Before taking off the wheel, loosen the wheel nuts, lift the car, and place it securely on jackstands to keep it from falling. Remove the stabilizer bar link first, and if your vehicle has an ABS system, unhook the harness from the strut. To know how to reinstall the strut later, mark where it connects to the knuckle. Then take out the top and bottom nuts from the strut before knocking off the bolts with a hammer and a punch. Take the strut out of the
Steering Knuckle carefully, making sure not to stretch the CV joint too far while being mindful to keep the knuckle from moving out toward the brakes to prevent brake hose damage. Use your tools to pull out the single nut on top and lift the strut from where it sits in the fender well. Before repair or replacement, check the strut body for leaks, dents, cracks, and other damage that needs fixing. Check if the spring covering has parchment pieces that corrode early, then check the spring-support seat for any cuts or wear. When problems show up, take the strut apart for fixing. Put the strut assembly in from the side of the fender well, steer it through the shock tower until its studs line up with the shock tower holes. Then bolt on the middle nut (s) to stop it from falling back out. Place the steering knuckle onto the strut flange, put in the two bolts, match the marks, and bolt the nuts to the required torque. Reconnect the brake hose to the strut bracket, reconnect the stabilizer bar link, and, if relevant, place the new speed sensor wiring harness for anti-lock braking systems. When done, bolt on the tire, put on all the lug nuts, bring the ride back down to the ground, tighten all nuts to their specified force, make sure the top mounting nuts are on tight, and check if the front wheel needs an alignment adjustment.