Warning: Shock absorbers must be replaced in pairs, even if only one is faulty. Do not remove both shock absorbers at the same time while the vehicle is raised, as excessive lowering of the rear suspension beam may cause damage to the brake lines and hoses. To avoid this, install stands under the rear suspension arms.
To complete the work you will need a support for the car.
The need to perform the work is determined during the inspection of the technical condition of the rear suspension (see "Checking the technical condition of the rear suspension").
Full diagnostics of shock absorbers is impossible without special stands. You can check the technical condition of the shock absorber yourself only by external signs:
- when operating, the shock absorber knocks or makes another extraneous sound;
- the working fluid is leaking;
- mechanical damage (dent on the body, burrs or corrosion on the stem, deformation of the stem).
If the listed faults are detected, the shock absorber must be replaced.
Recommendation. If you have any doubts about the serviceability of the shock absorbers, it is better to remove them and check them one by one, pushing the rod in and out several times. This type of inspection allows you to identify faulty shock absorbers with a higher probability than when they are installed on the vehicle. Tensile strength should be three to four times greater than compressive strength. The rod should move smoothly throughout its entire stroke. At the same time, the shock absorbers should not make gurgling or other extraneous sounds (except for the barely audible sound of liquid flowing). The gas-filled shock absorber rod should move smoothly out of the housing without any outside assistance. If any symptoms of malfunction are detected, the shock absorbers must be replaced. If even a slight difference in the operation of the shock absorbers is felt, then they also need to be replaced.
Removal
1. Prepare the vehicle for work and hang the rear of the vehicle on stands or install the vehicle on an inspection ditch or overpass (see "Preparing the car for maintenance and repair").
Recommendation. If the work is performed on a horizontal surface (without overpass and inspection ditch), then for convenience you can remove the rear wheels.
2. Place a support under the lever and lower the car slightly using the jack.
3. Using a 16 mm socket wrench, unscrew the two shock absorber mounting bolts.
4. Using a 21 mm wrench, unscrew the mounting bolt...
...and remove the shock absorber.
5. Clamp the shock absorber rod! and use a 13 mm wrench to unscrew the rod nut.
6. Remove the upper support, compression buffer and protective cover from the shock absorber rod.
7. Remove the protective cover from the buffer.
8. Inspect all removed parts. We replace worn or damaged parts.
9. Inspect the removed shock absorber. If there are signs of fluid leakage or the lower mount bushing is badly worn, replace the shock absorber.
10. By fully extending and retracting the shock absorber rod, we check its functionality. If you feel dips, jerks, or hear extraneous sounds when moving the rod, replace the shock absorber.
11. Before installing a new shock absorber, bleed it in accordance with the instructions included with it.
12. Install the shock absorber in the reverse order.
13. We replace the second shock absorber in the same way.