Eibach Install Without Spring Compressor

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.

Wow

GW, now that's a step by step if I have ever seen one. Just one theing you forgot. Pics dude.......lots of pics.

p.s. has the handling inprove for the cash spent?

Tim

good right up goldwing... but your comment about alignment is totally off.

When you lower the geometry of the vehicle, camber, caster and toe will be effected regardless... I've already gone for an alignment... toe was off and it had nothing to do with what bolt(s) were or were not removed. The top plate is grooved with tabs and when it is removed, it goes back in right were it was from the get go. Camber was dead on... toe was what was off.

the steering wheel wasn't crooked and it wasn't pulling either way... the geometry simply changed effecting both sides in the same way... The alignment was a noteworthy improvement which I would recommend be done with either approach. A toe adjustment is dirt cheap.

Stingfish: Yep. I know the toe is off because I measured it before and after. I said as much at the bottom of the post. If I wanted to get silly, I could just adjust it myself to bring it back into line but since it's only off by 1/8" total (1/16" per side), I'm not going to worry about it until I get new tires.

Loose: Yep, the handling definitely improved. Even my girlfriend noticed the improvement and she drives a stock Taurus every day!

In normal driving, the ride is just about the same but you can really feel the progressive spring rate on big bumps (like going over railroad tracks at 50mph )

I included as many pics as I could. Sometimes my hands were just too full! If there's something you're curious about, I can try to answer any questions you have or even take some more pics (if it ever stops raining).

Was it toed in or out? And how did you measure each side independently?

Again, your statement about alignment's not being off enough to worry about it is wrong. A 1/16" diff both sides can make a big difference... and if someone used your write-up when installing say a 2" lowering spring, the alignment would have been off that much more.

FYI - From Tire Rack...
"Additionally the vehicle's toe is one of the most critical alignment settings relative to tire wear. A toe setting that is just a little off its appropriate setting can make a huge difference in their wear. Consider that if the toe setting is just 1/16-inch off of its appropriate setting, each tire on that axle will scrub almost seven feet sideways every mile! Extend it out and you'll discover that rather than running parallel to each other, the front tires will scrub over 1/4-mile sideways during every 100 miles of driving! Incorrect toe will rob you of tire life."

Full article on alignment is here...
Tire Rack's Wheel Alginment Write-Up

stingfish said:

Was it toed in or out? And how did you measure each side independently?

Click to expand...

Out. And I didn't measure each side independently. I measured the whole and divided by two. Since the tie rods ends were not moved and the wheel was straight, any difference would be equal on both sides.

stingfish said:

Again, your statement about alignment's not being off enough to worry about it is wrong. A 1/16" diff both sides can make a big difference... and if someone used your write-up when installing say a 2" lowering spring, the alignment would have been off that much more.

Click to expand...

Well, that's why I said "Eibach Installation" not "lowering spring installation". And it's your opinion that the statement is wrong. I didn't say it's not enough to worry about, I said I'm not going to worry about it.
It doesn't affect my handling (dry or wet), so I'm not concerned. Whether I choose to worry about "excessive tire wear" or not is my decision. Personally, I'd be more than happy to have these crap RSAs wear out faster.

stingfish said:

FYI - From Tire Rack...
"Additionally the vehicle's toe is one of the most critical alignment settings relative to tire wear. A toe setting that is just a little off its appropriate setting can make a huge difference in their wear. Consider that if the toe setting is just 1/16-inch off of its appropriate setting, each tire on that axle will scrub almost seven feet sideways every mile! Extend it out and you'll discover that rather than running parallel to each other, the front tires will scrub over 1/4-mile sideways during every 100 miles of driving! Incorrect toe will rob you of tire life."

Click to expand...

I'm glad you can look up things on the internet. Do you actually have any mechanical experience or are you just one of those "book mechanics"? Like I already said, tire wear is the least of my worries.

I'm not telling anybody that they can't or shouldn't get an alignment, just that it's not necessary if you don't want to and I'm not going to.

If my choice upsets you, tough crap. It's my car.

Goldwing2000 - It is very unlikely that toe was out equally on both sides since the tie rods are of different lengths.

FOR EVERYONE ELSE - If you have no problem with the RSA's, can't afford to hope they wear out faster, autocross or have already spent $200-300 per tire for some 18's or 19's... do yourself a favor and do the opposite of what goldwing2000 did and spend the $25 on an alignment... all you'll need is a front toe adjustment.

Otherwise, his write-up was EXCELLENT.

In normal driving, the ride is just about the same but you can really feel the progressive spring rate on big bumps (like going over railroad tracks at 50mph )

Click to expand...

I'm a bit confused by that statement. I thought the Eibach springs were definitely NOT progressive.

stingfish said:

Goldwing2000 - It is very unlikely that toe was out equally on both sides since the tie rods are of different lengths.

FOR EVERYONE ELSE - If you have no problem with the RSA's, can't afford to hope they wear out faster, autocross or have already spent $200-300 per tire for some 18's or 19's... do yourself a favor and do the opposite of what goldwing2000 did and spend the $25 on an alignment... all you'll need is a front toe adjustment.

Click to expand...

How do you figure the tie rods are different lengths? It's a rack-and-pinion system. Both sides are identical.



Gee... they look pretty similar to me. Here's a clue: if the total toe has changed but the steering wheel is still centered as you drive down the road, then both sides have changed equally.

And riddle me this batman... if all you need is a front toe adjustment, then why is the rear toe not affected? You're doing the same thing to the suspension, right?
Well, I'll just tell you right off that you're wrong (since you enjoy telling me that I'm wrong so much).
Rear toe is also affected. I know. I measured it. It's off by exactly the same amount as the front.
If you're going to do the alignment, do the whole thing and don't half-ass it.
Whoever told you that a "toe-and-go" on the front is all you need was either too lazy to do a four-wheel alignment or didn't know what they were talking about. Or maybe you just didn't want to pay the extra $15. (shrug)

At any rate, if you already have your aftermarket tires or if you notice a degradation in handling, then definitely get the alignment checked. Otherwise, it's not a huge deal.

Just a suggestion here... no offense but maybe you should stop trying to sound like you know what you're talking about.

El Ropo said:

I'm a bit confused by that statement. I thought the Eibach springs were definitely NOT progressive.

Click to expand...

I've heard that they are and I've heard that they aren't. I know that they sure feel like a progressive. According to Eibach's web site:

Eibach engineers are familiar with the balance of optimizing handling while maintaining ride quality. With our extensive research and pioneering of progressive rate performance suspension springs Eibach springs will provide the exceptional handling and precise vehicle responsiveness and stability with minimal effect to the ride quality.

Click to expand...

and

What is the spring rate of the Pro-Kit?
Only simple linear springs have a spring rate. A sophisticated progressive Eibach Pro-Kit spring has a load/deflection characteristic. The special design parameters are only accessable through Eibach Desk-Tech Database to Eibach's exclusive partners

Click to expand...

The link is here is you want to read up:
http://eibach.com/cgi-bin/htmlos.exe/0037.2.6512897732400006499?

Hope that answers your question.

could you post some pics of your car with a before and after shot?

Just a look-see

goldwing2000 said:

Stingfish: Yep. I know the toe is off because I measured it before and after. I said as much at the bottom of the post. If I wanted to get silly, I could just adjust it myself to bring it back into line but since it's only off by 1/8" total (1/16" per side), I'm not going to worry about it until I get new tires.

Loose: Yep, the handling definitely improved. Even my girlfriend noticed the improvement and she drives a stock Taurus every day!

In normal driving, the ride is just about the same but you can really feel the progressive spring rate on big bumps (like going over railroad tracks at 50mph )

I included as many pics as I could. Sometimes my hands were just too full! If there's something you're curious about, I can try to answer any questions you have or even take some more pics (if it ever stops raining).

Click to expand...

Just wanted one or two of the car lowered to see how a low 5DR looks...
Thanx

Tim (dunno)

Good write up....I'd still get an alignment.
And maybe change the subject title, sounds like you are saying that an alignment is not needed.

--Herb--

Loose said:

Just wanted one or two of the car lowered to see how a low 5DR looks...
Thanx

Tim (dunno)

Click to expand...

Oh yeah... I haven't gotten to the "after" pics yet. The weather has been crap and the car is dirty as all hell. I'll wash it and get some pics up for ya.

AzMz3 said:

Good write up....I'd still get an alignment.
And maybe change the subject title, sounds like you are saying that an alignment is not needed.

--Herb--

Click to expand...

Thanks Herb.

I'm not going to get an alignment and I'll tell you why. I actually think it drives better now then it did before I put the springs on. It used to be really twitchy and tend to "hunt" in the road grooves. Now it's almost perfectly planted, even in monsoon rain. (shrug)

I ain't gonna mess with it. I might have my buddy throw it on the machine to have a look but I'm not going to adjust anything.

goldwing2000 said:

Thanks Herb.

I'm not going to get an alignment and I'll tell you why. I actually think it drives better now then it did before I put the springs on. It used to be really twitchy and tend to "hunt" in the road grooves. Now it's almost perfectly planted, even in monsoon rain. (shrug)

I ain't gonna mess with it. I might have my buddy throw it on the machine to have a look but I'm not going to adjust anything.

Click to expand...

Toe out is typically used in rear wheel drive cars... toe in is typically used in front drive cars... at least when we're talking performance driving on a track... your front drive car being 1/16" toe out each side will be 1/8" or more each side when it's driving down the road... not good. You're correct, toe out will make a car more stable, but this is a front drive car so it pushes through the turns if anything... the twitchines is more likely the shocks than your toe adjustment and you've just patched it up with a bad alignment.

If you're just cruising around in your car... choosing not to get an alignment isn't that big of a deal, but if you're goal is to maximize the potential of your suspension (which most of us probably are), choosing not to do so is a big no-no, especially on a car with as much potential as ours.

Get an alignment. I waited 2 weeks to get mine done and totally wore my tires quite excessively. Car drove straight as hell and handled fine but my toe was not even close. It was off by different amounts left and right but this may have been the case prior to the spring install.

Alignment is much cheaper than tires.

goldwing2000 said:

How do you figure the tie rods are different lengths? It's a rack-and-pinion system. Both sides are identical.

Gee... they look pretty similar to me. Here's a clue: if the total toe has changed but the steering wheel is still centered as you drive down the road, then both sides have changed equally.

And riddle me this batman... if all you need is a front toe adjustment, then why is the rear toe not affected? You're doing the same thing to the suspension, right?
Well, I'll just tell you right off that you're wrong (since you enjoy telling me that I'm wrong so much).
Rear toe is also affected. I know. I measured it. It's off by exactly the same amount as the front.
If you're going to do the alignment, do the whole thing and don't half-ass it.
Whoever told you that a "toe-and-go" on the front is all you need was either too lazy to do a four-wheel alignment or didn't know what they were talking about. Or maybe you just didn't want to pay the extra $15. (shrug)

At any rate, if you already have your aftermarket tires or if you notice a degradation in handling, then definitely get the alignment checked. Otherwise, it's not a huge deal.

Just a suggestion here... no offense but maybe you should stop trying to sound like you know what you're talking about.

Click to expand...

One side IS longer (upyours) ...

stingfish said:

the twitchines is more likely the shocks than your toe adjustment and you've just patched it up with a bad alignment.

Click to expand...

Bad shocks (they're actually struts) on a brand new car???

Ummm... ok. (scratch) (boom03)

stingfish said:

One side IS longer (upyours) ...

Click to expand...

Nice... (boom07)