PDA

View Full Version : Changing springs... and WTF !?! HELP!? HELP A NOOB OUT MAN!



humpmasterflex
05-17-2008, 04:40 PM
Ok, let me just say this.... I bought some tein S techs and I want to put em on. I never had experience doing some sh1t like this, but it seemed pretty straight forward, so I went ahead and tried.

So ok, I jack up my front driver side and take off the wheel. The I pop my hood and unscrew the blot, then I go back down to the knuckle: http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/auto/jsp/mws/prddisplay.jsp?inputstate=5&catcgry1=CIVIC&catcgry2=2003&catcgry3=3DR+SI&catcgry4=KA5MT&catcgry5=KNUCKLE

And I unscrew the two bolts that hold the shock and the knuckle together. So I take out the old spring and put the new one on the shock, and I try to bolt the shock back to the knuckle... and here is where the problem lies.

I cannot make the upper hole of the knuckle align with the upper hole of the shock. The whole rotor and knuckle are slumped forward on the axle, and I cannot seem to lean the rotor and knuckle back to it's position in order for me to bolt the knuckle to the damn shock! What the hell is wrong????

Here is the pics showing how its leaning forward... and I cannot lean it back for sh1t!!!!
http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r198/humpmasterflex/rotor2.jpg
http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r198/humpmasterflex/rotor3.jpg

WHY WON"T IT LEAN BACK???!!?!? IS IT THE AXLE OR SOMETHING!? HELP A NOOB OUT PLEAZE!

BlkDeathSi
05-17-2008, 04:45 PM
The axle came out . . . it happens alllllllllll the time, just try to wiggle it back in to place, hopefully it did not rotate too much when it fell out, that makes it a little more difficult to find the sweet spot.

Deadphishy
05-17-2008, 05:12 PM
Use the jack stands to hold up the car, and use the jack to lift the arm back into place, after you make sure the axle is in right. Next time tie the arm to something with safty wire so it doesn't drop as far popping the axle out, or place a jackstand under it.

humpmasterflex
05-17-2008, 07:32 PM
Yea I finally finished the front.... WTF... that axle is such a SOB! It's 10:30 at night and I just finished the front... I'll do the rear tomorrow, and hopefully it's going to be a hella easier than the front!

v1c10us
05-17-2008, 09:28 PM
the rear is much easier, no axles to worry about, and wishbones are piss easy to fuck with.
you undo like 2 bolts at the bottom and you can just drop the whole thing.

lazeebeast35
05-18-2008, 03:19 AM
yeah i ran into the same problem when i did it. axle popped out and sat there spinning the rotor for a good 10 min till i aligned right and popped back in. The rear is easy as hell. Shouldn't take too long.

mustclime
05-18-2008, 08:04 AM
the rear is much easier, no axles to worry about, and wishbones are piss easy to fuck with.
you undo like 2 bolts at the bottom and you can just drop the whole thing.

unless you have frozen bolts in the rear.....:yield:

liquid cooled
05-18-2008, 09:07 AM
PB blast the rears while your working on the front. We popped out the axle on the passenger side, but popped it back in in about 30 seconds. Were just that good I guess. I guess it helps when youve got two guys doing it as well.

talonXracer
05-18-2008, 09:32 AM
Sometimes you just get lucky getting the CV back together, but sometimes they just want to f@ck with you for hours, just out of spite! LOL

It does help greatly to have two people, one to apply inward pressure and the other to get the tripod lined back up.

I always have a real bitch of a time on any rear lower strut bolts, unless they have been taken out before and anti-sieze used.

player757
05-18-2008, 10:07 AM
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q183/player757/thepitcrew.jpg

been there done that it sucks happens to all of us

ohdamngetit
05-18-2008, 10:13 AM
Happened to me when I was changing the fronts out. Both axles popped out. I learned the hard way, good thing I had alot of friends there to help me out :smile:

renovator
05-19-2008, 08:46 AM
lol, tell me about it. my car sat like this for a week.

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll135/renovatorEP3/dsc0983ln3.jpg

Tnhatch03
05-19-2008, 08:49 AM
^ lol.

good luck man!

try using a jack if you can not get someone to help.

Chad
05-19-2008, 09:00 AM
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q183/player757/thepitcrew.jpg

been there done that it sucks happens to all of us

That's about the time the effing halogen light bulb burns out :mrolleyes:

RedSiBaron
05-19-2008, 09:19 AM
unless you have frozen bolts in the rear.....:yield:

+1 thats what i was going to say, if you have a frozen bolt on the bottom of the shock you are more than likely going to be screwed and have to cut through the shock to get the bolt out...or cut the bolt...

if it is frozen get an ephatcher who has dealt with this before to help you...it will save you a lot of time...


PB blast the rears while your working on the front. We popped out the axle on the passenger side, but popped it back in in about 30 seconds. Were just that good I guess. I guess it helps when youve got two guys doing it as well.

in my experience pb blaster didnt make a bit of a difference actually penetrating the metal sleeve in the bushing in the bottom of the shock...if you cant get the bolt to unbind cutting is your best option, along with dropping the trailing arm to make it easier to grind off(takes an extra 5minutes)...the issue is that stupid rubber bushing flexes and takes up all the torque you apply to the seized bolt
...but still, USE PB BLASTER it might just work


to the op, when you get it back together USE LOTS OF ANTISEIZE ON YOUR BOLTS!!!!!!

Danman281
05-19-2008, 02:18 PM
I forgot all about that. makes me not want to install coilovers all over again haha
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v418/danman281/Dannys%20Civic%20EP3/tiredofthisshiet.jpg
my cousin
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v418/danman281/Dannys%20Civic%20EP3/cancancans.jpg
thank god for caffeine
Started in the afternoon... finished in the morning

PaTTi2103a
05-19-2008, 06:21 PM
i just lowered my yesterday but i didnt run in too that :mbiggrin:

dichotomous
05-31-2008, 04:48 AM
last night we found a good and quick reason and solution for the popped axel..... the knuckle spider has three little balls spring loaded to push out, and when it pops out, they spring outwards to their limits and are too wide to fit inside. the solution is really easy, grip around where you feel them on the knuckle, push in, push, and thunk, it slides right in, 1minute, boom, done. dont bother turning and lining it up, that takes luck, just squeeze the spider bearings in where they have popped out, thats what prevents it from going back in.....

now we just gotta get the rear lower shock bolts off, which doesnt sound fun

talonXracer
05-31-2008, 04:51 AM
last night we found a good and quick reason and solution for the popped axel..... the knuckle spider has three little balls spring loaded to push out, and when it pops out, they spring outwards to their limits and are too wide to fit inside. the solution is really easy, grip around where you feel them on the knuckle, push in, push, and thunk, it slides right in, 1minute, boom, done. dont bother turning and lining it up, that takes luck, just squeeze the spider bearings in where they have popped out, thats what prevents it from going back in.....

now we just gotta get the rear lower shock bolts off, which doesnt sound fun


The rear lower bolts are a true BITCH, Most bolts that have never been removed after they left the factory will need alot of heat and a large capacity impact gun, or they need to be cut out.

dichotomous
05-31-2008, 05:20 AM
The rear lower bolts are a true BITCH, Most bolts that have never been removed after they left the factory will need alot of heat and a large capacity impact gun, or they need to be cut out.

can I just cut off the welded nut and replace it with a regular nut? if so the cutting torch is coming out for the shock, and the cutting wheel for the welded nut

talonXracer
05-31-2008, 05:36 AM
can I just cut off the welded nut and replace it with a regular nut? if so the cutting torch is coming out for the shock, and the cutting wheel for the welded nut

I assure you the nut is just fine, the bolt has rusted and siezed to the inside metal portion of the rubber bushing.

When a impact gun is used the bolt comes free of the nut, but with the bolt siezed to the inside metal bushing the rubber acts as a shock absorber and negates the impact of the gun, if you try the bolt by hand(with a breaker bar) it will move slightly, but the rubber bushing tries to rotate as well and it wont. Heat will break the siezure in most cases.

There is very little room to try cutting it out, and watch the torch on the drivers side as the plastic fuel tank is very close.

jjr007
05-31-2008, 05:36 AM
can I just cut off the welded nut and replace it with a regular nut? if so the cutting torch is coming out for the shock, and the cutting wheel for the welded nut

The biggest problem is the shock sleeve, the bolt gets rusted solid to it.
I put Koni shocks on the rear of mine about 3 months after I got the car brand new, and didn't have any problem getting them out. I just wish that I had put some antiseize lubricant on the bolts before I put them back together again.
The best scenario is where your stock struts are blown and you can just cut or torch them out, not an option for my Konis, unfortunately. :mfrown:

dichotomous
05-31-2008, 06:11 AM
The biggest problem is the shock sleeve, the bolt gets rusted solid to it.
I put Koni shocks on the rear of mine about 3 months after I got the car brand new, and didn't have any problem getting them out. I just wish that I had put some antiseize lubricant on the bolts before I put them back together again.
The best scenario is where your stock struts are blown and you can just cut or torch them out, not an option for my Konis, unfortunately. :mfrown:

yeah these can be cut out no problem. old stock block shocks, ones even got a broken spring. and I undid the topnuts of the rear shocks and lifted the rear up, the shaft didnt even move at all, should I look into new topmount assemblies before cutting off the shocks? this was the problem with the front driverside shock, the mount rusted itself to the shock shaft. I would think with the strength of the rear springs (well ok the one thats not broken) that it would try to push the shaft off. I even got down and pulled down on the wheel, it was springy down but it didnt do anything. maybe if both sides are up and there is no anti-roll bar pushing the wheel up on that side?

oh an I am antiseizing everything, or heavy grease. though I gotta take the front driverside apart again cause in my enthusiasm I forgot the bumpstop and I'd assume thats important