Rear shock remove & replace, is it really that complicated?

[FE 065]

My 2002 service manual says to re-install the rear (or front) shocks, the car has to be brought to ride height, and ballasted etc before shocks mounting bolts/nuts are tightened. I think my '96 manual said the same thing. Is all that really necessary? Don't the shocks ends pivot around their mounting bolts as the suspension works anyway? I haven't taken mine out, but the amount of set-up it takes to re-install them looks incredibile. Like you have to be on an alignment rack and have all kinds of special tools just to tighten the shocks.

 

[ACR Joe]

Raise the car, load the lower control arm, remove the shock, install and tighten the new shock. Simple.

 

[Johann]

The reason the suspension should be at ride height when tightening the shock bolts is to prevent the rubber bushing in the end of the shock from twisting past its limit.
For example, if the bolt were tightened while the suspension was hanging at its extended limit, the rubber bushing would twist some as the car settled to the normal ride height and would twist even more as the suspension neared maximum compression. The bushing is intended to twist from its relaxed position nearly the same amount in either direction, not all in one direction.

 

[FE 065]

I'm not sure what "Raise the car, load the lower control arm, means. If you mean put a jack under the control arm and compress it a bit, doesn't that make it hard/impossible to get the shock off with the spring under tension? The manual makes it sound like you'll throw things way out of whack if you don't ballast the car etc. I can understand about the bushing of course. So even though the manual goes into ballasting and repeatedly indicates the ride height will be affected by tightening the re-installed the shocks improperly, the only real issue is the rubber bushings?

 

[ACR Joe]

On my ACR I'm able to load the lower control arm, then unload the "adjustable" spring (Koni 2812). So you're right. In the case of a non-adjustable spring, I would let the suspension hang for removal, install the new shock/spring, load the suspension, then tighten the mounting bolts.

 

[jrkermode]

With the car on the ground, measure from the top of the wheel well to the center of the wheel.

Jack up the car, put it on stands and remove the shock.

Reinstall the shock, but don't tighten the bolts yet.

Place the jack under the lower control arm and jack it up until the center of the spindle is at the distance measure before. Now tighten the bolts.

A lot of weight will be on this one corner, so be very careful and exercise the usual precautions when jacking up a car.