Spring Install Help

[JerseyTuscani]

alright so who is up to installing some springs on the Tib? Honestly i'm not sure how to do it, and i got a box of Skunk2 springs sitting waiting to be put on. I'll provide the beer and lunch.

[eviltalon]

Well, this is going to be really time conuming so if i were you i'd set aside an entire day to do this install.

I found this DIY on a tiburon site.......Good luck bud

Tools needed: jack and jack stands,17mm deep socket, 10mm &14mm sockets or you can use long handle 6pt wrenches. Might be a couple other sizes also but 17mm is largest. A 6 inch extension and swivel joint will come in handy for top rear strut bolts.
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1. Go to auto zone or the like and borrow spring compressor. (small deposit like $50 you get it back). You want the outside mounted type.
2. Loosen lugs.
3. Jack your car up (front or back first) using the tow hook and put jack stands under. We'll do front first.
4. Take a wheel off and spray the 2 large bolts and nuts on the bottom of the strut with some WD40




While that sits for a bit remove the two small nuts on the strut assembly that hold on the brake lines ( ones on the side and one on the back area) Disconnect the sway bar end link (it's one nut/bolt thats on the strut housing) Now remove the 2 large nuts, the bolts you might need to tap out with a mallet.
5. Now this is optional, place your jack under the edge of the rotor so when you take off top strut bolts it doesn't fall off and hit / break anything.
6. Go to top of tower inside engine bay area (under the rubber cap) and loosen the large center nut at the top of the strut. (don't remove it just loosen it)
7. Now remove the three small nuts(mark one with white out so when reinstalling you can position correctly) and your strut will be able to fall down and out. Lower the jack if you used it and guide out the strut.
8. Put your spring compressors on and tighten them down some ( doesn't have to be super compressed, just enough) now you can fully remove that top center nut and remove the top cover and pull off the spring. Take note of where the ends of the spring are so you can position them the same on the new struts.
9. Take off the rubber mat on the old strut and place it on the new strut, you will also be transfering the bump stop and dust tube. I also used the OEM center nut instead of the one that came with the KYB's.
10. Now take the compressors off the old springs and compress the new springs. Position the new springs onto the new struts as mentioned above and attach the upper plate(torque it down after it's in place).
11. Swivel the top plate so that the marked (white out) bolt is in the same postion as when you started and guide it up into place. You can use the jack again to hold it in place while you put the 3 small nuts back on. Then after you do that you can put back on the 2 large nuts/bolts and the 2 bolts that hold the brake lines in place. Now you can torque down that center bolt. Reattach your sway bar end link.
12. Now you can do the other front strut.
13. The rear struts are the same except for a couple small things. To get to the rear strut tower all you need to do is unscrew the plastic piece that the cargo net attaches to, pop off the single screw cover that faces the back and remove that one screw, then remove the cover. The top of the strut is under the plastic cover in the hatch area. Extend fully your seat belts and then tie them in a knot so that they don't retract and then you won't have to deal with them getting stuck. The extension rod and swivel head will make it much easier to get to the 3 small nuts at the top of the rear struts. Also, either disconnect your negative battery cable or be sure not to touch the hatch area light inside the drivers side rear strut or you'll pop that fuse. The only other thing is there's a clip that holds one of the lines onto the strut housing on the rear struts. You just take a flat head screw driver and remove the clip, the KYB's have the same thing but you will reuse the clip itself.

More pics from HMA site.






Pic of spring compressors I used from Kragen. It was like a $50 deposit and free if used less than two days.