How to Replace Rear Struts 2001-05 Honda Civic
Created on: 2016-05-11
Follow the straightforward steps in this video to replace the rear struts on the 01-05 Honda Civic
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step 1 :Accessing the Strut
- Remove the trunk carpet
- Unscrew the plastic retainer from the trunk trim
- Remove the two plastic clips from the trunk trim
- Pull off the trunk trim
- Remove the two 14mm nuts from the top of the strut
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step 2 :Removing the Wheel
- Loosen the lug nuts with the vehicle on the ground
- Raise the vehicle with a floor jack
- Secure the vehicle on jack stands
- Remove the four 19mm lug nuts
- Pull off the wheel
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step 3 :Removing the Strut
- Remove the 17mm bolt from the bottom of the strut
- Pull the strut out of the bracket with a pry bar
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step 4 :Installing the Strut
- Lift the strut into place
- Start the two 15mm nuts onto the top of the strut by hand
- Pull the suspension down with a pry bar
- Push the lower strut mount into place
- Insert the 13mm bolt into the lower strut mount
- Tighten the 13mm bolt
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step 5 :Reattaching the Wheel
- Slide the wheel into place
- Start the lug nuts by hand
- Tighten the lug nuts preliminarily
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step 6 :Fastening the Strut
- Lower the vehicle enough to put weight on the suspension
- Tighten the two 15mm nuts onto the top strut mount
- Put the trunk trim into place
- Push the two clips into the trunk trim
- Screw the retainer into the trunk trim by hand
- Put the trunk carpet into place
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step 7 :Fastening the Wheel
- Tighten the four lug nuts to 80 foot-pounds in a crossing or star pattern
- Lower the vehicle completely to the ground
Tools needed
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Torque Wrench
14mm Socket
15mm Socket
Rust Penetrant
Pry Bar
17mm Socket
Jack Stands
19mm Socket
3/8 Inch Drive Ratchet
Flat Blade Screwdriver
Ratchet
Floor Jack
Swivel
3/8 Inch Impact Gun
Brought to you by 1AAuto.com, your source for quality replacement parts and the best service on the Internet.
Hi, I'm Mike from 1A Auto. I hope this how-to video helps you out, and next time you need parts for your vehicle, think of 1AAuto.com. Thanks.
In this video, we're going to show you how to replace the rear struts on this 2003 Honda Civic, pretty much the same as any 2001 to 2005. We show you on the passenger side, but the driver side's the same procedure. You're going to need new struts from 1AAuto.com, 14 to 19mm sockets, ratchet and extension . air tools will help you if they're available, 3/8"? universal joint, flat-head screwdriver, pry bar, jack and jack stands, and penetrating oil.
Remove the rear carpet from the trunk. Unscrew the plastic retainer. Undo these two plastic clips. Remove the carpet from the side of the trunk you're working on. Remove the two 14mm bolts at the top of the strut.
Remove your four lug nuts with a 19mm socket.
Remove the 17mm bolt at the bottom of the strut. We're going to use a universal swivel and a 17mm impact socket, but this can also be done by hand with a socket and ratchet, or a 17mm wrench. Sometimes, these bolts won't want to come out, because they are under tension from the strut, or they're stuck to the rubber bushing inside. You can use an open-end wrench smaller than the head of the bolt to put a little pressure on it when you spin it out. Use a pry bar to pull the bottom of the strut out of the bracket, pull it right down.
Here we have our new part from 1Aauto.com. As you can see, we have the same upper and the same lower mounting locations. Our new part is a complete strut assembly, saving you the time and the risk of changing your coil spring from the old strut to new strut at home. This is going to go in, direct fit, and restore our original ride quality.
These struts are directional, so you're going to want to make sure that your top and bottom bolt locations line up before we tighten anything. Feed the strut up through the bottom into the mounting location, put the nuts on the top of the strut just finger-tight to make sure it doesn't fall out while we work on the bottom side. Put a pry bar with the hook-end down into the upper control arm on the body side of the car. We're going to pry the suspension down so we can line up our lower strut mount. Start your bolt by hand. Use that universal joint and 17mm socket to tighten the bottom bolt back up.
To reinstall the wheel, start them with the impact gun, leave room to torque later. Put some weight back on the rear tires without letting the vehicle completely off your jack or your lift. The new hardware supplied with our strut is a 15mm, so we'll need that to tighten the top of the strut mount back in. You may need a 3/8"? universal to reach the rear bolt. Reinstall the side carpet abd two retainers. Reinstall the lower carpet. With partial weight of the vehicle on your tire, torque your four lug nuts to 8 foot-pounds in a cross pattern.
Thanks for tuning in. We hope this video helps you out. Brought to you by www.1AAuto.com, your source for quality replacement parts and the best service on the Internet. Please feel free to call us toll-free, 888-844-3393. We're the company that's here for you on the Internet and in person.
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