can i change my car's shocks by my self?

Question

i know i need to change my veichle's shocks and it costs alot,,,,,i change my engine oil and transmission oil by my self!! and some other stuff too,,, i wana do shocks too,,,plz tel me the detail in an easy way???

Answer 1

It depends on the car you have. Most cars such as Honda or Toyota have struts not shocks. If so you would have to have spring compressors which are very dangerous if you have never done it before. Find out if you have struts and if so I would let someone else do it.

Answer 2

If you have just normal shocks they are easy, 2 or 3 bolts. Most cars use struts at least in the front they are some what harder. To replace a strut you will need a spring compressor and after you are done you may need an alignment because the strut is part of the support system for the wheel ether way they aren't real hard to replace as long as you can compress the spring. The top bolt on a strut is some times under a cover in the engine compartment at the top of the strut tower ( a dome on each side of the car just below the hood ) and usually there are 2 large bolts holding the strut to the spindle. When you replace a strut look at the strut mount on some cars they are mounted in a rubber support that may be deteriorated and need to be replaced as well.
I could have given you more details if I knew what kind of car you had.

Answer 3

Sure you can change them yourself. What kind of car is it? If you can unthread a bolt, you should be able to change shocks. If your car has struts, though, you may need some tools to keep you from dying. (spring compressor tool is the first that "springs" to mind) Also, don't forget that if you disconnect the suspension, there's a chance you might need to have an allignment done afterward. Even the most careful measuring and marking can still require a computerized alignment to be sure you don't destroy a set of tires.

As always, also be sure to support the components you're disconnecting from the suspension as well. I made the error once of not supporting an axle on an older Firebird, and strangely enough gravity made that axle fall straight down toward my head when I disconnected the shock! It's a good thing the wheel was still on, becuase i'd have been squished for sure. (the sway bar end links were, unbeknownst to me, broken. If they hadn't been, I would have been okay and the axle would have stayed up.)

Good luck with this. If you have any doubt at all in your abilities, I'd recommend taking your car to a licensed, certified technician to have it worked on. It may cost you money, but you'll avoid having a spring pop out and decapitate you, or having an axle fall down and crush your skull.

Answer 4

Sure I don't see why you couldn't. Get a repair manual and read up before you do the job. For the most part they are pretty basic. You might need a strut compressor. But other than that if you have the tools to change your oil then you should have the tools to do this. Good Luck.
Try going to Advance Auto Parts.com and check out the how to clinics. They wont show you everything but they will give you a basic idea of how to change shocks and struts.

Answer 5

Probably NOT.

Most cars nowadays don't use shocks, but actually struts (McPherson struts, to be precise), which requires special compression tools to compress the springs outside, THEN you can remove it after loosening the various bolts and have the car jacked up so the springs are decompressed (more travel room).

I *think* you can rent the tools from Kragen Auto Parts nowadays, but you'll need one of those maintainence manuals with diagrams. It's not something easily described here.

Answer 6

pass away her. as quickly as a cheater continually a cheater. she will do it lower back. If she wasn't sorry adequate to provide up after the 1st time you caught her and you have been actual there, she's no longer likely to think of something of doing it once you're 9 hours away. shop your self

Answer 7

Pay $20 for Chiltons repair manual for your car and read it.
Then decide for yourself.