Disassembly - Strut Assembly (Front)

The Strut assembly must be removed from the vehicle for it to be disassembled and assembled. Refer to REMOVAL - STRUT ASSEMBLY (FRONT)  in this article.

For the disassembly and assembly of the strut assembly, use strut spring compressor, Pentastar Service Equipment (PSE) tool W-7200, or the equivalent, to compress the coil spring. Follow the manufacturer's instructions closely.

1. If both struts are being serviced at the same time, mark the coil spring and strut assembly according to which side of the vehicle the strut was removed from, and which strut the coil spring was removed from.
2. Position the strut assembly in the strut coil spring compressor following the manufacturers instructions (Fig 1). The strut clevis bracket should be positioned outward. It will be necessary to turn the strut assembly so the steering arm will clear the compressor arm. Position the upper and lower hooks on the coil spring, then place a clamp on the lower end of the coil spring, so the strut is held in place once the strut shaft nut is removed (Fig 1).
   WARNING: Do not remove the strut shaft nut before the coil spring is compressed. The coil spring is held under pressure and must be compressed, removing spring tension from the upper mount and pivot bearing, before the shaft nut is removed.