3 steps to replacing car shock absorbers

Have you noticed something wrong with your car? Perhaps it is getting too hard into portholes? Well, you may have to check your shocks.

They are the very important to the performance of a car. If they fail, you will not be able to enjoy the smooth ride you are looking for. When they have a problem, potholes, even just small ones become more real. You cannot ignore them.

You can replace worn out shocks yourself. All you need is some know-how and where to begin. You will also need some time.

Step 1: The basics

The first step is to make sure you need new shocks. It will not make sense changing shocks that are still in perfect condition. Perhaps you have noticed difficulty when going over potholes ad bumps. That is one indication that you need to do something.

Then understand the types of shocks your car needs. There are two major types: stand-alone that attaches to the suspension and the shock-absorber units integrated into a suspension strut.

You can then buy new absorber. Talk to someone who knows. You can get the best quality shock absorber on boodmo.com/.

Sometimes upgrading the absorbers is more functional. Instead of using the old ones, consider getting a better version of the ones your car is using. Categories of shocks include:

• coil shocks
• Twin-tube shocks
• Monotube shocks
• Reservoir shocks

Now that you have the right shocks, it is time to continue. Jack your vehicle in the right locations. Ensure the car is parked on a level ground. Shocks can be fixed/extracted from the engine bay.

Check the mounting holding the shocks is place and spray with a metal cleaner. Some of them may be too old making it hard to remove.

Step 2: Remove the old shocks

Start by removing the bolts from the shock towers. Many car have top bolts starting from the bottom of the trunk. In such cases, you will have to lift the lining. Then remove the bolts with the ratchet and socket. Turn the bolts anti-clockwise and grease them slowly.

Then use a socket set to disconnect the shock from the suspension. You can also use a nut splitter. Some assemblies may require you to disengage the knuckle at the top of brake assembly. Consider what is indicated in your owner’s manual to be sure.

Now remove the shock absorbers, from the bottom to the top bolts. Brace yourself for some task if the shocks are mounted on studs with retaining brackets. Everything can be rusty after a long time of use. Keep wiggling it and it will eventually come off.

This process can be surprisingly difficult. Sometimes the piston rod may keep rotating as you try to loosen the nut. Consider using pliers to hold the other end. You will need to use a hammer on one end of your wrench to loosen it.

Step 3: Install new shocks

You should be having the new shocks on standby ready to install. Now that you have everything ready and the vehicle is free from the old ones, it is time to give your car new look.

This step requires a lot of attention. Every part must be fixed in the right position; otherwise you will end up with a wrong connection.

• Start by fitting the shock back into the suspension. If need be, apply some pressure until the shock is constricted. That is, if it fails to fall into place. The components can be quite heavy, have someone to help you lift them. They can hold the suspension as you reinstall the bolts in the correct position. Then tighten the bolts to make sure the shocks are well held in place.
• Perhaps you removed he anti-roll bar earlier. This is the time to reattach it and tighten it back with the bolts. Now it is time to replace the shock tower nuts. You might have kept them in the trunk of the car and now it is a good time to replace them.
• Check that everything is correctly fixed. Do not just release the jack at once and get back into the car. It is always good to double-check if everything is in order. Use the service manual. After this, you can now tighten everything down.
• Replace the other shocks following the same procedure. This is if the other shocks also demand replacement. In most cases, it is advisable to change the shocks at the same time even though they wear differently. This is because you need shocks that work harmoniously. All new shocks will work for longer and give you better performance.

Conclusion

As you can see, changing shock absorbers don’t require much of a hassle. You don’t need to pay a mechanic to do it for you as you can handle it yourself. Just make sure you follow instructions to the latter.