Now...THAT'S how you make an auto repair video...socket sizes when you're about to remove the bolt, torque specs when you're on that bolt, explanations of WHY you are doing something( e.g. removing the axle nut), good camera angles to show what's behind something, every single step documented...excellent video!!
for anyone about to do this job, do not remove the axle nut. I just did this today and it was no problem leaving the axle in place. She used a hammer to get the strut out, you may need to hammer from below to get the new strut in. I had the car on the ground so I used a floor jack to push the knuckle onto the new strut. Not a difficult job but takes some time. After you figure out the first side the second should be easier.
You are correct, no need to touch the axle nut! I own a 2007 Mazda 3 sedan since new, and I never needed to loosen the axle nut to remove/install the struts.
Agree, just did it on my 2012 mazda 3 2.0 hatchback. Used a jack and hammer to incrementally lift the knuckle and knock the knuckle from either side and it slowly slid into place.
@@xxwill6xx576 I just bought a 2012 Mazda 3 hatchback with 93k miles (150K km). I noticed the pass. side strut is bent and the crank dampener has a big chunk out of it. Should probably change those soon. The car drives and handles really well considering and the tires are not wearing.
VERY important aspect that can save you a lot of time and effort: the metal sleeve in which the shock goes into might have a "ring" of rust on the inside at the bottom, exactly where the previous shock absorber bottom ended. My advice: prepare the surface and be sure it’s very smooth, or else, the new shock will never go in because the sleeve is smaller in diameter than the shock absorber due to that subtle rust. To do so, I used a stone grinding head drill bit and got rid of all that small rust. I also used a little bit of grease and the new shock slid in like a charm, with a jack underneath the balljoint. Before that I did 20 or so attempts because the new shock was slightly longer (couple mm) than the original one and could not get passed that rust ring.
You guys at 1A Auto are awesome. You guys have saved me probably enough for a down payment on a small house with all the self repair you guys have taught me. thank you!
Thank you , great video. No BS ,just facts and proper explanation. My son just got a quote for 600 dollars for shop to do this repair. We will now order new struts from 1A auto and do it ourselves.
When installing the strut back into the hub, turn the clamp bolt around the opposite way and put a 2mm washer or piece of steel shim in the slot. Tighten the bolt a small amount onto the washer/shim, to expand the top of the hub and the strut will slide in real easy. Have to remove the washer/shim to allow the strut to go all the way down, but it makes it really easy to start the strut in the hub, which is always the difficult bit.
Excellent Video. Thank you infinity times the only thing I would recommend is the possible application of yellow MAPP gas to heat up any nuts and bolts that are stubborn and cooling off with water three times and rocking those knots or bolts back and forth to loosen them efficiently thank you again
Great video! I just replaced both struts and one of the lower control arms. I didn't have a long enough pry bar to keep the hub from rotating while removing and reinstalling the axle nut. Instead, after straightening the punch-lock on the axle nut, I removed the small hub cap at the center of the wheel, put the wheel and lug nuts back on and lowered the car so the tire made solid contact. A 32mm socket fit through the opening allowing me to easily loosen and then torque the nut at the end. I had to remove the wheel again to punch-lock the axle nut once torqued to spec.
Video definitely helped install. I had issues with the brake line bracket on both side and needed to file down the mount to accommodate the brake line. Also, it was instructed to me by someone at 1A Auto to torque properly when the vehicle is on the ground. Save yourself the trouble and be sure to lift the entire front end and not just one side at a time as the sway bar end links will come out much easier.
Just something I did that I found to speed up getting the knuckle off the shock instead oof beating it with a hammer is to take Your scissor jack and a 2x4. Put the 2x4 on the knuckle and then put ur jack ontop of the 2x4 and jack against the bottom of the spring plate then spray penetrating fluid around the shock and it’ll pop right out
+Barry C Thank you! We love empowering our customers and showing how to perform DIY auto repairs with our high-quality auto parts. 1aau.to/m/Shop-1AAuto-c
This was an excellent guide for doing the struts! I did one of the drop links for the sway bar as well. I couldn’t get the driver’s side one off on the body side and ended up reusing it. There is not much room for a breaker bar in there and I ended up rounding off the nut… I had a hard time getting the strut to drop into the knuckle even with the little tab thing in the back being lined up with the slot. I ended up tapping the knuckle with a hammer and it dropped right in!
Thank you for the great reply. We love to empower our customers by showing you how-to perform your own auto repairs while installing our high quality auto parts. Have a great day! 1aauto.com +Lee Miller
I'm so glad you posted this with a woman doing the work because my poor mother who refuses to live closer to me needs this done but is always so broke she always puts off major car maintenance. So I told her to just watch this video and then hit up the hardware store for a jack and some wrenches lol. If you can do it, ...she can do it. :) As they say in Boston, it's not haaaaad.
Thank you! This is put together so well. Great job everyone. The multiple options for taking the off was perfect! Don't forget to eat your spinach Popeye. Go Sue!
+Abel Avalos Thank you! We love empowering our customers and showing how to perform DIY auto repairs with our high-quality auto parts. 1aau.to/m/Shop-1AAuto-c
Not knocking, she did a god job, but if you want to save yourself a lot of trouble, always always leave the nut on the threads you are hammering. That way the nut will go back on. You will learn this the hard way if you mushroom the head or mess up the threads.
You. are amazing the dudes in the other video didnt even include the torque spec for the pinch bolt! I know it's a pinch bolt but still!!! Your amazing
Great video... thank you for taking the time to show each step with the perfect amount of detail and including torques. Is there any difference for the driver’s side?
Was gonna do this myself (+ sway bar links) but by the time I'd bought all the crap to do the job it was gonna cost bout 250 bucks less than the garage charged. So I got the garage to do it. Sucks I know but took one for the team.
If you were going to replace the strut and the cv shaft assembly at the same time, which one would you do first? It looks like installing the strut might put some stress on the cv joint. My guess is that it would be best to install the strut before the CV in order to avoid any potential stress on the new CV. Thoughts? @1AAuto
Another method to get the old one out easy. Use the vehicles weight to compress the spring. I use metal zip ties to keep it compressed a small amount making it simple to pull out
Those sway bar nuts will spin right off XD, nope the only way i got mine off once the allen head stripped out half way through, was to cut all the bolts off.
This is a fantastic video. Great job on explaining and showing what needs to be done. Based on the video I replaced my front struts, everything went as shown above. Only one slight issue, under light to med braking, there is a clicking sound. I checked all the nuts and bolts for tourque. Also checked ABS connection. All good. Is it possible that the new strut needs to "brake in" a couple of days so the geometry goes back to normal? Again, thanks for the awesome video/help.
+Ed Choromanski Thank you for the great reply. We love to empower our customers by showing you how-to perform your own auto repairs while installing our high quality auto parts. Have a great day! 1aauto.com
Dont hit the axle threads head on with a hammer no matter what type it is, screw on the nut just enough so you dont damage the threads , you can mushroom the stud like that too
The tutorial is great, but I had the biggest problem trying to put the new strut in, it did not want to go in it was to to snug to go in the knuckle . I tried and tried till I finally gave up. It did not go as smooth as this video. Easy to take off by hammering it out but you cant hammer the new one in. If the strut goes in the knuckle smoothly everything else is easy. Now I have to take it to a mechanic to have them put on.
I wouldn't hammer away on the spindle end of the axle. Could strip the threads and head of the spindle. I would leave the nut on the end of the axle and tap it out.
We currently do not have an auto repair video specific to your vehicle. You might be able to apply some of the basic steps shown in this video to your application. +Eric Escovedo
+Rommel Macasaet Thanks for watching! Yes we do carry the radiator fan assembly here: www.1aauto.com/mazda-3-radiator-cooling-fan-assembly-diy-solutions/i/1arfa00389/587169/2004
This video is great and I want to add that even though it may just be a handful of women, I can’t help but feel like having such a great female mechanic doing the job must’ve encouraged some women to do it themselves than going to a shop
+Khang Le For the 2010 Mazda 3 Speed, the fronts struts are different parts than the ones you see in this video. The parts in this video exclude the Speed Model from 2007-2013. Thanks for checking us out!
Nathaniel Garza Since they’re replacing the entire assembly (strut + coil) there’s no need to compress any springs. But if they only replaced the gas strut, then they would have to compress the spring to change the gas struts out.
+Daniel Hollembaek Thanks for watching! It depends if you are able to leverage the knuckle like she mentions in the video. If not then and your axle not is not frozen, it is better to just take it off so it frees up the knuckle! 1aauto.com
+@katososa5863 We wouldn't be able to diagnose an issue like that here, you may want to have a local mechanic take a look at it. Thanks for checking us out! 1aau.to/m/Shop-1AAuto-c
√ *Watch the Video*
√ *Buy The Part at 1A Auto* 1aau.to/m/Visit-1AAuto
√ *Do it Yourself*
√ *Save Money*
Mrs, wrong way to loosen lug nuts. It is much easier to push down that tool.
@@tmanda3232a8🎉e😢a awning 6🎉❤
Now...THAT'S how you make an auto repair video...socket sizes when you're about to remove the bolt, torque specs when you're on that bolt, explanations of WHY you are doing something( e.g. removing the axle nut), good camera angles to show what's behind something, every single step documented...excellent video!!
+Brian Mazzocco Thanks for checking us out! 1AAuto.com
Best dang automotive video I've seen!
for anyone about to do this job, do not remove the axle nut. I just did this today and it was no problem leaving the axle in place. She used a hammer to get the strut out, you may need to hammer from below to get the new strut in. I had the car on the ground so I used a floor jack to push the knuckle onto the new strut. Not a difficult job but takes some time. After you figure out the first side the second should be easier.
Your right, you do not have to remove the axle nut. I did one of these strut jobs yesterday and the strut will come right out.with the extra work.
You are correct, no need to touch the axle nut! I own a 2007 Mazda 3 sedan since new, and I never needed to loosen the axle nut to remove/install the struts.
Agree, just did it on my 2012 mazda 3 2.0 hatchback. Used a jack and hammer to incrementally lift the knuckle and knock the knuckle from either side and it slowly slid into place.
@@xxwill6xx576 I just bought a 2012 Mazda 3 hatchback with 93k miles (150K km). I noticed the pass. side strut is bent and the crank dampener has a big chunk out of it. Should probably change those soon. The car drives and handles really well considering and the tires are not wearing.
VERY important aspect that can save you a lot of time and effort: the metal sleeve in which the shock goes into might have a "ring" of rust on the inside at the bottom, exactly where the previous shock absorber bottom ended.
My advice: prepare the surface and be sure it’s very smooth, or else, the new shock will never go in because the sleeve is smaller in diameter than the shock absorber due to that subtle rust. To do so, I used a stone grinding head drill bit and got rid of all that small rust. I also used a little bit of grease and the new shock slid in like a charm, with a jack underneath the balljoint. Before that I did 20 or so attempts because the new shock was slightly longer (couple mm) than the original one and could not get passed that rust ring.
Sue is my favorite. She explains things very well!👏
this video helped me out so much... the other shorter strut videos don’t compare when this one is so in depth... thank you
You guys at 1A Auto are awesome. You guys have saved me probably enough for a down payment on a small house with all the self repair you guys have taught me. thank you!
+Covid 19 Thank you! We love empowering our customers and showing how to perform DIY auto repairs with our high-quality auto parts. 1AAuto.com
They don’t have free returns though.. And that cost me for sure. I learn from their videos… but but brick and motor
Thank you , great video. No BS ,just facts and proper explanation. My son just got a quote for 600 dollars for shop to do this repair. We will now order new struts from 1A auto and do it ourselves.
+Timothy Ryan Thank you! We love empowering our customers and showing how to perform DIY auto repairs with our high-quality auto parts. 1AAuto.com
I’m just gonna tap it... starts pounding it like a lumberjack chops logs😂
I also like the smashing on the end of the cv shaft with no nut on the end just far enough to protect the threads 👍🏼:)
This video was great ! The lady was fantastic and explained precisely what to do .
When installing the strut back into the hub, turn the clamp bolt around the opposite way and put a 2mm washer or piece of steel shim in the slot. Tighten the bolt a small amount onto the washer/shim, to expand the top of the hub and the strut will slide in real easy.
Have to remove the washer/shim to allow the strut to go all the way down, but it makes it really easy to start the strut in the hub, which is always the difficult bit.
This comment was extremely helpful and I would not have finished the job without it, thanks
This! This was a brilliant tip. Thanks!
Excellent Video. Thank you infinity times the only thing I would recommend is the possible application of yellow MAPP gas to heat up any nuts and bolts that are stubborn and cooling off with water three times and rocking those knots or bolts back and forth to loosen them efficiently thank you again
Sue is without a doubt the best tech you have at explaining/demonstrating mechanical work plus… I’m in love so…🙂
Very helpful! Torque specs are an important aspect when tightening bolts and lug nuts, thanks for including the specs as well!
+Anthony Igania Thank you! We are happy to help.
My GO TOO, just the work shown so you know what you're getting into. Perfect, thank you!
Great video! I just replaced both struts and one of the lower control arms. I didn't have a long enough pry bar to keep the hub from rotating while removing and reinstalling the axle nut. Instead, after straightening the punch-lock on the axle nut, I removed the small hub cap at the center of the wheel, put the wheel and lug nuts back on and lowered the car so the tire made solid contact. A 32mm socket fit through the opening allowing me to easily loosen and then torque the nut at the end. I had to remove the wheel again to punch-lock the axle nut once torqued to spec.
Video definitely helped install. I had issues with the brake line bracket on both side and needed to file down the mount to accommodate the brake line. Also, it was instructed to me by someone at 1A Auto to torque properly when the vehicle is on the ground. Save yourself the trouble and be sure to lift the entire front end and not just one side at a time as the sway bar end links will come out much easier.
+Shayne Strigle Thank you! We are happy we could help.
Awesome thanks. Just fixed my rear struts soon it'll be the front struts. Very detailed!
Just something I did that I found to speed up getting the knuckle off the shock instead oof beating it with a hammer is to take Your scissor jack and a 2x4. Put the 2x4 on the knuckle and then put ur jack ontop of the 2x4 and jack against the bottom of the spring plate then spray penetrating fluid around the shock and it’ll pop right out
+Tre England Thanks for the tip!
Sue, thank you very much. You are very thorough.
Great video! This mechanic does a very thorough job explaining what she is doing!
+Barry C Thank you! We love empowering our customers and showing how to perform DIY auto repairs with our high-quality auto parts. 1aau.to/m/Shop-1AAuto-c
This was an excellent guide for doing the struts! I did one of the drop links for the sway bar as well. I couldn’t get the driver’s side one off on the body side and ended up reusing it. There is not much room for a breaker bar in there and I ended up rounding off the nut…
I had a hard time getting the strut to drop into the knuckle even with the little tab thing in the back being lined up with the slot. I ended up tapping the knuckle with a hammer and it dropped right in!
thx for including foot lb for all the bolts. Very professional. didn't need a 2nd video =)
+Karin Jeatran Thank you very much!
Professional and patient. Love it!
Very clear... came apart and went together exactly like this -- thank you 1A Auto!
Thank you for the great reply. We love to empower our customers by showing you how-to perform your own auto repairs while installing our high quality auto parts. Have a great day! 1aauto.com +Lee Miller
@@1AAuto -- by empowering people who want to learn you are making the world a better place and I appreciate that very much.
Worked like a charm!
This video was a great help!
Perfect instructions!Thank You!!!
To be honest, I am learning mechanic with her videos. The benefits are great. Thank you!
Miguel A Santiago if that’s the case you have no business working on cars 🤦🏻♂️
Good on you mate. Always something new to learn 😁
I love your videos. You are so informative and give all the details
Very detailed and very helpful video thank you so much
I'm so glad you posted this with a woman doing the work because my poor mother who refuses to live closer to me needs this done but is always so broke she always puts off major car maintenance. So I told her to just watch this video and then hit up the hardware store for a jack and some wrenches lol. If you can do it, ...she can do it. :) As they say in Boston, it's not haaaaad.
Fantastic vide 👍 very detailed and to the point.
This lady is awesome … Great video Thank you 1A Auto
Thanks for watching our video and for the great feedback! +Green Bullitt
This lady nows her stuff
Great video and great details thank you
Didn’t need to take the Axel nut off, ty so much for the walk threw!
Def going to check out A1 Auto!
+Shawn W Thanks for checking us out. Shop for high quality auto parts on 1AAuto.com:
1aau.to/m/Shop-1AAuto-c
Your videos are really well put together
+Roddy Jagdeo Thanks for checking us out. Shop for high quality auto parts on 1AAuto.com:
1aau.to/m/Shop-1AAuto-c
Thank you! This is put together so well. Great job everyone. The multiple options for taking the off was perfect! Don't forget to eat your spinach Popeye. Go Sue!
Awesome !!! Thanks!!
AWESOME UPLOAD! HAVE A BLESSED REST OF THE DAY❣️ HELL YEAH I'M YELLIN! SUE SAVED ME $$$$ AGAIN! 😎
This was great thank you!!!
+Kelsey Baron Thanks for the feedback!
Thanks for the explications 🙃
You must own a mechanic shop. Fantastic job!
+Abel Avalos Thank you! We love empowering our customers and showing how to perform DIY auto repairs with our high-quality auto parts. 1aau.to/m/Shop-1AAuto-c
I haven't bought my car yet but I know where I'm going to buy the parts now You got some good videos and nice strut kits
you make it look so easy
+Michael O'Brien Thanks for the feedback!
She's my fav.
Thank You🙂👍!
Great video
+Sebastian Thanks for checking us out! 1aau.to/m/Shop-1AAuto-c
thanks for this video awesome
Thanks for checking us out! +Range Master
She’s the best!
Not knocking, she did a god job, but if you want to save yourself a lot of trouble, always always leave the nut on the threads you are hammering. That way the nut will go back on. You will learn this the hard way if you mushroom the head or mess up the threads.
Thanks for watching our video! +location florida
Great job I’ll be trying this on my Mazda next week
You. are amazing the dudes in the other video didnt even include the torque spec for the pinch bolt! I know it's a pinch bolt but still!!! Your amazing
I love this woman.
So what are you 36 dislikers expecting from this very fine video ?
If you don't want to hammer down on the strut housing. I suggest using a small block of wood to absorb the impact of the hammer.
Great video... thank you for taking the time to show each step with the perfect amount of detail and including torques. Is there any difference for the driver’s side?
+Glenn Barth The other side should install the same. Thanks for checking us out! 1AAuto.com
great 👍job she's the best 😊
+Fernando Gausin Thanks for checking us out! 1aau.to/m/Shop-1AAuto-c
Women rock..Awesome job…well done!
Was gonna do this myself (+ sway bar links) but by the time I'd bought all the crap to do the job it was gonna cost bout 250 bucks less than the garage charged. So I got the garage to do it. Sucks I know but took one for the team.
Sue.. .you my dear are a bad ass
+Steve Black Thanks for checking us out! 1AAuto.com
If you were going to replace the strut and the cv shaft assembly at the same time, which one would you do first? It looks like installing the strut might put some stress on the cv joint. My guess is that it would be best to install the strut before the CV in order to avoid any potential stress on the new CV. Thoughts? @1AAuto
Another method to get the old one out easy. Use the vehicles weight to compress the spring. I use metal zip ties to keep it compressed a small amount making it simple to pull out
Nice vlog what about mazda2 is same procedures.?
Abs cable still in your way while your undoing sway bar nut. It would help to tie the cable with a twist tie.
Kindly confirm if the suspension parts for this mazda 3 are the same for the mazda 5 or mazda premacy 2012 and above
Those sway bar nuts will spin right off XD, nope the only way i got mine off once the allen head stripped out half way through, was to cut all the bolts off.
Just did this not to long ago 😂😂
This is a fantastic video. Great job on explaining and showing what needs to be done. Based on the video I replaced my front struts, everything went as shown above. Only one slight issue, under light to med braking, there is a clicking sound. I checked all the nuts and bolts for tourque. Also checked ABS connection. All good. Is it possible that the new strut needs to "brake in" a couple of days so the geometry goes back to normal? Again, thanks for the awesome video/help.
+Ed Choromanski Thank you for the great reply. We love to empower our customers by showing you how-to perform your own auto repairs while installing our high quality auto parts. Have a great day! 1aauto.com
Dont hit the axle threads head on with a hammer no matter what type it is, screw on the nut just enough so you dont damage the threads , you can mushroom the stud like that too
Awesome video! But why re-install rusty bolts without at the very least running a wire brush on those rusty threads?
+Keoni Bird Thanks for the feedback!
So if what if installed same oem part as old part same everything do you need a alignment after ?
The tutorial is great, but I had the biggest problem trying to put the new strut in, it did not want to go in it was to to snug to go in the knuckle . I tried and tried till I finally gave up. It did not go as smooth as this video. Easy to take off by hammering it out but you cant hammer the new one in. If the strut goes in the knuckle smoothly everything else is easy. Now I have to take it to a mechanic to have them put on.
I'd put the jack under there and jack it up/in
Curious, I have a 09 Mazda 3 and whenever I go over a bump I hear a rattling noice, would this be the strut??
I wouldn't hammer away on the spindle end of the axle. Could strip the threads and head of the spindle. I would leave the nut on the end of the axle and tap it out.
Is this the same procedure as the Mazda 5? I've heard that the Mazda 5 is a Mazda 3 with a micro van style body!
So what should I do if the strut nut on the bottom of the strut tower isn't welded on anymore? Mine came off while trying to do an alignment
Is the axle nut needed to be removed?
I find leaving the nut half on the spindle gives less chance of borking the threads.
Need help for a 01 Cadillac Seville SLS front strut mount bumper
We currently do not have an auto repair video specific to your vehicle. You might be able to apply some of the basic steps shown in this video to your application. +Eric Escovedo
excellent mentioning the ft lbs torque, other videos do not
+inee107 Thanks for checking us out!
Is there a way to change the rusty piece on top?
Pro Tip! When you are hammering on the knuckle make sure you crush the ABS sensor with the hammer.
Will I need to have my wheel alignment checked after doing this repair?
+adrianmeyer Yes, an alignment will be needed after these parts are installed.
Hi. Do you have a cooling fan motor assembly for mazda 3 year 2004 model?
+Rommel Macasaet Thanks for watching! Yes we do carry the radiator fan assembly here: www.1aauto.com/mazda-3-radiator-cooling-fan-assembly-diy-solutions/i/1arfa00389/587169/2004
This video is great and I want to add that even though it may just be a handful of women, I can’t help but feel like having such a great female mechanic doing the job must’ve encouraged some women to do it themselves than going to a shop
no need in taking that nut off the cv axle. extra work for no reason but good job on everything else
Looks to be similar to a Ford Focus strut assembly I replaced for my daughter.
+Jeffery Epstein Thanks for the feedback!
RIP to the threads on the axle 😂
My strut won't go in far enough to put the bolt for the knuckle in ???????
Is it gonna fit 2010 mazdaspeed3? Thanks
+Khang Le For the 2010 Mazda 3 Speed, the fronts struts are different parts than the ones you see in this video. The parts in this video exclude the Speed Model from 2007-2013. Thanks for checking us out!
My cv axel knuckle popped out of the joint :(
Luck was definitely on your side. Those hex bolts are always too rusted out for me where I have to cut it.
I was like... DAAANNNGGG.. You sprayed lube all over that rotor. Then the last few minutes showed new brake setup.
What's labor for a job like this cost in average?
Shops really jack the prices up on this. I got a quote over a grand for the 2 front struts. Im going to do it myself.
Did you not need a spring compressor?
Nathaniel Garza Since they’re replacing the entire assembly (strut + coil) there’s no need to compress any springs. But if they only replaced the gas strut, then they would have to compress the spring to change the gas struts out.
Do you have to remove the axle nut
+Daniel Hollembaek Thanks for watching! It depends if you are able to leverage the knuckle like she mentions in the video. If not then and your axle not is not frozen, it is better to just take it off so it frees up the knuckle! 1aauto.com
@@1AAuto thanks. Realllllly dont wanna do that lol.
Didn't have to remove the axle nut guys!!!! Just 4 hands helps a lot lol
My sway links don’t want to come out what do I do
+@katososa5863 We wouldn't be able to diagnose an issue like that here, you may want to have a local mechanic take a look at it. Thanks for checking us out! 1aau.to/m/Shop-1AAuto-c
Does it works for 2006 Mazda 5?
And she torques the strut bolts with no weight on the suspension at all.