Im replacing my rear shocks on my 88 CRX Si i have the shock tower off itself and in the manuel it says i need a spring compressor to get the bolt off?
Is that true? Is there anyway to do it without a spring compressor?

I need to get the spring and all that good stuff out so i can put it on the new shocks Koni Yellows...

Should I get new springs down at the parts store? Or just use these they are stock...I'll try to get a picture up in a few minutes if i can find the camera

 

There is no way yoiu can fit two spring compressors when the shock/strut is still installed in the car.
You need to take off one screw to disconnec one side of the lca so you can slide off the fork of the strut.
Only when the struts is completely off do you use the spring compressor to take off the top.
I couldn't do mine because the freakin bolt to take off the lca was on so tight even my impact wrench electric one couldn't work

 

i got the whole shock off the car its sitting on the floor of my garage ...i got it out by just undoing the top 2 bolts and the bottom one ...np i just need to take it apart

 

the rear shocks are only three bolts....two 14s on top and a 14 or 17 on the lower end of the shock body. since you have an 88, yours would be the eye-lit shocks.

have a buddy step on the rear trailing arm to make enough room to remove the suspension from the car.

Spring compressor - compresses the spring... so if you were to re-install the stock springs onto your new shock, then yes you would need to get the springs compressed.

Use an allan wrench to hold the the shock in place and an open-ended 14mm to remove the top nut.. becareful.. the spring is under heavy load.... blow the load into a box or something, that way you dont lose washers or anything.
HTH

 

First of all, DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT try to take of the springs with out a spring compressor. The stock springs are under load and if you try and take off the top bolt the spring will jump at you and take your face off.

Use a spring compressor, after you get the after-market springs on then you will not need a spring compressor.

 

ok i dont have a spring compressor ..im going to try and get the other shock off the bottom bolt on the passanger side is causing a problem....i'll see if i can take it someone whos got a spring compressor because i dont have any aftermarket springs to put on

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by etp72 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i'll see if i can take it someone whos got a spring compressor because i dont have any aftermarket springs to put on</TD></TR></TABLE>

Please do, because once the springs are off, you will not be able to put back on without a spring compressor. And I would hate to read about an H-T'er that ended up in the hospital because a spring tried to fight him and the spring won.

Also just take it to a shop to have them take off the spring, might cost a couple of bucks, have them take it off stay there and put the new shocks in and then have them put it back together.

Also, just thought of this idea, depending on where you are, around here we have places that you can rent tools, so you could just rent a spring compresor and do it your self.

 

From what I've seen, the Autozone rental spring compressors won't compress OEM springs enough to fit the cap back over them.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by DRFlickner &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">From what I've seen, the Autozone rental spring compressors won't compress OEM springs enough to fit the cap back over them.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Damn i hope it does...how far do you have to compress it I just picked up a loner from my buddy down at Parts America

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by etp72 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Damn i hope it does...how far do you have to compress it? </TD></TR></TABLE>
Just far enough to get the nut off..
look *here* for a pic of what the compressor honda recommends looks like..
You could easily make one with some all-thread,some nuts and washers, and a couple of 2-X-4s..
Don't try this at home but,
I ended up using a forklift at work as a compressor..I put the forks together and lowered it down on the shock which I stood straight up..
It worked perfect but I won't advise that you try it..

 

no i got those to work and i got the bolt off.... now i have a question. The metal tube, is it the bumpstop should i cut that in half?

And also just out of curiousity does anyone know how much pressure those springs are under? Cause ive heard stories about springs going through people sheetrocked garage walls and whatnot.

 

just blow it into a box..... two people.. lay the shock on the ground... have a buddy stand on the spring with both feet.. another person carefully undoing the bolt on top... boom.. you are set!.. compressing a stock spring back on is tough.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by andrew ef &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">just blow it into a box..... two people.. lay the shock on the ground... have a buddy stand on the spring with both feet.. another person carefully undoing the bolt on top... boom.. you are set!.. compressing a stock spring back on is tough.</TD></TR></TABLE>

haha i dont think i have a friend that would put there junk in line with a compressed spring ... lol

I got this thing all back together just gotta tighten things up...This whole project was easy, and it was my first time doing it, just gotta have the right tools I love doing things myself and fixing crap on my own rather than paying anyone to do something that i know very well i could have done myself, and maybe even better.

thanks for the help everyone :D much appreciated

Now i just wish i had the money to put GC's on and change the drum to some disc brakes those drums are nasty looking rusty and pads are all worn out unevenly its pretty ugly lol but i dont got the dough to fix it...college coming up in a month

 

popular to contrary belief for most stock springs and shocks you dont need a spring compressor.
Key is to leave it in the car. jack up the control arm. Unbolt the bolt that is on the the top. Lower jack and whala the spring decompresses and is apart.
Did that and just shot them off the other 2 before i thought of it this way

with aftermarket springs i wouldnt try either though. higher spring rates

 

This works great for the rears, but not the fronts on a Civic. There's not enough travel to compress the spring this way (an OEM spring anyway).