HOW TO: Protege 5 Strut and Sway Bar install

[pr5owner]

This post is to help you install struts and a sway bar on a protege5 as well as troubleshoot problems with the install. If you run into problems like I did and no replacement parts, it may take you up to 12hrs (seriously, if all your bolts are seized)

Tools you will need

Big ass breaker bar (½” drive)
Sockets 10-21mm (x2)
Metric Hex keys, 6mm is defiantly needed but you should just have a whole set
Lots of wrenches both ¼ and ½” drive
Wire wheel and wire brushes for air drill
Jack stands and preferably a hydraulic jack
Dremel or rotary tool with lots of wire wheels and wire brushes
Utility knife or “exacto” knife
Spring Compressor
At least a full can if liquid wrench
Optional but really useful, compressor with impact gun, air wrench, air drill
Blade screw driver (smaller one)

Step 1: the night before wash your wheel wells and try and get all the dirt out, once dry, soak ALL bolts in your wheel well with liquid wrench

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn34.jpg

Step 2: Jack the front of the car up and place on jack stands, then take your wheels off, this is where the impact gun and hydraulic jack will come in handy

Step 3: Open your hood and mark the orientation of stock struts, there is a white dot that is pointing in a specific location. (if you are looking directly at the strut, or looking at the Tokico logo, the white mark should be on the furthest right corner if you are on a lowered car, if you are running stock springs, when looking at the logo the dot should be closest towards you on the right)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn15.jpg

Step 4: Remove the ABS sensor, if you pull or damage this sensor its going to be $$$ our of your pocket going to the stealership. I think it’s a 12mm to take them off, 1 is the cable guide/mount that connects to the strut itself, the other is closer to your disc. Unbolt the abs sensor and put it somewhere safe out of the way in the wheel well so when you take our your strut you wont pull the cord.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn00m.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn04m.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn06.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn05-1.jpg

Step 5: uncouple your brake line (metal clip) then endlink for the anti sway bar (14mm)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn01m.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn02mm.jpg

[pr5owner]

Step 6: uncouple the strut bolts 17mm

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn03mm.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn08m.jpg

Step 7: uncouple the bolts that hold the strut on the car, for the last bolt, loosen, then hold the strut up with your hand, with your other hand, un-tighten manually with your fingers, 14mm

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn22m.jpg

Step 8: there is a plastic sheet at the top of your strut, keep this plastic washer sheet thing somewhere safe for reinstall later

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn16.jpg

Step 9: compress the spring so that there is a little clearance between the top or bottom of the spring and the strut. Spring compressors are all different, I went to Canadian tire to rent one, they charged me ~$120 for a deposit, but apparently if I give it back to them within 3 days, I get 100% refund so the rental is actually free. The spring compressor uses a 19mm hex to turn the large bolt. When compressing the spring, put 1 on each side and make 5 turns on 1 side, then make 5 turns on the other until the spring is compressed.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn11.jpg

Step 10: take the top bolt off, it’s a 17mm I believe, an impact gun works really good here since the piston turns when you use a wrench. Once loose, remove 1 part at a time, and place them in the floor in order since you will reinstall in reverse order. Parts should be

- Piston Rod Nut
- Mounting rubber
- Bearing
- Upper spring seat
- Upper spring seat rubber
- Coil spring
- Dust Boot
- Bound stopper (the wide part is towards the top, narrow part is towards bottom)
- Lower spring seat rubber
- Shitty factory shock absorber

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn24.jpg

Once everything is apart, wire wheel the shit out of the bolts so you have a mirror like shine, this will make your bolts go on WAY easier, use a little liquid wrench to put them back in if you need too

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn50.jpg

Reinstall the exact way you took it out

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn21.jpg

[pr5owner]

Step 11: reinsert the strut back into your car, MAKE SURE YOU orient it properly, the white dot should go back where it was, I believe its different if you have lowered Vs a stock ride height.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn23.jpg


Step 12: once both sides are done, put your wheels back on and lower the car off the stands, then jack it up again, and lower it once more and listen for any weird sounds,

Step 13: open your trunk and clean everything out of it, for me that was kind of a problem. Had to disconnect my amps, subs, distribution block, bunch of other crap and stuff.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn25.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn26.jpg

Step 14: once cleaned take of the trunk trim off, use a blade screw driver to pop the little fasteners out, make sure you don’t step on them!!!

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn68.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn27.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn29.jpg

Step 15: removing the struts is almost the same as the front, remove in this order

>>ABS Sensor
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn33m.jpg

>>Brake line
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn34m2.jpg

>>Endlink (possibly seized)
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn35m.jpg

>>Main strut bolts (also possibly seized)
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn35m2.jpg

>>Metal Black can thing (held in by 2x14mm nuts)
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn27m.jpg

>>Rubber Boot underneath the metal can thing (no picture sorry)

>>3x strut bolts 14mm

[pr5owner]

NOTE: my main strut bolts were seized, so this is where your breaker bar, impact gun, and a lot of liquid wrench comes in, just impact gun the hell out of it using a 6 sided socket (vs 12) let your compressor recharge, while recharging, use your breaker bar on that thing and try and move it, then impact gun the hell out of it. Eventually the vibration and torque will cause it to loosen. I had to put about 200lbs-250lbs of pressure on the breaker bar before it started moving.

NOTE: If your end links are seized try this, blast the bolt end with air, and scrape off all the crap inside, then put a hex key in, use a wrench to secure it so the key itself wont move, then use a 14mm wrench to turn the bolt. You will have to do this if the endlink bolt spins freely. Also you can try grinding the crap off the bolt before torqueing,
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn38.jpg

NOTE: the Mazda mechanic that put in lowering springs on my car (like 3 years ago) really screwed everything up good, they pinched my alarm trunk wire in TWO different places, this is what you get for trusting idiots with your car. If you think about getting Mazda to do any work, you should think again and do it yourself, that way you know its getting done right.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn32.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn30.jpg

Step 16: Once your strut has been removed, it’s the exact same process as the front strut

- Piston Rod Nut
- Mounting rubber
- Bearing
- Upper spring seat
- Upper spring seat rubber
- Coil spring
- Dust Boot
- Bound stopper (the wide part is towards the top, narrow part is towards bottom)
- Lower spring seat rubber
- Shitty factory shock absorber

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn45.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn48.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn49.jpg
Step 17: install in reverse order

[pr5owner]

TO INSTALL A SWAY BAR (in the above pics I circled both bolts for the endlink, this was preparation for sway bar install)

Step 1: Undo the endlink bolts (if you haven’t already done so)

Step 2: undo carriage Bolts
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn52.jpg

Step 2.5: troubleshooting crossmember bolts,

if the nut inside the cross member magically “unwelds” it will look like this
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn53.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn56.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn57.jpg

The bolt will spin freely and will never come out no matter how fast you spin your impact gun
To separate the bolt you will need a wrench with a shallow 17mm socket, beside the bolt you will see a larger rectangular opening,
Place the wrench with 17mm socket inside (ensure you set your wrench to reverse to loosen), you may not need to hold it there as there is not very much room inside the cross member and the wrench will hit one of the sides, you can now unscrew the bolt, I do not recommend using an impact gun, just use your breaker bar and go slow so the wrench doesn’t pop out.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn52.jpg

Step 2.75: after you get your stuck sway bar out, Compare your crappy stock uncooperative sway bar with your new kick ass bar
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn55.jpg

[pr5owner]

Step 3: lube your bushings, the tube supplied kinda sucks (should have been a syringe), you squeeze the tube, release and all the lube goes back to the bottom, so to make it easier
- Cut the top off for the opening
- Cut a little slit in the bottom
- Push all the lub to the top

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn58.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn59.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn60.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn62.jpg

Step 4: put the bar in place and put the endlinks in the mounts to hold the bar in place, you can also tighten the endlink nut on but only screw it on half way
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn63.jpg

Step 5: screw on the bracket to the cross member, screw on the horizontal bolts first but only finger tight (bolts that are on the vertical side of the cross member)

Step 6 use your jack to compress the bracket and then screw it onto the cross member (my hydraulic jack works better than the stock jack since it has a non slip rubber pad in the middle)

Step 7: lower your car and put your wheels back on, then take it for a spin.

I have a clunk on the passenger side rear, ill figure that one out and post how to fix it. I think its that metal can thing hitting some plastic, ill need to check it out.

[gimpo2]

oh noes, the rust! it burns us!!!

thats a damned good detailed write up

[Black_Protege_5]

Good write up. Why is everything so rusted out though? From the snow?

[khaosman]

Good right up. Why is everything so rusted out though? From the snow?

freakin' Californians :D Yes, snow, and the salt junk that they put on the road to help melt it/get traction.

Good writeup. I think I cross-threaded that carriage bolt that you broke :( Well, I don't really plan on taking the bar off so I guess it is ok.

[red95_240sx]

mmmmmm suspension work is funnnnn (jerkit)

[Brian MP5T]

The location of the paint dots on the front top mounts should be noted during the removal. It is imortant to put it back the same way.

[Sveivo]

Wow. Awesome!

Edit: Is removing interior in the back pretty easy via popping the fasteners?

[pr5owner]

Good write up. Why is everything so rusted out though? From the snow?

salt + gravel + snow + rain

the salt eats away at the paint
the gravel chips and destroys the paint
the snow and rain oxidzes the metal


Wow. Awesome!

Edit: Is removing interior in the back pretty easy via popping the fasteners?

yeah its all fasteners and clips, you either just yank it (makes a horrible sound but nothing breaks) or you undo the fasteners then yank it.


mmmmmm suspension work is funnnnn (jerkit)

yeah but, the dealership wants like $910 to do it not incl cost of parts, $910 can go back into parts now, what can i get for that much... hmmm......

dealer ship says 1.5hrs per strut, $130/hr labor (this is all cdn btw), 1hr for sway bar

1.5 x 4 = 6hrs x $130/hr = $780
1 x $130 = $130

thats $910, the dealer isnt gonna clean your bolts either, they will just fuk everything up like they did last time. im not paying $910 to screw up my car when i can make it better.

[red95_240sx]

In six hours, i could lower 4 or 5 cars. Thats too long. Its also $50 per camber bolt. Thought id throw in that two cents.

[pr5owner]

In six hours, i could lower 4 or 5 cars. Thats too long. Its also $50 per camber bolt. Thought id throw in that two cents.

but if all the rear bolts are seized i doubt it,

also i shinned every bolt to a mirror finish lol

[red95_240sx]

You mean the endlinks? Impact wrench.

[pr5owner]

You mean the endlinks? Impact wrench.

i did, held it there till i emptied 1/4 of the compressor, let it recharge while i tried to torque it with the breaker bar, then hammered it with the wrench again,

anyways, if you have exp, what would be the cause of a clunk on only the rear passenger side?

i noticed there is about 3mm more clearance on the driver side than the passenger side between the sway bar and arm. (i can stick my finger inbetween on the drv side but on the passenger side i cant). would this be the cause?

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn66m.jpg

[mhrebin]

the clunk could be a few things. are your endlinks new or old? old endlinks tend to make noise cause they are worn out. it also could be spring noise depending on what spring you have. could be springs not seated correctly on the strut.

the swaybar and lateral link should move as one unit. double check that all bolts are tightened. also, in the picture im not sure how far it is from the muffler. but the endlink/end of the swaybar look close to the edge of the muffler. maybe its just the picture thats deceiving though. def. check to see if the swaybar hits anything when it would move. if it looks close, theres a good chance it is hitting something.

the infamous clunk usually comes from worn out bushings due to the mounting point of them. Evolv made a clunk fix kit that relocated the bushings outward more. preventing the bar from bending and rotating. which usually causes bushing wear early on. but your bushings appear brand new, so that wouldnt be the case at all.

[niv]

props.....nice write up!

[pr5owner]

i have eibach springs with tokico blues, 22mm progress sway
endlinks are old and beat up, its probably my endlinks, ill order newones just for the hell of it when i get a new rear strut tower bar :D

however the endlinks seemed find when i took them out
ill try and wiggle the spring around but, i know for a fact i installed the spring exacaly how it was positioned originally, i saw the mark it left on the rubber spring seat so i just lined it up again.

the muffler is pretty far away, its just an optical illusion type deal

the bushings are new with the 22mm bar, i lubed the hell out of it too

the clunk sound is a metal on metal sound, there is a metal cap inside the strut assembly, ill wiggle that around too

[mhrebin]

some people have had the metal cup ontop of the dustboot i believe come loose. correct me if im wrong.

if thats the case, try adding a washer on top of the metal cup underneath the strut mount. i doubt it could be that though. ive heard the endlinks being worn out are more of a culprit. ordering new endlinks is a good idea. sstart fresh. surprised you got the old ones off.lol i wasnt having that. so i cut them right off.lol

[pr5owner]

found it!! stupid clunk is gone, it was the metal can, it wasnt being squished enough, so i took the strut out, and just reassembled it so everything so super tight. endlinks are still ok, im thinking they are going to break or something from the stress.

all the bolts come out SO EASY when you wirewheel them to a shine, its awsome!

[mhrebin]

nice. i had a feeling it would be that metal cup. glad to hear its all good now.

i just got my install done last weekend. hp with espelirs. the drop is pretty much where i wanted it to be. but i ran into an issue with my racing beat swaybar and clunk kit. im trying to get that fixed. so right now im riding with no swaybar. feels like i shit my pants and im sliding around in it.lol so bad. cant wait to get the bar back in.

[Kwijebo-=P5=-]

found it!! stupid clunk is gone, it was the metal can, it wasnt being squished enough, so i took the strut out, and just reassembled it so everything so super tight. endlinks are still ok, im thinking they are going to break or something from the stress.

all the bolts come out SO EASY when you wirewheel them to a shine, its awsome!


Great write up, you have really good ideas. Evolv and I actually tried to tackle my suspesion yesterday. But surprise surprise. Endlink bolts are FAcking siezed up tighter than a proffesional welders best job. G-Damn winter.. (notcool)

Talked to the stealership and they said they don't even remove them by bolt anymore, they just cut them off and replace them. And at 40 dollars "cdn" a replacement "pre endlink" ,fuk that! So maybe I can trying polishing the shit out of the nut; thats not a bad idea "Thanks!". I know i liquid wrenched the hell out of it, but all that did was allow us to strip the shit out of the rear endlinks but...

(encourage What can i Say, back at it next monday off, thank goodness we got the rear brakes done, that was a peice of cake in comparison.

[Sveivo]

When you torqued the bolts, did you go by feel or did you torque them to a poundage?

Approximately, how tight should the strut and other bolts be?

[Sveivo]

Quick help needed.

Can someone please give a couple tips on how to take apart the interior in the rear of the P5? I.e. the trunk area.

I know how to take the take out the two fasteners on the bottom. What else is there to it?

[NCZ13]

subbed

[Jgar_msp]

I'm wondering if changing out the ABS wheel sensor myself would be a better way of saving money then taking it to Mazda? My sensor is going bad Can ya help me out? Just wondering if it's complicated and would it require doing anything else or complicated to the vehicle?

[Sveivo]

Quick help needed.

Can someone please give a couple tips on how to take apart the interior in the rear of the P5? I.e. the trunk area.

I know how to take the take out the two fasteners on the bottom. What else is there to it?

Update: this was really easy, even though I didn't know what I was doing. First undo the two fasteners behind the hatch sill, and then it's obvious how stuff comes apart.

[RX729]

I like the nice detailed writeup...

[Protege2886]

TO INSTALL A SWAY BAR (in the above pics I circled both bolts for the endlink, this was preparation for sway bar install)

Step 1: Undo the endlink bolts (if you haven’t already done so)

Step 2: undo carriage Bolts
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn52.jpg

Step 2.5: troubleshooting crossmember bolts,

if the nut inside the cross member magically “unwelds” it will look like this
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn53.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn56.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn57.jpg

The bolt will spin freely and will never come out no matter how fast you spin your impact gun
To separate the bolt you will need a wrench with a shallow 17mm socket, beside the bolt you will see a larger rectangular opening,
Place the wrench with 17mm socket inside (ensure you set your wrench to reverse to loosen), you may not need to hold it there as there is not very much room inside the cross member and the wrench will hit one of the sides, you can now unscrew the bolt, I do not recommend using an impact gun, just use your breaker bar and go slow so the wrench doesn’t pop out.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn52.jpg

Step 2.75: after you get your stuck sway bar out, Compare your crappy stock uncooperative sway bar with your new kick ass bar
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn55.jpg

Man thank you for this write up. I'm definitely at Step 2.5 right now and I'm cussing like a drunk sailor. I need to get this fixed before Auto-X school !

How'd you manage to get the horizontal bolts (in the vertical portion of the crossmember) out? I don't have enough room for my impact gun unless I pick up one of those universal joint adapters and I'm not exactly a big guy so I can't do it with muscle alone.

Thanks again !!!!

[VP222]

Where did you get the swaybar and end-links from. Rear links and swaybar in my Protege5 making awful noise and I want to get it replaced to get rid of all that noise. How much you think it will be to buy rear swaybar bushing and end link. I can install by myself. Thanks and by the way great writeup with all the details.

[dima_rus]

found it!! stupid clunk is gone, it was the metal can, it wasnt being squished enough, so i took the strut out, and just reassembled it so everything so super tight. endlinks are still ok, im thinking they are going to break or something from the stress.

all the bolts come out SO EASY when you wirewheel them to a shine, its awsome!

what do you mean when you say metal can wasn't squished enough?
It seems like I have the same problem, by now I've replaced both struts, end links and strut mounts, but the clunk is still there.

Need that answer asap.
Thanks in advance
Dima

[bighoopty]

sub

[markmdz89hatch]

since someone else brought this back from the dead, I might as well add my .02 as well. I just tried to do my struts/springs yesterday thinking it would only be about 15-20 mins per corner (considering that's all it's usually ever taken me), but given that I don't have air tools and that the damn design of our rear suspension puts the endlink bolting directly to the damn strut, I had to admit defeat and just put it all back together. What kind of piss poor design is that anyway. I mean the geometry is decent, but can't they put a dust boot or some sort of protective something over the endlink ends so that they don't seize rock friggin solid like this. I'm so annoyed that I now have to either just go buy a rear anti-sway bar, or bring the car to someone with some air that can hit them hard and *maybe* break them free.

Awesome write-up too by the way, that's one of the best one's I've seen in a long while.

[meGrimlock]

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/pr5owner/SwayStrut/StrutSwayIn02mm.jpg
Are these endlink nuts reverse threaded? I've been hammering them all day yesterday, even using the double wrench method. They've been sprayed with about half a can worth of pb blaster

[killuminati]

if you can't release them you might have to cut them with the saw or grinder, and be prepared to buy new ones.. ;)

[meGrimlock]

i was planning on replacing the end links and the sway bar bushing at the same time so i've got the parts ready to go except every single nut in this damn car is rusted solid. do you cut the rod in the middle or the ends with the socket/bolt? has anybody tried a nut splitter on these things?