MrOtocinclus

With the lease for my 2009 coming up, it's time to prepare for putting the stock springs back on the car. This thread will be a journal of that process.

My DIY history consists of a few oil changes, a transmission fluid change, and a brake pad replacement. In other words, I am a beginner when it comes to working on cars, and I would like to use this thread to reinforce what I learn, catalog my experience, and receive feedback from other users on the forum. Please feel free to chime in at any time!

MrOtocinclus

The first step I took was to go to www.helminc.com to download the relevant service manual pages to do the job. For $10, one can access the Honda/Acura ServiceExpress subscription, which includes access to various documents for various models of Honda/Acura cars. I downloaded the PDFs for front and rear damper removal and installation, and PDFs for front and rear spring disassembly and reassembly. I also downloaded other PDFs that I thought might be useful, such as how to clear your personal settings from the navigation system. I'll need that before turning in the vehicle at lease end.

ed_423

good luck sir, can't wait to see your work

question: assuming you are going to need a spring compressor, are you gonna rent one from an auto store?

MrOtocinclus

At the current stage of the project, I have studied the PDFs for damper removal and compiled a list of parts which I will need to procure. According to the manual, there are various nuts and bolts that need to be replaced when removing and replacing a damper. I plan to acquire these parts through the Honda eStore, where I get 20% off through my dealer.

Specifically, the parts are:

Front damper fork bolt, part#90121-S0A-000 (two, one for each side)
Front damper fork nut, part#90215-SB0-003 (also two)

The parts above connect the damper fork to the lower arm. The damper fork is what the front damper sits on.

Next, I need the nuts that attach the front damper to the shock tower under the hood. These are:

Shock absorber flange nut, part#90300-S84-A00 (six, three for each side)

Similarly, the nuts that attach the rear damper to the shock tower behind the seats need to be replaced:

Shock absorber flange nut, part#90300-SFE-010 (four, two for each side)

And, the rear analog to the front damper fork bolt, which the manual calls the "damper lower mounting bolt":

Flange bolt, part#90182-TA0-A00 (two, one for each side)

The reason that no nut goes with this bolt is that the rear damper has a built-in "nut" that is a part of the damper itself.

Next, there is a nut that the stabilizer link attaches to:

Flange nut, part#90002-TA0-A00 (two, one for each side)

The stabilizer link has threads like a bolt, which goes through the brake hose bracket and something called the "knuckle", with the flange nut above holding it all together.

Lastly, there is a nut that I believe holds each damper assembly together. I think this is the nut that would shoot out if you tried to disassemble a damper without spring compressors:

Nylon self-lock nut, part#90364-SG0-004 (four, one for each damper)

The parts will cost under $40 from my dealer.

In my next post I will examine what tools I think I will need to tackle this project.

MrOtocinclus

Thanks, Ed. Amazon sells the spring compressor for about $40, so I'm just going to buy them. Part of the reason I'm doing this is because I think I might do it again in the future, so I don't mind buying them now. Also, I'd rather not deal with the hassle of renting. Time is money!

HondoGermany

Good luck to your work
I hope to learn something in your posts

MrOtocinclus

^Thanks HondoGermany, I hope to learn something, too!

I received my end-of-lease letter today, so I figure I'd better update this thread and get going on this project. In my last post, I said that I would discuss what tools I think I'll need. First, the tools I already have:

154 piece Craftsman Mechanics Tool Set (Link to Sears)

I bought this awhile back for under $100. Being an amateur mechanic, this tool set is almost perfect for me. Why almost perfect? Well, when I did my brake job, it didn't have the 17mm box wrench that I needed. I bought a set with larger size wrenches from Costco for $14.95 to solve that. My one concern with this set now is that there won't be a hex wrench that fits the top of the damper to remove the nylon self-locking nuts, but I'll take my chances with the 11 hex wrenches that come with the set.

4 Blitz Tire Hugger wheel chocks (Link to Amazon)

I got these for $7.95/pair to do my oil changes. Use 2 per tire to keep the car from slipping while it's jacked up. I've read that it's easier to work on the suspension if the entire front or back is jacked up, versus working on a single corner at a time. So, I'll be jacking up the entire half of the car, and chock the wheels on the other half with these.

Craftsman Jack and Jack Stands (Link to Sears)

These were about $80 when I first got them. Shocking that they're now double the price on Sears. Anyway, this set (when on sale) is a nice way to get the tools required for working underneath your car. Always use jack stands when doing so!

I think these are some of the basic tools that any DIYer will or should have. In addition to these, I have some Mechanix gloves, eye protection, and PB Blaster. IMHO, wearing gloves makes the job a lot easier, and the PB Blaster will help with any frozen bolts.

That does it for tools that I already have. What other tools will I need for this job? Well, working on springs, you cannot safely be without a spring compressor. I'm also going to get a breaker bar, just in case it might come in handy.

Spring compressor from Amazon, $40
Breaker bar from Amazon, $27

These items received good ratings on Amazon, and shopping on the site is so easy, so I'm just going to get them from there. I realize I may be paying more than a real auto parts store, but again, I value convenience.

So, in addition to the $40 for the parts, I'll be spending $67 to complete this project.

Did I miss anything? If so, please let me know! I'll be ordering these ASAP.

The next thing I'm going to do is watch some videos online of other people changing their springs. I'm still nervous about the project which means I probably haven't gathered enough information yet. I'll update the thread when I'm ready to get my hands dirty!

KillerG

This is awesome and needs more attention. Thanks Mr.O!

ed_423

this thread should be sticky, and mroto should get some major points and evolve into superoto.

ttk5

lol @ super oto

MrOtocinclus

I finally have some time off from work this week, and I've scheduled Thursday to do the job. I've visualized the process countless times in my head, so I think I'm ready. I'm going to start with the fronts first, as other members on here have stated that it's easier than the rear. That way, if I need extra time to deal with issues in the rear, I won't have to worry about completing the front afterwards. Hopefully, I won't have to deal with the "have a friend stand on the rotor" issue that others have been having, as I'll be doing this by myself.

I did order the spring compressors and breaker bar. Here they are, along with the stock springs:



Another question I have is how to tell which spring belongs in which corner. The springs were not marked when they were removed. I do know that the "tapered" springs belong in the front. Looking closely, you can also see that the front springs are thicker in diameter, which makes sense when considering the weight distribution of the CU2. I'm just going to have to take one Eibach off at a time, and closely compare it with the stock spring to see which one matches.

Speaking of Eibach, here's a photo of the box:



The suspension hardware I ordered is waiting for me at the Acura dealership. I'll post photos of those after I've picked them up.

Lastly, I know I'm getting ahead of myself, but after the job is complete, I'm going to reward myself with one of these:

09TSXTech

^Missing photos... But good luck MrOto.

MrOtocinclus

^Thanks Tech, my photo host is down right now... I was going to post a thread in the black market, too, but I think I'll wait until the site is back up.

KillerG

too bad this wasnt last week xD i woulda picked these up when i was in cali two days ago

Terdbath

IMO the backs are alot easier than the fronts. Actually they are both pretty easy on this car but the fronts have more bolts to mess with. Also I dont think it matters with the springs as long as you got fronts in front and rears in the rear. The 2 times I swaped springs there wasnt any difference between passenger and driver side.

MrOtocinclus

Terdbath, that's reassuring. I'm scheduled to do the job tomorrow. Thank you.

MrOtocinclus

So, I went and picked up the parts today... organized them and then snapped a quick photo:



They gave me 2 extra 90300-S84-A00 for connecting the dampers to the front shock tower, and luckily they didn't screw up anywhere else. Also, the "nylon self locking nut" is actually metal, with a nylon ring inside of it.

MrOtocinclus

Something came up at work yesterday, so I didn't get to start the job until today. Unfortunately, I didn't make much progress. I'm super tired, so I'll just list some bullet points below:

- I will never blindly choose a shop to install springs or anything else ever again. This shop scratched up my brand new Enkeis, squashed one of my centering rings so that the wheel was lopsided and wobbly (then let me go on my merry way before a good Samaritan honked and pointed), and worst of all, they used an impact driver on my dampers. I ended up stripping the allen socket on the shock absorber trying to remove the nylon self-locking nut that is supposed to be torqued to 22 ft-lbs. That's like nothing and I couldn't budge it!

- In the future, if I ever encounter a frozen fastener, I will STOP and wait until I have the proper tool to remove it. Once I stripped the allen socket, I tried to keep going, and I tore up the top of the shock absorber. I'm probably going to have to get a new one.

- Suspension components are heavy. Wow, I really wasn't expecting how heavy the shock absorber assembly would be. It became really tiring when I couldn't pull it out cleanly.

- Removing and installing the shock absorber assembly is like fitting a jigsaw puzzle piece. The clearances are super tight and there's pretty much only one way to get it in/out of there.

- When trying to install the assembly, you can use your jack to jack up the rest of the suspension, to give yourself room to maneuver the assembly into the proper location.

- I am super glad that I got the breaker bar. It was a life saver.

So, I've only completed the front-left, and tomorrow I'll pay a visit to my in-laws to borrow some power tools to drill/cut off the frozen nut. Despite the setback, I made a lot of progress today in terms of learning the job. I gained valuable experience in case I ever want to install my own springs. And, you can rest assured that when I do, I'll torque the damn fasteners correctly!

MrOtocinclus

I just confirmed that there is no left/right differentiation when it comes to our springs. While ordering the new damper, I checked out the parts list and there is but a single part number for springs in the front and springs in the back. So, that is a relief.

The right damper part number: 51611-TL2-A01
Front springs: 51401-TL2-A12
Rear springs: 51621-S84-A01

I used brake cleaner to clean off the damper forks and some of the bolts, and now my nose has brake cleaner smell.

09TSXTech

MrOto, sorry to hear about the mishap.

You are correct about getting the right mechanic to get the job done properly. When I got my sports suspension from the UK, I ended up getting the Acura dealer to install them for $200. The technician was more than happy to do it as they have never seen an Aspec suspension kit for the 2G TSX.

Good luck in your remaining job, I am sure it will give you great satisfaction for doing it right.

MrOtocinclus

Thanks Tech, I appreciate it.

The parts advisor called me this morning and said that the strut will take a week to arrive from Honda in Torrance. So, it looks like I'll be taking public transportation this week!

After this, I can definitely see the appeal of complete coilover systems that come ready to install. Plug and play. Well, compressing springs isn't so bad, you just have to make sure you do it correctly both before and after. Another point is that changing springs usually isn't something that's done often.

Here's another tidbit that they don't tell you in the manual: when compressing the spring, how do you know when it's compressed enough so that you can take off the nut without killing yourself? When you can turn the spring and the lower mount independently. When the spring is expanded, it's pushing against the mounting cushion up top, and the lower mount below. It would be impossible to move the lower mount without the spring moving along with it. When you are able to move the lower mount, then you know that the spring is no longer expanding against the mounts, but against the compressors instead.

MrOtocinclus

Every story needs an ending, so here goes...

After my last post, it occurred to me that I might be able to borrow a damper from a local Aziner, so I sent out a bunch of PMs, and fortunately for me someone responded (I won't say his name without permission), and I was able to complete the fronts on Tuesday night. Even so, it was not a quick job because I had to compress two sets of springs by hand. To make things worse, I had a long day at work and was tired, and I forgot to line up the "top hat" with the notch on the bottom (now I know why there are those red, white, and blue dots on the stock springs from the factory), so I had to do it twice. I'm glad I got it done, though, because at that point I'd been without my car for a few days, and it was not fun.

Having had such a hard time compressing the springs and turning other fasteners, I decided to bite the bullet and bought myself a cordless impact wrench for working on the rears. I ordered it during the week, along with some impact sockets (must use the right sockets, can't use the hand tool ones). Boy was it a wise investment. It made quick work of those pesky nylon locking nuts on the top of the dampers. It was useful for underneath as well. For $200 off of Amazon, it was definitely a wise investment, and I was finally able to finish the job on Saturday.

Here are a couple of insights on working the rears:

- Don't follow the order of the steps in the service manual. The manual says to unbolt the top first, and then the bottom, and then lower the suspension to pull out the damper. That probably works on a new car, but for a car that's been on the road and exposed to all the dirt and dust and crap on the road, it's much better to unbolt the bottom first, so that you can then move the suspension up and down to loosen the damper from the bushing. Otherwise, if you unbolt the top first, the damper will move with the suspension when you try to pull it out.

- The "fat friend" issue: the service manual simply states "lower the suspension". HAHA. I can definitely appreciate the service manual writer's sense of humor. As stated in other threads, you need something or someone to help you lower the suspension while you pull out the damper. Luckily for me, I did the job in a pretty tight space, so on one side I just stood on the lugs and pushed against a wall. On the other side, though, I had no wall, but I did have the breaker bar with the jack handle slid on top of it. I stuck that into the "A" and then sat on it until I was able to pull out the damper. I guess you could say I'm fat.

Overall, I'm very happy that I went through with the project. The amount of information I learned was worth the "tuition fee" that I paid in terms of the tools and new damper. Now that I know how the whole thing works, I can basically do the same thing on all other Hondas that have the same type of suspension. I'm already planning what I want to do on my next car. Would I get springs again? Probably not, unless I was buying the vehicle and keeping it for the long haul. For a lease, it's definitely much less of a hassle to R&R a pre-assembled shock unit.

Lastly, thanks to all the members who have helped me learn about this from your one-off comments, posted pictures, and threads, including HeavyDuty, Saucy, and whatarussh. For anyone else who's posted about suspensions, I'm sure I learned something from your threads as well.

Next Wednesday: post-lease inspection!

ed_423

sad to see you go mroto. good luck to you and selling your old wheels.

btw, any idea on what the next car is?