in the front and for the rear with a flat head you pry the clip off.




Once you manage to get all the bolts off from the top mounts in the front and rear,





You should end up with your OEM struts with your OEM springs out....




Here comes the part where you break them apart. With the spring compressors, load the spring up and then with the 17mm open socket and a allen wrench you want to break loose the strut bolt. I used the air gun so I did not need the allen and open socket. (do yourself a favor and invest on the air tools, very well worth it)




Once you have them all apart, get the front two struts and on the bottom of the strut you should see a nut, this is not needed for the rears.



This is the one that holds the inner shaft in place. Unbolt that, and take the shaft out from the strut housing, and you should find your self with this.



With a rag grab the shaft and then pull (like never before) the stopper. Once both stoppers are out, you want to cut the 1st ring. (READ this why Bump Stops) Once you cut the ring out with a fine piece of sand paper smooth the end out. Once both are done place them back with the small end first...




Place the shaft back with the shorter stops in place and use the 12mm bolt in order to secure the shaft back in the housing.


With the spring compressors, load up the springs and place them accordingly to each strut. Long springs are for the rear and the shorts for the front.



While putting the struts back together, make sure that the spring rubber ring and the spring hat aling correctly. Also the center hole has to look towards the outside of the car, ie. towards the wheels.



Once you finish doing all four, you should end up with this....




Now, revert the process and install back the struts. Make sure that for the fronts, you place the camber bolt on the top hole and with your marks in line.
Also before you tighten the top hats make sure you load the suspension, just lower the car back to normal, then tighten the tophats.
Once you finish admire your work, take some pics if so and go for a spin. Let the springs settle for a week or two and then check if your car needs an alignment.


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If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know.

TRM 03-AUG-2006: added to the How-To catalog sticky

[johnson81]

Wow, thanks for the awesome write-up. It'll come in handy when my Swifts come in in a week or so.

[wdb]

Nice job!

[fourseasonsandles]

I used this thread when I did my install a bit ago.. Good write up!

[flytojungho]

Originally Posted by sebtarta

Get the 19mm tools and break free the lower strut bolts. Make sure to MARK the TOP alignment bolts on the front struts. There is no need to mark the rears.

thanks for the write up but I don't fully understand this part.. can you elaborate?

[EastSTi]

Nice write up....should be doing this in the near future

[sebtarta]

Originally Posted by flytojungho

thanks for the write up but I don't fully understand this part.. can you elaborate?

I guess I should explain my self a little bit better.



On the front struts you have both bolts. The TOP bolt is the important one, as that bolt gives the camber to the car. You are going to see some marks on the bolt and a line on the strut. Mark the bolt where the line of the strut is in order to keep the same alignment you had before.
When you put everything back together, you use the TOP bolt again, place the washer than the nut. Have both marks line up again and tighten the bolt.


If you need any help let me know.

[austinpike]

Originally Posted by flytojungho

thanks for the write up but I don't fully understand this part.. can you elaborate?

If you have never had an alignment, who knows where they are set from the factory. You can either put them back how they were, or just max them out. You should get an alignment at some point after doing the springs anyway.

Since I made this great little picture for another thread... if you look at the head of the camber bolt there is a "10" inscribed on the top, basically that should be pointed at the strut to get max camber. So the center mark would be perpendicular to the strut.

This would be for the left front.

[naaaSTi1]

sebtarta,

strong work on the write up! i have been looking for something as comprehensive as this.

had a couple of question for you though...

1) are those the tanabe gf210 springs that you've installed?

2) those gray pieces at the bottom the springs there, did they come with the new springs or was that something you had to remove from the stock springs and transfer over to the tanabes? if so, what did you use to keep them on there? any sort of adhesive?

thanks in advance.

[sebtarta]

Originally Posted by naaaSTi1

sebtarta,

strong work on the write up! i have been looking for something as comprehensive as this.

had a couple of question for you though...

1) are those the tanabe gf210 springs that you've installed?

2) those gray pieces at the bottom the springs there, did they come with the new springs or was that something you had to remove from the stock springs and transfer over to the tanabes? if so, what did you use to keep them on there? any sort of adhesive?

thanks in advance.

1) Yes those are the Tanabes GF210

2) I took them out from the stock springs, and I did not use any adhesive at all.


Thanx for the words.

[Fast_STi]

Excellent write up! Hopefully will get to use this in the near future.

[TRM]

nice work manj!

[supermarkus]

My version of the shop manual shows the torque on the rear 19mm bolts to be 145 ftlbs. Nice write up.

[609Audio]

just used this to install my springs, nice write-up.


Took a lil longer then expected though

[IUSTi]

how long does this install usually take with 2 people and no air gun?