Changing the old pillars is a way to keep the car stable at high speeds, thus ensuring a comfortable, safe and peaceful journey. They are spring structures made to absorb shocks and have been an essential part of cars since the 1950s. Over time they wear out and can break if you drive on particularly rough terrain, resulting in a deep snap when turning. Buying a quick install assembly is the easiest way to change them yourself. Read how to do it later.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Uncovering the Uprights
Step 1. Find the struts
They are cylinder-shaped pistons filled with liquid, usually have the appearance of road cones with a spring around them.
Open the hood and find the pillar bolts, usually there is a circle of three bolts and they are on a panel in the engine compartment, on both sides of the car and near the windshield. In the center of this bolt ring is another bolt for the strut itself. Don't loosen them, especially the central one, but use it to guide you to where you need to work
Step 2. Remove the wheel
First, loosen the wheel fixing bolts and lift the car with a jack according to the instruction manual of your machine. Once raised, put on a support to keep the machine stable. Remove the mounting bolts and the wheel.
It is always important to use supports to hold the car. Do not rely solely on the jack because it can move suddenly causing the car to fall with the risk of being trapped under it. The jacks use hydraulic power that can suddenly fail, so there is a need for supports
Step 3. Remove the brake line holder if necessary
You may need to detach it from the riser frame. It's not common to all machines, so skip this step if that's not your case.
If so, unscrew the holder with the appropriate wrench and move the brake line out of the way so that you can remove the strut
Step 4. Lower the anti-roll bar if necessary
This works together with the strut in the suspension block and serves to stabilize the machine in the event of impacts, jolts and uneven road conditions. To disassemble it you will need a key to disassemble the support and move the bar to the side.
Find a small metal support that hooks the bar (usually black) to the post and remove it. Again this is not a feature common to all cars, you may just need to loosen the strut from the steering shaft and remove it. Once cleared of these obstacles you will be ready to remove the mast
Part 2 of 3: Remove the Old Upright
Step 1. Remove the bolts from the steering shaft
There are two or three large bolts that hook it to the post. Remove the nuts from the block and loosen the post.
- This part is often rusty and difficult to remove. You could use a product like WD-40 and spray it on the bolts before trying to remove them. A few blows of the hammer could help you loosen the parts a bit, both on the steering and on the bolts. It will take elbow grease.
- Depending on the car model, you may need to mount the jack under the steering shaft to raise it slightly and highlight the bolts.
Step 2. Open the hood and find the strut towers and remove the bolts
They are usually located in the middle of the inside of the fender compartment and resemble cylinders. They are typically held by three small bolts that you need to remove.
Since you have removed the bolts from the steering shaft, the strut may fall out once these last bolts are removed. So it's best if you get help from someone who can hold the riser in place while you unscrew
Step 3. Remove the old riser
Do not remove the center bolt until you have compressed the springs. If you took a quick assembly kit, you can put the old strut aside and move on to assembling the new piece instead.
For starters, it's best to leave it alone and not attempt to compress the old strut springs using pliers and more. This method is used to save money by recovering the old spring and installing it on the new strut, but if you don't have your own compressor it will cost you a lot of money. It makes much more sense to spend the money on a quick assembly kit, which is pre-assembled and only needs to be installed on the car
Step 4. If you have a compressor, then consider removing the springs
Check that it is safe and that it is not aimed at things you can harm. Compress the spring or have someone knowledgeable help you.
At the top of the upright there is a large nut, above a disc-shaped piece that is actually the support of the upright. Remove it using a ratchet wrench and finish the riser bar with a wrench located just below the support
Step 5. Put the new riser together
Put the spring on the new strut and be sure to put all the rubber parts from the old one as well. Install the bracket over the spring and replace the riser rod bolt with another one to factory specifications.
Again, if you took a kit, don't worry about the spring of the old riser, put it aside and go to the installation
Part 3 of 3: Install the New Upright
Step 1. Install the new strut block on the steering shaft
Replace the bolts but leave them loose so that the structure moves freely.
Step 2. Put the post block into the post tower and replace the bolts
Now you can tighten the bolts with the wrench, tightening the strut lock to the steering shaft and tighten to factory specifications.
If you have to move the anti-roll bar and brake line do it right now
Step 3. Put the wheel back
Tighten the bolts a little before lowering the car. Raise the jack a little to take pressure off the supports, remove them and lower the vehicle to the ground. Tighten the buòlloniu of the wheel and the mast tower.
Step 4. Do a final check to see that everything has been mounted correctly
Carry out a low-speed driving test to assess the safety of the vehicle. Avoid driving at high speeds and high traffic areas. The vehicle may need to redo the convergence.
If the vehicle pulls to one side or does not go normally, it converges by making the necessary adjustments to fix the problem
Step 5. Repeat the process for all the risers you want to change
It's cheaper to only change them when needed, but as they tend to wear out all together so it's best if you make an investment for 2 or 4 uprights. The procedure has the same basis for all uprights.
Not all cars have rear pillars. Check carefully before buying unnecessary parts
Advice
- Do not use wooden blocks or concrete bricks as jack stands. Always use the right tools, your safety is at stake.
- Rusty, damaged or cracked springs must be replaced. Do not try to change them without taking into account that the compressor, the spring, the riser or the jack could give way with the risk of causing serious damage or death. Not all spring compressors are the same, check yours carefully for signs of malfunction or poor quality.
