To pop the upper ball joint, smack the bolt with a large hammer. 4 or 5 whacks will pop it free. Also, leave the upper strut bolts in place while dissembling things otherwise it puts a lot of weight on things you are working on. And for the Anti-sway bar, I cross-threaded the mount to the lower control arm...that was expensive to fix, so instead, I pop off the bolt at the link to sway bar connection This is easier to get to and you don't have to worry about lining up to prevent cross-threading it. The stirrup bolt was bound and I had to use a lot of rust disolver and pound on it with a hammer. When the bolt came out, you could see that it was partially eaten by rust! To get extra clearance (4wd model here) I did have to undo the tie-rod . This allowed the lower control arm to fall lower to get everything back into place.
Good video, but one main step was missed, when re-installing the top strut bracket, make sure you have it lined up correctly. The distance between the 2 back studs is smaller than the 2 front studs, so needs to be in the right position. I found out the hard way.
You’re from corpus?? Me too! Help me these things man! Lol. I’m planning on changing these soon. Thanks for the video. I’ll definitely follow your steps
Great video! I can tell you though, living here in NY, those lower bolts never come out like that. I tried getting that lower bolt, at the control arm bushing, out yesterday and after 15 hits with a 4lb hammer, it didn't move. I usually have to cut them out and sell the lower control arms with the job. Heat just destroys the bushing anyway on the arm. In areas with corrosion, this job is very unpleasant.
Yeah, I have a feeling it didn't go as smoothly as the video suggests. We never actually saw him remove those bolts. I suspect the grinder in the background around 11:00 was someone cutting the bolt on the other side. I live in the Great Plains, where rust isn't really a problem. My GC has no rust. But my shock clevis to lower control arm bolts were absolutely *welded* into the clevis and control arm bushing. I had to cut the bolts on both sides to get them out of the vehicle, and managed to get the bolt remains out of one of the bushings and one clevis myself with a chisel and 4lb sledge. The other clevis I had to take a machine shop. It took them 30 minutes of wailing on it, torching it, and using a press to get the remains of the bolt out. Thankfully, I'd read in advance how common this was and already had new bolts and nuts on hand. Anyone planning on doing this should at least have new clevis to lower control arm nuts and bolts before starting.
@@RickinICT Mine are seized as well, but you don't have to take them out at all unless you are replacing an axle. Just leave them in. My problem is I bought the Heavy Metal lift kit that used lifted clevis forks. I just bailed on it at that point and ordered strut top spacers to lift the front instead. In theory the fork lift would be easier to do because you don't have to access the top strut nuts but in reality with that lower fork bolt frozen, the top spacer is easier and less expensive. Either that or just order all the front end parts, lower control arms, struts, axles, sway links, tie rod ends, upper control arms and just take it all out as a unit and replace everything new. Probably about $1200 worth of parts at Rockauto. I bet if your struts are shot, most of the other bushings and ball and CV joints aren't far behind.
Great video!!! But gotta mention you installed the spring upside down.... The flat side of the coil is supposed to be at the top, if you look at the spring seats/coil isolators you'll see their shape matches one end of the spring.
I was a bit freaked out to see you put yours hands on the spring coils while compressing it, eg at 8:55. I have known those compressors to suddenly fly round to end up side-by-side. They would go with huge force and crush your fingers.
I bought Moog 80910. They are stock 4wd springs. I have a 2wd and I hated the sag and how much lower the front was than the rear. The stiffer shocks and springs feel so much better.
Could you provide us with make, model and/or part numbers for your specific parts? I am also noticing a thumping or banging noise coming from my front end whilst driving over small pot holes or bumps in the road. Any ideas what else I should change at the same time as the struts? Thanks, J
Hi, Front 4wd springs - Moog 80910 Bilstein 4600 front strut - 24186797 I would check that the bushing in the strut mount is still good as well. I did not replace those in this video. Check the balljoints and bushing for play. My front upper bushings are bad but they just make noise. And generally just check that everything is still tight
@@SN95ohh thank you for the reply, will be ordering these asap. I replaced the the sway bar bushings with new Moog bushings and the noise is completely gone, now all you can hear is squeeking struts. Thanks for your help !!
Oh yeah sway bar bushings was a good call. Most loud front noises I've encountered have been sway bar bushing. I really need to change my front upper control arm bushings. They get really noisy when it's cold. Hopefully I can make a video on that soon
What size is the bolt for the 24mm but cause I’m trying to replace my Grand Cherokee Struts same year 2005-2010 but I tried a 19mm,20mm and 21mm still doesn’t fit.
You can most definitely reuse your old spring. That's usually common practice. I decided to put the 4x4 model springs on the front to stiffen the suspension and remove the front rake that it had
E Forbes whenever messing with front suspension components, always get a 4 wheel alignment afterwards. Replace as many parts that need replaced as you can to save going back for another alignment. 👍🏼
I clamped vice grips around the shaft to keep it from spinning and my pneumatic impact to spin the nut off. Usually the impact is enough to get it off but the shafts kept spinning
The front is a bit more involved because of the springs. I did this the morning of thanksgiving. Probably took me around 2hrs while trying to film. I’ve done this type of work a lot though and have electric and pneumatic tools to help me along the way. Also I’m in central Texas and rust wasn’t an issue. I’d say with hand tools and rust it could take 3-5hrs.
Hi, I did not. I have a 2wd model so I didn't have to worry about an axle in my way. I think as long as you undo the upper ball joint that should give you enough droop to get the strut out.
Hans Meiser I’ve read other guys have left that lower Clevis bolt in and undone the upper Clevis bolt and taken the axle nut off to slide the strut out. Several guys successfully did it without undoing the axle but one guy reported he accidentally yanked the axle out of the transfer case. Better to undo it.
Speed Shop Engineering, lucky! After watching your video I was like “This looks easy. Ok, no surprises.” Boy, was I wrong!! I’m in Minnesota. I’ve drenched it in PB, used a propane torch, impact driver, and recruited my 6’ tall 250lb father in law... Used my 3’ long Jack handle as a breaker bar (broke the bar)....
Oh jeez!! Heat is definitely your friend. In my experience with extremely rusty stuff, lots of fire and ATF/Diesel blend works eventually. I was helping my brother replace his Miata hub and it was rusted together to the halfshaft splines. It took hitting it with a torch every hour and letting it soak in ATF while being under a few thousand lbs of force in the press overnight before it would even budge. I feel bad for all you guys in rusty parts of the country
I don't off-road much with it since it is 2 wheel drive. Mostly my daily and I tow cars with it. The shocks and springs made such a huge difference. The ride is amazing with the shocks and the springs stiffened up the front and also leveled the suspension
No I did not. It loosened up fine and I just had to give it some light taps to get it moving. It should be easy if you don't have the suspension loaded up.
I am having a very hard time with the lower bolt. It appears to be stuck with rust.. A hammer won't move it. I am currently letting it sit overnight with rust breaker on the area. I've tried everything else, light pressure on the suspension and no pressure. Any tips?
@@eforbes8558 if that clevis bolt is binding you will never get it out, you have to line it up, try pushing down on the LCA while spinning the bolt or getting it started using a hammer and punch.
Exactly! The video skipped right over and there's no video that shows you that part. That bolt does not come out. The only way you can get that strut out with hand tools is to pry it down from the top once it's loose with the bar and Lead it forward out of the well and then bang on the bottom of the strut to get it to come up out of his sleeve. That is a lot of work this video does not show, nor does any video on this matter
Oh yeah if a shop changed the struts I would definitely check over their work and see if there is any damage to the wheel speed sensor and wiring. Did they do any other work besides changing the struts?
I put in Monroe struts and within a week, one of the leaked and spewed oil all over the passenger side suspension. So, I replaced everything with an Old Man EMU spring and strut. The ride is much better and I expect it will last longer than those Monroes.
It appears as though those bolts are prone to rusting and I’m one of the few lucky ones without a rust issue on my Texas Jeep. I was able to unthread it out no problems. I would suggest liberal amounts of some kind of penetrating oil and heat from a torch if you have one. That usually breaks up the rust
@@SN95ohh You got real lucky. 8 out of ten of those lower bolts are frozen solid to the metal inner sleeve of that lower bushing in the control arm. Most people wind up trashing the bushing getting the bolt out. Now I just figure that lower bushing and grade 8 bolt and nut into the price of the strut replacement. It's usually past it's prime by the time you need struts anyway
@@shanejackson6856 I attempted to lift my 2007 GC a few months ago and had to drill out the bolt and sleeve in the lower control arm. Replaced one side and stopped lifting. I am looking to do the other side in the next week or so. Fingers crossed that bolt and sleeve are easier. Penetrating oil DID NOT help me. It took drilling all the way through the bolt and then collapsing the sleeve, then replacing both to fix it.
Why did you skip over the part where you removed the bottom strut Bolt? Because when I did this job that bolt would not come out. The only way that I could get the strut to come out was by compressing it and leaning it out and banging it from the bottom out of the sleeve. I could get the nut off of that bolt, but that boat would not come out...
I skipped over that part because my bolt came out with zero issues. It wasn’t until I made this video that I learned that everyone else’s Grand Cherokees have serious rust issues. I must be the only one with a rust free GC
Stop the nonsense, Just purchase new struts, why deal with this time consuming task which is unnecessary, and could possibly be harmed if your not familiar with possible problems..
@@SN95ohh I am 72 years, a Nam Vet 68/69 punk and what is it with you people under 55 who can't take constructive criticism, you must have been given a trophy for loosing when you were a little spoiled boy? You're a waste of time and energy. No need to compress spring...Just by KYB struts with spring damn it.
@@adorablyadorable5665damn you really are an angry man over the fact he reuses he’s coils? He did replace the “Strut” maybe why waste money if you don’t need too but since this was comment is from 2 years ago. RIP…
To pop the upper ball joint, smack the bolt with a large hammer. 4 or 5 whacks will pop it free. Also, leave the upper strut bolts in place while dissembling things otherwise it puts a lot of weight on things you are working on. And for the Anti-sway bar, I cross-threaded the mount to the lower control arm...that was expensive to fix, so instead, I pop off the bolt at the link to sway bar connection This is easier to get to and you don't have to worry about lining up to prevent cross-threading it. The stirrup bolt was bound and I had to use a lot of rust disolver and pound on it with a hammer. When the bolt came out, you could see that it was partially eaten by rust! To get extra clearance (4wd model here) I did have to undo the tie-rod . This allowed the lower control arm to fall lower to get everything back into place.
I just undid the bottom bushing of sway bar gave me enough room
Good video, but one main step was missed, when re-installing the top strut bracket, make sure you have it lined up correctly. The distance between the 2 back studs is smaller than the 2 front studs, so needs to be in the right position. I found out the hard way.
Great video. I replaced mine with a strut assembly, forget the MFG but just as well it didn't much difference. I will go your route next time.
I'm really happy with the bilsteins and the 4wd springs.
You’re from corpus?? Me too! Help me these things man! Lol. I’m planning on changing these soon. Thanks for the video. I’ll definitely follow your steps
Thanks man for your video.
Great video!
I can tell you though, living here in NY, those lower bolts never come out like that. I tried getting that lower bolt, at the control arm bushing, out yesterday and after 15 hits with a 4lb hammer, it didn't move. I usually have to cut them out and sell the lower control arms with the job. Heat just destroys the bushing anyway on the arm. In areas with corrosion, this job is very unpleasant.
Yeah, I have a feeling it didn't go as smoothly as the video suggests. We never actually saw him remove those bolts. I suspect the grinder in the background around 11:00 was someone cutting the bolt on the other side. I live in the Great Plains, where rust isn't really a problem. My GC has no rust. But my shock clevis to lower control arm bolts were absolutely *welded* into the clevis and control arm bushing. I had to cut the bolts on both sides to get them out of the vehicle, and managed to get the bolt remains out of one of the bushings and one clevis myself with a chisel and 4lb sledge. The other clevis I had to take a machine shop. It took them 30 minutes of wailing on it, torching it, and using a press to get the remains of the bolt out. Thankfully, I'd read in advance how common this was and already had new bolts and nuts on hand. Anyone planning on doing this should at least have new clevis to lower control arm nuts and bolts before starting.
@@RickinICT Mine are seized as well, but you don't have to take them out at all unless you are replacing an axle. Just leave them in. My problem is I bought the Heavy Metal lift kit that used lifted clevis forks. I just bailed on it at that point and ordered strut top spacers to lift the front instead. In theory the fork lift would be easier to do because you don't have to access the top strut nuts but in reality with that lower fork bolt frozen, the top spacer is easier and less expensive.
Either that or just order all the front end parts, lower control arms, struts, axles, sway links, tie rod ends, upper control arms and just take it all out as a unit and replace everything new. Probably about $1200 worth of parts at Rockauto. I bet if your struts are shot, most of the other bushings and ball and CV joints aren't far behind.
@@bryanhersman4037 Did you manage to get the spacers in there without undoing the clevis bolt?
Thanks. Just got one. 4.7 same color
Great video!!! But gotta mention you installed the spring upside down.... The flat side of the coil is supposed to be at the top, if you look at the spring seats/coil isolators you'll see their shape matches one end of the spring.
Yes, at 13:10
I was a bit freaked out to see you put yours hands on the spring coils while compressing it, eg at 8:55. I have known those compressors to suddenly fly round to end up side-by-side. They would go with huge force and crush your fingers.
Awesome video. What type of springs did you replace with?
I bought Moog 80910. They are stock 4wd springs. I have a 2wd and I hated the sag and how much lower the front was than the rear. The stiffer shocks and springs feel so much better.
Could you provide us with make, model and/or part numbers for your specific parts?
I am also noticing a thumping or banging noise coming from my front end whilst driving over small pot holes or bumps in the road. Any ideas what else I should change at the same time as the struts?
Thanks,
J
Hi,
Front 4wd springs - Moog 80910
Bilstein 4600 front strut - 24186797
I would check that the bushing in the strut mount is still good as well. I did not replace those in this video. Check the balljoints and bushing for play. My front upper bushings are bad but they just make noise. And generally just check that everything is still tight
@@SN95ohh thank you for the reply, will be ordering these asap.
I replaced the the sway bar bushings with new Moog bushings and the noise is completely gone, now all you can hear is squeeking struts. Thanks for your help !!
Oh yeah sway bar bushings was a good call. Most loud front noises I've encountered have been sway bar bushing.
I really need to change my front upper control arm bushings. They get really noisy when it's cold. Hopefully I can make a video on that soon
What size is the bolt for the 24mm but cause I’m trying to replace my Grand Cherokee Struts same year 2005-2010 but I tried a 19mm,20mm and 21mm still doesn’t fit.
I read you don't have to replace the spring along with the strut. Is that true? Can I re-use the old spring, would that be smart?
You can most definitely reuse your old spring. That's usually common practice. I decided to put the 4x4 model springs on the front to stiffen the suspension and remove the front rake that it had
@@SN95ohhI also read an alignment is necessary after replacing struts/shocks. Is this true?
E Forbes whenever messing with front suspension components, always get a 4 wheel alignment afterwards. Replace as many parts that need replaced as you can to save going back for another alignment. 👍🏼
What torque spec did you use for the strut nut?
U should lock these compression spring safet6 pins locks
Please can I install the 2011 Jeep springs on my 2008 Jeep
Because the springs are not available for my 2008 model
Really? What sites did you try
How did you remove the center nut on the very top?
I clamped vice grips around the shaft to keep it from spinning and my pneumatic impact to spin the nut off. Usually the impact is enough to get it off but the shafts kept spinning
How long did this actually take you? Did my rear shocks in my 3.7 2008 in about 45 minutes today. This looks more challenging, but definitely doable
I'm up in Iowa so getting the bolts out on the rears was a treat with the rust.
The front is a bit more involved because of the springs. I did this the morning of thanksgiving. Probably took me around 2hrs while trying to film. I’ve done this type of work a lot though and have electric and pneumatic tools to help me along the way. Also I’m in central Texas and rust wasn’t an issue. I’d say with hand tools and rust it could take 3-5hrs.
Hi, thanks for your video. I wonder if you removed the hub nut in order to get the strut out.
Hi, I did not. I have a 2wd model so I didn't have to worry about an axle in my way. I think as long as you undo the upper ball joint that should give you enough droop to get the strut out.
@@SN95ohh Hi, that makes sense ;) Thanks for your reply!
Hans Meiser I’ve read other guys have left that lower Clevis bolt in and undone the upper Clevis bolt and taken the axle nut off to slide the strut out. Several guys successfully did it without undoing the axle but one guy reported he accidentally yanked the axle out of the transfer case. Better to undo it.
What’s the trick of getting the lower clevis bolt to come out? Bang the tail end until it comes out? I’m having a hard time getting the bolt out.
Did you ever find out? This stopped me as well
Great video I am UK based and need to do the front struts on my 2010 WK 3ltr CRD. Assume they are all the same/similar?
Is it right hand drive or left hand drive? If it is left hand drive I would assume all is the same.
its RHD>..
@@SN95ohh
The stuff under the wings is the same, but there are differences to what you find under the bonnet.
Is this Jeep in Arizona? How is it not rusted solid like EVERY other WK's clevis bolt?
Haha no, Central Texas. Never sees snow/salt, not a lot of rain, and relatively low humidity. Even wrenching in junkyards around here isn’t bad.
Speed Shop Engineering, lucky! After watching your video I was like “This looks easy. Ok, no surprises.” Boy, was I wrong!! I’m in Minnesota. I’ve drenched it in PB, used a propane torch, impact driver, and recruited my 6’ tall 250lb father in law... Used my 3’ long Jack handle as a breaker bar (broke the bar)....
Oh jeez!! Heat is definitely your friend. In my experience with extremely rusty stuff, lots of fire and ATF/Diesel blend works eventually.
I was helping my brother replace his Miata hub and it was rusted together to the halfshaft splines. It took hitting it with a torch every hour and letting it soak in ATF while being under a few thousand lbs of force in the press overnight before it would even budge. I feel bad for all you guys in rusty parts of the country
do you do off roading how do u feel the new strut and spring
I don't off-road much with it since it is 2 wheel drive. Mostly my daily and I tow cars with it. The shocks and springs made such a huge difference. The ride is amazing with the shocks and the springs stiffened up the front and also leveled the suspension
Is that a s13 in the background
Friends project car. Maybe we should put long travel springs on it next? ua-cam.com/video/joeOZxmrNSA/v-deo.html
Did you have any issues with the lower bolt coming out?
No I did not. It loosened up fine and I just had to give it some light taps to get it moving.
It should be easy if you don't have the suspension loaded up.
I am having a very hard time with the lower bolt. It appears to be stuck with rust.. A hammer won't move it. I am currently letting it sit overnight with rust breaker on the area.
I've tried everything else, light pressure on the suspension and no pressure.
Any tips?
I did this 5 years ago, same struts too, now I have to do it again, unfortunately they are leaking and bottoming out.
@@eforbes8558 if that clevis bolt is binding you will never get it out, you have to line it up, try pushing down on the LCA while spinning the bolt or getting it started using a hammer and punch.
How did you get the bottom strut bolt out?
Exactly! The video skipped right over and there's no video that shows you that part. That bolt does not come out. The only way you can get that strut out with hand tools is to pry it down from the top once it's loose with the bar and Lead it forward out of the well and then bang on the bottom of the strut to get it to come up out of his sleeve. That is a lot of work this video does not show, nor does any video on this matter
For getting the ball joint back in, what did you do specifically?
Just put the balljoint back in the hole and tighten it up
@@SN95ohh Thanks for the reply. What about the bolt holding the clevis fork? Does it get pushed out or do you have to twist it off?
It can be pushed out but usually the threads on the bolt grab the hole and it will work it’s way out if you rotate it.
Did you have any issues with your ABS/traction control lights coming on after replacing your struts?
No I did not. If you had some problem you may have damaged the wire leading to the wheel speed sensor or disconnected it.
Thanks for the feedback. I took it to a shop to have the struts changed. While they changed the struts it’s now throwing those lights.
Oh yeah if a shop changed the struts I would definitely check over their work and see if there is any damage to the wheel speed sensor and wiring.
Did they do any other work besides changing the struts?
How do you like them ? I put Monroe quick struts in mine and they suck
They are excellent. Night and day difference from the worn stock struts
I put in Monroe struts and within a week, one of the leaked and spewed oil all over the passenger side suspension. So, I replaced everything with an Old Man EMU spring and strut. The ride is much better and I expect it will last longer than those Monroes.
@@SN95ohh I just put in the set up you are running , truck sits noticeably higher in the front , I like it . 😀
I was watching specifically on how you removed the bottom shock bolt,you skipped right over it,I couldn't get mine out.?
It appears as though those bolts are prone to rusting and I’m one of the few lucky ones without a rust issue on my Texas Jeep. I was able to unthread it out no problems. I would suggest liberal amounts of some kind of penetrating oil and heat from a torch if you have one. That usually breaks up the rust
@@SN95ohh You got real lucky. 8 out of ten of those lower bolts are frozen solid to the metal inner sleeve of that lower bushing in the control arm. Most people wind up trashing the bushing getting the bolt out. Now I just figure that lower bushing and grade 8 bolt and nut into the price of the strut replacement. It's usually past it's prime by the time you need struts anyway
@@shanejackson6856 I attempted to lift my 2007 GC a few months ago and had to drill out the bolt and sleeve in the lower control arm. Replaced one side and stopped lifting. I am looking to do the other side in the next week or so. Fingers crossed that bolt and sleeve are easier. Penetrating oil DID NOT help me. It took drilling all the way through the bolt and then collapsing the sleeve, then replacing both to fix it.
Why did you skip over the part where you removed the bottom strut Bolt? Because when I did this job that bolt would not come out. The only way that I could get the strut to come out was by compressing it and leaning it out and banging it from the bottom out of the sleeve. I could get the nut off of that bolt, but that boat would not come out...
I skipped over that part because my bolt came out with zero issues. It wasn’t until I made this video that I learned that everyone else’s Grand Cherokees have serious rust issues. I must be the only one with a rust free GC
That bottom piece is not called him out. It’s called a clevis and they’re $900 apiece.
0:45 not front transmission?
It’s 2wd
the rear shocks are so easy i installed mines in 30 minutes. Id rather pay to get the front installed lol too much work
Calculator watch
Way to skip the most important part of the video likes its nothing 😂 WOW!?!?
For the love of god, if any of you are replacing your struts then also replace the jounce bumper. It’s $8… thank me later.
Stop the nonsense, Just purchase new struts, why deal with this time consuming task which is unnecessary, and could possibly be harmed if your not familiar with possible problems..
Who hurt you? Purchase new struts you say? I did just that….what are you trying to tell me?
@@SN95ohh I am 72 years, a Nam Vet 68/69 punk and what is it with you people under 55 who can't take constructive criticism, you must have been given a trophy for loosing when you were a little spoiled boy? You're a waste of time and energy. No need to compress spring...Just by KYB struts with spring damn it.
@@adorablyadorable5665damn you really are an angry man over the fact he reuses he’s coils? He did replace the “Strut” maybe why waste money if you don’t need too but since this was comment is from 2 years ago. RIP…
the rear shocks are so easy i installed mines in 30 minutes. Id rather pay to get the front installed lol too much work
The rear shocks really are a walk in the park lol