986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners - View Single Post - Time for a strut replacement - I have a DIY to follow, but looking for extra tips...

jakeru · 03-07-2016, 10:03 PM

Ok, Steve, now that you've got your shocks ordered, it's time to move on to the installation tips and planning other parts of the project.

I like the "boxster hacks" suspension DIY article you linked to the most out of the ones I found online, but here's another one from pelican you might want to also check out, FYI:
Porsche Boxster Shocks & Spring Replacement - 986 / 987 (1997-08) - Pelican Parts Technical Article

Also, I'm not sure if you already have a balljoint removal tool, but if not, and you are looking for a good deal on one, I had great results modifying the following seemingly excellent quality and economical tool from harbor freight, by grinding the inside diameter and width between lower fork halves out to 26mm ID. (If you have that done before you start the project, it will help the project go faster and smoother)
3/4" Forged Ball Joint Separator
Without modification, this tool will fit the tie rod ends perfectly, but it needs clearancing to fit around the wider ball joints. (And after clearancing for the ball joint, it will still work just fine on the tie rod ends). Grease the threads and the metal-on-metal contact points with some good quality EP grease (cv joint grease is perfect) to the threads while you're at it, and those ball joints won't stand a chance and I'm sure this quality-made tool will last a lifetime. Make sure to fully engage the tool around the joint *before* screwing it down, to make sure you have leverage working in your favor.

Don't try to cut corners by removing the struts without disconnecting the knuckle/bearing carrier from the other components, as IME, it just won't work. IME, loosening but not removing the coffin arm to vehicle body mounting bolt was necessary to get it to swing down low enough to disconnect the knuckle from the balljoints, (and also I think I got a bit of upwards motion somehow on the knuckle from the floorjack), and although while I think I left the trailing arms bolted to the coffin arms, this may have overworked the range of motion on the trailing arm monoballs a bit (I still had to apply pretty good downwards force on the end of the coffin arm to get enough clearance to get the knuckle clear of the the balljoint), so in your case where you have brand new trailing arms, I'd probably also disconnect them from the coffin arms so your brand new (and tight) monoballs don't get stressed.

Another corner that's not worth trying to cut: don't try to install the spring compressor while the struts are still in the car, as the fenders are just too tight around the struts. Get the struts off the car before installing the spring compressor.

Definitely plan to have an alignment done after replacing the shocks.

I managed to successfully restore the front bearing plates, by basically cleaning them out completely and repacking them with fresh grease. Recommend having some silicone grease on hand for that as there are a bunch of plastics and butter-soft, rubbery seals that I got the feeling that a conventional petroleum-based grease could attack. (Also the original grease there seemed based on silicone to me)

I replaced my front strut mounts, but the originals were in good enough shape they could have easily been reused. Reused the rears, which were also in excellent shape. Kind of hard to predict which rubber bits may still be in good shape, but it comes down to inspecting closely for any cracks or tears. For any rubber engine mount, coolant hose, or suspension component that had motor oil or (normal/petroleum-based) grease on it for a length of time, there is a good chance it's degraded enough it should just go ahead and be replaced.

I freshened up and reused all my balljoints and tie rod ends by unclipping the small ends of the boots, depositing plenty of fresh grease deep down inside the boot (using a toothpick to insert dabs of grease), and rotating them 90 degrees. But putting this kind of attention into your suspension project (to refurbish older but still salvageable/serviceable parts, instead of simply replacing) will definitely extend how long the project will take.

Good time to closely inspect and consider replacing any torn cv boots. (My inner cv boots were starting to go and have a few cracks, but I decided I would tackle them later on). So far, no signs of any problems on my wheel bearings. I managed to leave the axles connected to the rear wheel bearing carrier/knuckles, by the way - but I did disconnect the the inner cv joints from transmission output flanges. Make sure your inner cv joint bolts don't have their allen heads stripped out, or otherwise you should have some replacements ready to go. I also left the e-brake cables connected. Hope this helps - best of luck and hope the FSDs work well for you!

03-07-2016, 10:03 PM	#14
jakeru Registered User Join Date: May 2015 Location: Greater Seattle, WA Posts: 534	Ok, Steve, now that you've got your shocks ordered, it's time to move on to the installation tips and planning other parts of the project. I like the "boxster hacks" suspension DIY article you linked to the most out of the ones I found online, but here's another one from pelican you might want to also check out, FYI: Porsche Boxster Shocks & Spring Replacement - 986 / 987 (1997-08) - Pelican Parts Technical Article Also, I'm not sure if you already have a balljoint removal tool, but if not, and you are looking for a good deal on one, I had great results modifying the following seemingly excellent quality and economical tool from harbor freight, by grinding the inside diameter and width between lower fork halves out to 26mm ID. (If you have that done before you start the project, it will help the project go faster and smoother) 3/4" Forged Ball Joint Separator Without modification, this tool will fit the tie rod ends perfectly, but it needs clearancing to fit around the wider ball joints. (And after clearancing for the ball joint, it will still work just fine on the tie rod ends). Grease the threads and the metal-on-metal contact points with some good quality EP grease (cv joint grease is perfect) to the threads while you're at it, and those ball joints won't stand a chance and I'm sure this quality-made tool will last a lifetime. Make sure to fully engage the tool around the joint before screwing it down, to make sure you have leverage working in your favor. Don't try to cut corners by removing the struts without disconnecting the knuckle/bearing carrier from the other components, as IME, it just won't work. IME, loosening but not removing the coffin arm to vehicle body mounting bolt was necessary to get it to swing down low enough to disconnect the knuckle from the balljoints, (and also I think I got a bit of upwards motion somehow on the knuckle from the floorjack), and although while I think I left the trailing arms bolted to the coffin arms, this may have overworked the range of motion on the trailing arm monoballs a bit (I still had to apply pretty good downwards force on the end of the coffin arm to get enough clearance to get the knuckle clear of the the balljoint), so in your case where you have brand new trailing arms, I'd probably also disconnect them from the coffin arms so your brand new (and tight) monoballs don't get stressed. Another corner that's not worth trying to cut: don't try to install the spring compressor while the struts are still in the car, as the fenders are just too tight around the struts. Get the struts off the car before installing the spring compressor. Definitely plan to have an alignment done after replacing the shocks. I managed to successfully restore the front bearing plates, by basically cleaning them out completely and repacking them with fresh grease. Recommend having some silicone grease on hand for that as there are a bunch of plastics and butter-soft, rubbery seals that I got the feeling that a conventional petroleum-based grease could attack. (Also the original grease there seemed based on silicone to me) I replaced my front strut mounts, but the originals were in good enough shape they could have easily been reused. Reused the rears, which were also in excellent shape. Kind of hard to predict which rubber bits may still be in good shape, but it comes down to inspecting closely for any cracks or tears. For any rubber engine mount, coolant hose, or suspension component that had motor oil or (normal/petroleum-based) grease on it for a length of time, there is a good chance it's degraded enough it should just go ahead and be replaced. I freshened up and reused all my balljoints and tie rod ends by unclipping the small ends of the boots, depositing plenty of fresh grease deep down inside the boot (using a toothpick to insert dabs of grease), and rotating them 90 degrees. But putting this kind of attention into your suspension project (to refurbish older but still salvageable/serviceable parts, instead of simply replacing) will definitely extend how long the project will take. Good time to closely inspect and consider replacing any torn cv boots. (My inner cv boots were starting to go and have a few cracks, but I decided I would tackle them later on). So far, no signs of any problems on my wheel bearings. I managed to leave the axles connected to the rear wheel bearing carrier/knuckles, by the way - but I did disconnect the the inner cv joints from transmission output flanges. Make sure your inner cv joint bolts don't have their allen heads stripped out, or otherwise you should have some replacements ready to go. I also left the e-brake cables connected. Hope this helps - best of luck and hope the FSDs work well for you! __________________ 2001 Boxster Last edited by jakeru; 03-07-2016 at 10:13 PM.