5.1 Front Suspension Struts

Fig. 5-1 is an exploded view of the front strut assembly. The spring and the upper strut bearing are replaceable separately. If the shock absorber is worn-out or the strut itself is damaged, then the entire strut must be replaced. To maintain even side-to-side shock absorber performance, the struts should always be replaced in pairs.

The entire strut assembly is removed from the car as a unit for disassembly. To disassemble the strut, special tools are required. Most importantly, the coil spring must be compressed with a spring compressor before removing the strut's top nut.

Fig. 5-1.

Front strut assembly showing coil spring, strut bearing and related parts removed.