It's DIY weekend - Need guidance

[AZhitman]

Well, it's been 18 months since I set foot in these hallowed halls, and it's about damn time for me to get some grease under my warranty-clean fingernails (the Japanese kind - I've got plenty of domestic from the Suburban).

This weekend I'll be doing the following, and would LOVE to have some step-by-step guidance from the Masters (tech, DAE, Sope, Heath, others).

Rear shocksSwap 15mm rear bar for 20mmChange out brake fluid (going full syn)Rear brake pads (got OEM's)All 3 beltsCleaning TB and EGR (pcv too?)

I'll also probably do another transmission fluid change (my 2nd one in 18 months) if I make good time on the other jobs (might even let my 11 year-old have a supervised crack at it since it has a drain plug).

Feel free to e-me off board at:

[email protected]

Thanks guys - As always, appreciate your help.

[bryq45]

AZhitman,Im interested in learning more about the rear brakes on my Q too. Learning how to change the belts would be great also...

Bry

[DenverQ]

AZ i have done all that ies pretty simple but time consuming, Ill start working on a word doc and Ill email it to you by friday hows that?

[DAEDALUS]

http://home.socal.rr.com/robverna/rearsusp.htm

Had this one up already. It's VERY abbreviated, but the job itself isn't complicated, just time consuming. I bought a hydraulic shock compressor after doing them once with manual jack-screw compressors--hydraulics are NICE. Job goes by much faster with it.

[PalmerWMD]

Folks:

Submit those to me as articles and I will see to it they get into our future improved article forum.

Fred...

[AZhitman]

Hey Robert - Feel like making a blast out to Phx this weekend?

All the pizza and Corona you can consume... (just bring the hydraulic compressor).

Thanks to you too Tory!

[DAEDALUS]

Ooops, I forgot one VERY important step...I'll update the site when I get home.

You have to be sure to maintain the "clocking" or orientation of the spring cap relative to the strut. Realize that the positions of the mounting points at the top of the strut relative to the mounting point at the bottom of the strut are fixed on the vehicle. But when you disassemble the strut, there is nothing there to maintain that relationship. Use a paint pen or something to place marks on the coil spring before disassembly so that when you assemble the shock you'll know how to align the top cap and the strut flanges. If you miss this step, you'll likely be compressing the spring again to get it right.

Don't think I can make it out there this weekend.

[Tgvince]

Does the 4.5 only have 3 belts? Cause the 4.1 has 4 belts.sure would suck to be short a belt....Terry

[DAEDALUS]

3 belts. The PS pump and fan use the same belt, plus there's the alternator and the compressor. I think the length of 1 belt varies depending on what options the car has.

Site's been updated.

[AZhitman]

Thanks DAE - I might call just to let you know how it's going.

Got all 3 belts from Joe REAL cheap.

[Q451990]

If you haven't done it already I'd get Speedbleeders ! They're the best deal going for flushing break fluid! As far as the sway bar, I've never replaced mine... Shocks were about as described on Daedalus' site. Just make sure you order all of those little bushings, etc. so you'll have them on hand. No point in doing the labor twice.

Daedalus - did you replace the bushings that hold the lower end of the rear shocks into the hub? If so how'd that go - did you have to remove everything and have them pressed in??

Heath

[AZhitman]

Thanks Heath - My mechanic buddy has a bleeder that's similar, so I'll be definitely using that...

Got the TB gasket coming in the mail tomorrow, how about the process for cleaning the EGR and/or PCV?

Also, I seem to remember that whenI swap the rear sway bar I bolt it up with the suspension loaded (car on its wheels). That should be fun - Good thing I'm skinny.

Maybe I'll back her up onto my ramps.

[DAEDALUS]

The other way is to just tighten the nuts down on the rotor and then jack the rotor up until the car just barely clears the stand. This way is a bit dangerous, though--you have to make absolutely certain the lift point is secure. It's easy for the round rotor to slip off the jack. Heath, yes, I replaced those bushings. They were a real pain and the reason I bought a hydraulic press. I just couldn't find anyone to do them for a reasonable price, even if I brought the parts in off the car. Removing the axle/hub assy is the hardest part. I tried to borrow tools from the local stores to do the job, but they were all made for American cars I think. I ended up buying some Craftsman sockets to use as drifts, and that worked well. I took a few pics and will post them later. If you're going to do that bushing, may as well do the others too. The parts are pretty cheap. If you have HICAS then you've got a ball joint back there too in place of 1 bushing.

[DAEDALUS]

I see--what you're really asking is whether or not the bearing/hub has to come off the car. I'll say that I spent a good 4-5 hours trying to remove the bushings while on the car using one of those c-clamp type ball joint tools. Maybe there is a better tool to use, but there was just not enough room to work in the wheel well, and the tool was not robust enough to apply enough force. When I pressed the bushing out using the press, I had the steering knuckle simply supported on a steel breaker bar, and the bar bent at least .3" under the load. I calculated around 8,000 lbs of force required to press the bushing in. Maybe off by 20% for stiffness assumptions and measurement errors, but that's still way too much force for hand tools. I'm still wondering if I maybe have an anomalous part, cause the bushing on the other side didn't take quite that much force, though it was still several thousand pounds.

[Q451990]

Wow! Hopefully my bushings will still be in good condition... I thought you'd need a press for that bushing, but didn't know for sure. How much is a press?

Heath

[DAEDALUS]

Take a close look at the bushing--no need to remove anything. You'll be able to see if it's cracked and whether it gives too much. It's an eccentric bushing (top-favored).I was able to get the press from a local start-up that was selling cheap tools from Asia on Ebay. I posted info previously (see link), though I don't know if they're still around.

http://home.socal.rr.com/robverna/strut ... b....d=342