Honda and Acura Technical Forums

mcgee* · 06-14-2005, 07:13 PM

well i seached couldnt find anything on installing lowering springs so question is anyone could post how to install them... and what tools and what else i need to install them..thanks

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civic_speed99 · 06-14-2005, 08:08 PM

I think you will get the idea if you read the thread that is at the top on koni shock install. That helped me.

solareclipseauto · 06-15-2005, 12:02 PM

what year and car are you doing

94eg! · 06-15-2005, 02:06 PM

Put the car on jack-stands
Remove the wheels
Front suspension:
- Unbolt brake lines from shocks
- Remove bolt that connects the damper fork to the LCA
- Remove bolt that connects the damper fork to the shock
- Remove the damper fork
- Remove two nuts that connect the shock to the shock tower (in engine bay)
- Remove the shock assembly from the car
Rear suspension:
- Remove bolt that connects shock to LCA
- Remove two nuts that connect the shock to the shock tower (in trunk)
- Remove the shock assembly from the car
Disassembling of shock assembly:
- Make mark on shock body & upper mount so you can reinstall it exactly the same
- Install spring compressor that you rented from auto-parts store
- Compress spring until there is no preload between the upper & lower spring perches
- Remove top nut at the end of the shock shaft
- Remove entire upper shock mount from shock shaft (don't loose any parts)
- Remove spring
- Slowly decompress spring
- Install new spring
- Reinstall upper mount & line it up with your markings (use compressor if necessary)
- Reinstall top nut & torque to spec
- Repeat for all shocks
Reinstall all shocks but don't tighten any bolts or nuts down
Bolt brake lines to front shocks & make sure the bolts are tight
Reinstall damper forks on front shocks
Make sure notch in damper forks line up with tab on back of the shocks
Make sure the shocks is seated all the way into the damper forks
Reinstall bolts that connect damper forks to LCAs, but don't tighten them
Torque down pinch bolts that connect damper forks to the front shocks
Loosen ALL suspenison bolts that travel through the center of a bushing a couple turns
Starting at one corner, Use a jack & jack up the LCA until the car barely lifts off the nearest jack-stand
Torque all nuts & bolts of the lifted suspension corner to spec
Move to next corner & repeat the "jacking & torquing" process
Reinstall wheels
Test drive

Modified by 94eg! at 2:17 PM 6/15/2005

94eg! · 06-15-2005, 02:12 PM

It's actually manditory to loosen all the other suspension bolts that go through the center of a bushing, before you attempt the "jacking & torquing" process. The reason is that you want all your bushings to be perfectly at rest when your car is on the ground. If you don't, your altered ride height will result in bushings that are twisted all the time. This causes them to wear out early.

A word of caution though, most people experience frozen rear LCA bolts on their hondas. These bolts rust solid to the inside of the bushings. This causes people to torque the heads right off when they try to remove the bolts. This happend to me recently when I swaped out my civic LCAs for Integra ones. If there are any stuborn bolts, you may want to seek professional help geting them out...

Modified by 94eg! at 5:27 PM 6/15/2005

Try2Live4God · 06-20-2005, 11:57 AM

If the bolts are frozen.....is it just a matter of replacing the bolt? Or do you have to replace more than just the bolt?

be.twenty · 06-20-2005, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Try2Live4God

If the bolts are frozen.....is it just a matter of replacing the bolt? Or do you have to replace more than just the bolt?

Replace the bolt and sometimes bushing. The bushing needs to be mechanically pressed into the LCA.

LCA bolts are roughly $5-7 each
LCA shock bushings are $25-30 each
New LCA with bushings pressed from factory $90-100

I torched the LCA bolt and burned the rubber bushing during my install.

94eg! · 06-20-2005, 12:57 PM

You can get them here at HondaAutomotiveParts.com for the following prices...

#21 & #22 = $13.27 each LCA Bushing
#29 & #30 = $13.90 each Shock mount Bushing
#16 & #19 = $65.45 each Complete LCA (#17 is for cars w/o swaybars)
#40 = $5.63 each LCA Bolt
Shock mount Bolt is listed under "Rear Shock Absorber", and it's different from the LCA bolts...

Blazin Civic · 06-20-2005, 05:32 PM

Does the complete LCA mean it comes with all the bushings pressed in and all I need is the bolts?

94eg! · 06-21-2005, 08:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blazin Civic

Does the complete LCA mean it comes with all the bushings pressed in and all I need is the bolts?

Yes it does. Any number attached to a box, includes everything inside it. And yes the bushings are already pressed inside, complete and ready to bolt-on...

HondaAutomotiveParts.com charges $5 handling fee for every order, but they have the best prices.

SLHondaParts.com has prices just barely higher, but their isn't any handling fees...

dnaazn326 · 07-26-2006, 12:16 AM

Quick question, when you say torque the nuts and bolts to spec, where can i find information on these? I have a 96 HB.

One more question, use the jack on the LCA? So i shouldnt just jack up the car any corner but the LCAs so they are free-hanging?

I really appreciate any helps.

God bless

civic_speed99 · 07-26-2006, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dnaazn326

Quick question, when you say torque the nuts and bolts to spec, where can i find information on these? I have a 96 HB.

One more question, use the jack on the LCA? So i shouldnt just jack up the car any corner but the LCAs so they are free-hanging?

I really appreciate any helps.

God bless

Wow back from the dead. Get a service manual. I'd look it up, but I am at work.

06-20-2005, 11:57 AM	#6
Try2Live4God Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: New York City Posts: 1,039	Re: (94eg!) If the bolts are frozen.....is it just a matter of replacing the bolt? Or do you have to replace more than just the bolt? __________________ To Live is Christ, to die is gain - Phil 1:21 <U>I luv my Lord & Savior!</U> "Ni*z wanna strip u to the bone for st u own Hate a ni**a like that, get ur own" - Jay-Z <U>Vouches</U> Opie MR.RED'89 Misc. Parts: http://trying2live4god.brinkster.net/parts.aspx

06-20-2005, 05:32 PM	#9
Blazin Civic Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: New York Posts: 622	Re: (94eg!) Does the complete LCA mean it comes with all the bushings pressed in and all I need is the bolts?

07-26-2006, 12:16 AM	#11
dnaazn326 Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Fremont, CA, USA Posts: 17	Re: (94eg!) Quick question, when you say torque the nuts and bolts to spec, where can i find information on these? I have a 96 HB. One more question, use the jack on the LCA? So i shouldnt just jack up the car any corner but the LCAs so they are free-hanging? I really appreciate any helps. God bless

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06-14-2005, 08:08 PM	#2
civic_speed99 Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: PA Posts: 1,351	I think you will get the idea if you read the thread that is at the top on koni shock install. That helped me. __________________ EJ8 Squad #076 Vouches: JohnnysEG

06-15-2005, 12:02 PM	#3
solareclipseauto Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: san diego, ca, usa Posts: 1,746	Re: (civic_speed99) what year and car are you doing __________________ DA SQUAD MEMBER#278 H.I.D. LIGHTS-$150 10% OFF COMPLETE TINT JOB SOLAR ECLIPSE AUTO PERFORMANCE AND TINT 507 G AVE NATIONAL CITY CA 91950 (619)474-0060 R.I.P ANTHONY "RAV"DIN RONQUE-2004 R.I.P. RAY BALINGHASAY-2006 DJ DTEK-3STYLE ATTRACTIONS/SHARPSHOOTERZ CREW