goldwing2000
Turd in the punch bowl
- :
- 2004 Mazda3s Hatch; 269,000 miles
Eibach Install w/o Spring Compressor; Align Optional
Mazda3 Spring Install
DISCLAIMER: This procedure WILL NOT work on all vehicles. I know it will work on a Mazda3 and a Protg but thats it. I aint responsible if you hurt yourself. If you have any questions or concerns, PM or e-mail me and I will answer to the best of my ability.
Ok, this is going to require a little more than your basic hand tools but not by much. If you are very familiar with tools and mechanical procedures, this should only take you a couple hours. If youre not at all mechanically inclined, it may take you the better part of a day. You might want to think about paying somebody else to do it.
One step in particular will require some brute force but a person of average strength should be able to accomplish it. Ill let you know when we get to that step.
Also, something you can do to make sure you have tightened all the bolts: When the bolt is tight and you know it is tight, put a paint mark on it. You can use a paint pen or fingernail polish or something like that.
Items Needed:
Your aftermarket springs
Floor Jack
At least one set of Jack Stands (preferably two)
Lug Wrench
Medium-Sized flat blade screwdriver
drive ratchet with:
. 17mm deep socket
. 17mm shallow socket
. 13mm socket
14mm box end wrench
4mm Allen (hex) wrench
Channel Lock pliers (NOT vise grips!)
8-10 inch piece of 2x4 wood
One piece of rubber about 4square, about 1/8 thick (I used an old truck inner tube)
Two steel hose clamps (band style, minimum 2 )
Some sort of penetrating lubricant spray
A friend (helpful but not required)
The first step, as always, is to park the vehicle on a flat, level surface and set the parking brake. If you dont have a flat, level surface then you should just quit now because theres too much of a chance of you hurting yourself.
If you have four jack stands, raise the vehicle and set it on the four stands, getting it at least 12-15 off the ground (see picture 6). If you only have two, pick which end you want to work on first. I chose the front so if I ran out of time and couldnt finish, it would look like a funny car instead of a baby with a loaded diaper (think about it).
Front Spring Removal
Make sure the steering wheel is perfectly straight and remove the key to lock it in place.
Raise the hood and remove all the wheels that you have in the air.
Remove the ABS sensor plug (if you have one) from the spindle (pic1)
Pop the ABS wire out of the bracket on the strut (pic2)
Slide the clip that holds the brake line to the strut tower off and push the brake line down and out of the bracket (pic3)
Remove the 14mm nut that holds the sway bar link the strut assembly. Mine came off easy but you may need the 4mm allen wrench to hold the center while you turn the nut. The spray lubricant helps ease disassembly (pic5)
Remove the bolt that holds your driveshaft into the spindle. I used an air gun but its not a huge bolt and can be removed with a large ratchet. Stick your lug wrench in between your wheel studs to keep the hub from spinning. Pay attention to how much force it required to get it off so you can apply the same amount of force when tightening (pic4)
Place the piece of wood on top of the jack and then under the ball joint on the end of the control arm and raise it up about an inch (pic6)
Put the ratchet and deep 17mm socket on the nut at the top of the strut rod
Lift the strut boot up to expose the strut rod. Wrap the piece of rubber around the strut rod and gently grab the rod with the channel lock pliers (pic7)
Remove the top nut, applying only enough pressure to the pliers to keep the rod from spinning. If you use too much pressure on the pliers, you may break through the rubber padding and score the strut rod
Raise the control arm up as high as you can without lifting the car off the jack stands but still low enough to where you have access to the bottom three coils of the spring.
Place the two hose clamps around the second and third coils of the spring and snug them up just enough to take up the slack. They only have to hold a little pressure (pic8)
Completely lower the jack and pull it out from under the control arm. The spring should now freely rotate and be completely loose.
Ok, this is the brute force step. Reach through the spring coils, grab the strut rod and push it back inside the strut. The struts are charged with an inert gas that pushes the rod back out, so you will have to be quick on the next part.
Once you have the strut rod completely compressed, then you can lift the spring up; pull the strut/hub assembly outward toward your body and under the bottom coil of the spring. The driveshaft will probably pop out during this step but thats why we took out the bolt. Better to have the outside pop than the inside.
VOILA! Your spring is now out and you didnt have to loosen any parts that affect your alignment and you didnt even have to pick up a hammer!
Installation
Look up inside your wheel well and look for the little tab on the plastic spring seat above the strut boot. Pay attention to its existence for now. Well worry about the location later
Push the hub assembly back towards the car and line up the driveshaft splines
Take your new spring and slide it up over the strut boot.
Re-compress the strut rod and slide it in under the new spring (the Eibach is about 2-3 inches shorter, so it goes in much easier).
As the strut rod extends, make sure it goes through the hole in the isolation bumper inside the boot.
You will also have to guide the drive shaft back into position at this point. Just kind of wiggle it to help it into place. If you have to force it, then something is wrong. Take your time and try again.
Place the jack and piece of wood back under the control arm. Making sure that the strut rod is centered in the hole, raise the jack until the top of the spring just touches the upper spring seat.
Rotate the spring until there is a to gap between the end of the spring and the vertical spring stop. This will keep it from rattling. (pic10)
Remember that little tab? Rotate the spring seat until the tab is pointed at 180 from the wheel. (pic9)
It should be basically be pointed at the opposite side of the car. Its impossible to see where it is pointing, so you have to go by feel.
Continue raising the jack until the threads come through the top hole, guiding the rod as necessary.
When the threads are fully through the hole, re-install the nut, holding the rod with the pliers and rubber pad.
Slide the boot back over the base of the strut (pic11)
Reinstall the driveshaft bolt and tighten.
Reinstall the sway bar link and bracket
Reinstall the ABS wire
Reinstall the brake line
Reinstall the wheel
Repeat procedure for other side.
Rear Spring Removal/installation (no pics because it's so quick and easy)
Raise car/remove wheels as outlined above (if not already done).
Remove sway bar links from lower control arms. The bolts are the same type as for the front links. Use the allen wrench if necessary
Rotate the sway bar down and to the front of the car as far as it'll go
Put jack under control arm and raise it about
Remove 17mm bolt holding control arm to spindle.
Lower the control arm SLOWLY until the jack is all the way down. If the spring does not fall out directly, use your foot to push down the control arm and then pull out the spring.
Transfer rubber isolator from old spring to new spring
Put the new spring into position.
Jack the control arm up until it is aligned with the spindle bushing, insert the 17mm bolt and snug it up but dont tighten it yet.
Repeat for other side
Reinstall sway bar links and tighten firmly
Reinstall wheels and remove vehicle from jack stands.
Roll vehicle back and forth about 20-30 feet (drive it if you have to) and bounce it up and down a couple times.
Crawl under the car and finish tightening the control arm bolts. I tightened them to 100Nm but if you dont have a torque wrench, just put a good oomph into it.
Recheck all your bolts (did you use the paint mark method?)
Take it for a SLOW, short test-drive and listen for rattles.
Recheck all your bolts
Lowering the car does alter the geometry a little bit but not really enough to worry about. My front and rear toe increased by about 1/8" and the rear camber went *slightly* more negative. I'm not going to worry about an alignment until I'm ready for new tires.
Mazda3 Spring Install
DISCLAIMER: This procedure WILL NOT work on all vehicles. I know it will work on a Mazda3 and a Protg but thats it. I aint responsible if you hurt yourself. If you have any questions or concerns, PM or e-mail me and I will answer to the best of my ability.
Ok, this is going to require a little more than your basic hand tools but not by much. If you are very familiar with tools and mechanical procedures, this should only take you a couple hours. If youre not at all mechanically inclined, it may take you the better part of a day. You might want to think about paying somebody else to do it.
One step in particular will require some brute force but a person of average strength should be able to accomplish it. Ill let you know when we get to that step.
Also, something you can do to make sure you have tightened all the bolts: When the bolt is tight and you know it is tight, put a paint mark on it. You can use a paint pen or fingernail polish or something like that.
Items Needed:
Your aftermarket springs
Floor Jack
At least one set of Jack Stands (preferably two)
Lug Wrench
Medium-Sized flat blade screwdriver
drive ratchet with:
. 17mm deep socket
. 17mm shallow socket
. 13mm socket
14mm box end wrench
4mm Allen (hex) wrench
Channel Lock pliers (NOT vise grips!)
8-10 inch piece of 2x4 wood
One piece of rubber about 4square, about 1/8 thick (I used an old truck inner tube)
Two steel hose clamps (band style, minimum 2 )
Some sort of penetrating lubricant spray
A friend (helpful but not required)
The first step, as always, is to park the vehicle on a flat, level surface and set the parking brake. If you dont have a flat, level surface then you should just quit now because theres too much of a chance of you hurting yourself.
If you have four jack stands, raise the vehicle and set it on the four stands, getting it at least 12-15 off the ground (see picture 6). If you only have two, pick which end you want to work on first. I chose the front so if I ran out of time and couldnt finish, it would look like a funny car instead of a baby with a loaded diaper (think about it).
Front Spring Removal
Make sure the steering wheel is perfectly straight and remove the key to lock it in place.
Raise the hood and remove all the wheels that you have in the air.
Remove the ABS sensor plug (if you have one) from the spindle (pic1)
Pop the ABS wire out of the bracket on the strut (pic2)
Slide the clip that holds the brake line to the strut tower off and push the brake line down and out of the bracket (pic3)
Remove the 14mm nut that holds the sway bar link the strut assembly. Mine came off easy but you may need the 4mm allen wrench to hold the center while you turn the nut. The spray lubricant helps ease disassembly (pic5)
Remove the bolt that holds your driveshaft into the spindle. I used an air gun but its not a huge bolt and can be removed with a large ratchet. Stick your lug wrench in between your wheel studs to keep the hub from spinning. Pay attention to how much force it required to get it off so you can apply the same amount of force when tightening (pic4)
Place the piece of wood on top of the jack and then under the ball joint on the end of the control arm and raise it up about an inch (pic6)
Put the ratchet and deep 17mm socket on the nut at the top of the strut rod
Lift the strut boot up to expose the strut rod. Wrap the piece of rubber around the strut rod and gently grab the rod with the channel lock pliers (pic7)
Remove the top nut, applying only enough pressure to the pliers to keep the rod from spinning. If you use too much pressure on the pliers, you may break through the rubber padding and score the strut rod
Raise the control arm up as high as you can without lifting the car off the jack stands but still low enough to where you have access to the bottom three coils of the spring.
Place the two hose clamps around the second and third coils of the spring and snug them up just enough to take up the slack. They only have to hold a little pressure (pic8)
Completely lower the jack and pull it out from under the control arm. The spring should now freely rotate and be completely loose.
Ok, this is the brute force step. Reach through the spring coils, grab the strut rod and push it back inside the strut. The struts are charged with an inert gas that pushes the rod back out, so you will have to be quick on the next part.
Once you have the strut rod completely compressed, then you can lift the spring up; pull the strut/hub assembly outward toward your body and under the bottom coil of the spring. The driveshaft will probably pop out during this step but thats why we took out the bolt. Better to have the outside pop than the inside.
VOILA! Your spring is now out and you didnt have to loosen any parts that affect your alignment and you didnt even have to pick up a hammer!
Installation
Look up inside your wheel well and look for the little tab on the plastic spring seat above the strut boot. Pay attention to its existence for now. Well worry about the location later
Push the hub assembly back towards the car and line up the driveshaft splines
Take your new spring and slide it up over the strut boot.
Re-compress the strut rod and slide it in under the new spring (the Eibach is about 2-3 inches shorter, so it goes in much easier).
As the strut rod extends, make sure it goes through the hole in the isolation bumper inside the boot.
You will also have to guide the drive shaft back into position at this point. Just kind of wiggle it to help it into place. If you have to force it, then something is wrong. Take your time and try again.
Place the jack and piece of wood back under the control arm. Making sure that the strut rod is centered in the hole, raise the jack until the top of the spring just touches the upper spring seat.
Rotate the spring until there is a to gap between the end of the spring and the vertical spring stop. This will keep it from rattling. (pic10)
Remember that little tab? Rotate the spring seat until the tab is pointed at 180 from the wheel. (pic9)
It should be basically be pointed at the opposite side of the car. Its impossible to see where it is pointing, so you have to go by feel.
Continue raising the jack until the threads come through the top hole, guiding the rod as necessary.
When the threads are fully through the hole, re-install the nut, holding the rod with the pliers and rubber pad.
Slide the boot back over the base of the strut (pic11)
Reinstall the driveshaft bolt and tighten.
Reinstall the sway bar link and bracket
Reinstall the ABS wire
Reinstall the brake line
Reinstall the wheel
Repeat procedure for other side.
Rear Spring Removal/installation (no pics because it's so quick and easy)
Raise car/remove wheels as outlined above (if not already done).
Remove sway bar links from lower control arms. The bolts are the same type as for the front links. Use the allen wrench if necessary
Rotate the sway bar down and to the front of the car as far as it'll go
Put jack under control arm and raise it about
Remove 17mm bolt holding control arm to spindle.
Lower the control arm SLOWLY until the jack is all the way down. If the spring does not fall out directly, use your foot to push down the control arm and then pull out the spring.
Transfer rubber isolator from old spring to new spring
Put the new spring into position.
Jack the control arm up until it is aligned with the spindle bushing, insert the 17mm bolt and snug it up but dont tighten it yet.
Repeat for other side
Reinstall sway bar links and tighten firmly
Reinstall wheels and remove vehicle from jack stands.
Roll vehicle back and forth about 20-30 feet (drive it if you have to) and bounce it up and down a couple times.
Crawl under the car and finish tightening the control arm bolts. I tightened them to 100Nm but if you dont have a torque wrench, just put a good oomph into it.
Recheck all your bolts (did you use the paint mark method?)
Take it for a SLOW, short test-drive and listen for rattles.
Recheck all your bolts
Lowering the car does alter the geometry a little bit but not really enough to worry about. My front and rear toe increased by about 1/8" and the rear camber went *slightly* more negative. I'm not going to worry about an alignment until I'm ready for new tires.
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