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There is nothing in the diagram short of the mounting bolt on the bottom and the nuts on top that can be replaced without removing the entire strut. Nut 9 and ring 5 sandwitch the entire assembly under pressure of the spring.
Looks that way. But i was hoping someone as ingenious as I am, could have tried raising the car and putting on jack stands, jacking up the suspension with the defective part on the control arm, removing the top shock nut while the strut assy on the car, lowering the jack on the control arm until the shaft goes through the shock mount, pushing the shaft still a bit lower until the foam insert could be inserted.
The top nut holds everything together. If it is removed while suspension is still in car, the lower part of suspension should separate from the up shock mount. Is this a correct assumption?
The top nut holds everything together. If it is removed while suspension is still in car, the lower part of suspension should separate from the up shock mount. Is this a correct assumption?
That is correct. So..... what you could do.... ..... is remove the bottom bolt to the shock. To do this, on my 997.2, you need to compress the spring (although after I did this, I found you may not have to so try it without compression first). But, to get that bolt off of a .2 is remove a bolt from a control arm that is in the way. Then torque that arm down to get at the bolt. Then, after you unscrew the bolt a ways, you will then need to put a floor jack under the shock but just use the edge of the jack to grab the edge of the shock flange to get the bolt all the way out. Then, at the same time, jam a huge screw driver between the control arm and bottom of the shock (this screwdriver is key to getting it all back together).
With the jack, remove some of the pressure from the shock... even with spring compressors, the shock is pushing down on the control arm from pressure inside the piston... that is why you need the jack. (The screw driver keep the whole thing from going "sprong!". Once you get the bolt out, the unit will swing... well sort of.
Then with a sharpie, put marks on the various washers and mounts so you can get them back as they will all spin out of control. Then remove that top shaft nut and, just maybe, the whole thing will fall out and apart.
So.... what did this get you? Besides maybe not working, you preserve the alignment.... although you could have done this by marking the nut positions on the chassis from above. The downside is that I think you are asking for trouble and that shock is going to be way more difficult to reassemble. Taking the top three nuts off takes a whole 5 minutes and you can pull the whole assembly out.
I can't believe I just wrote all of the above.... sheesh. Slow night.
Oh, that top nut is different with PASM or not. With PASM, there is a lock tab so the top shaft nut will simply unscrew from inside the cabin with no drama. Oh and you have disconnect the PASM cable inside the cabin... real easy.
One last point: removing this shock is a pain in ***. Simply put. You are asking for trouble. It can be done, I did it, but you should do it according to Hoyle and remove the whole darn thing.
I went back and looked at the links I used before I did my work and the rears of a 997.2 are different than a .1 particularly loosening that top nut as it looks like a non-PASM, the nut will spin the shaft and the bottom attachment is very different.
Thanks Bruce for giving insights to this thought. The shock dampers in my car are shot ang I just don't want to remove do a realignment jut to replace those foam pieces. Car tracks so tru and sure footed now I don't want to mess with the settings.
Thread revival for a question. 2009 997.2 S with 76k miles. While at the shop took a look at the suspension and found both front shocks to have a worn out part 7 in the diagram above. Car ride is rough but not terrible and I don't have a comparison really. Improved dramatically with new tires and I'v been planning on getting the DSC controller at some point. Indy suggested that all 4 shocks will probably need changing due to age/milage. Quote was about 5k for parts and labor. What do you guys think? Ignore till they're gone vs try DSC first vs change all 4 or get a non OEM set up? Thanks a lot.
I think you are being scammed. I don;t think part 7, the bellows is worn out.... at least from what I can see. Your suspension is not loaded... when you set the car down, it should mate up fine.
Regarding shocks requiring replacement due to age and miles..... IMO, you only have to replace them if they are leaking... something that will be obvious if you look closely.
BTW, I got... don't really remember... about 170K miles on my Boxster shocks. Even then they really did not need replacing as I broke a spring, so one neurosis led to another and I ended up replacing all four shocks and springs (just can't do one now can ya?). The car ran pretty much the same way... so even the neurotic voice in my head that said the "shocks deteriorate with age" was just another lie to myself. To be fair to other's opinions, there is a strong contingent the feel shocks can wear out without leaking.... not my experience but possible ("in the olden days" things were different but IMO, not with the newer shock systems... they are pretty good now).
Bruce is right. First of all, $5k to replace your shocks all around is a ridiculous price.
Secondly, part number 7 is just a plastic bellows that, based on your picture, is perfectly fine. Even if it was "worn out", it doesn't mean that the shocks need replacing. It's just a cover to protect the polished shaft of the shock from water and debris. It's not mission-critical.
The only part of Bruce's post I disagree with is the idea that a shock must be leaking to be worn out. While leaking shocks should be replaced, shocks can be worn out without having an external, visible leak. There are internal valves and seals that can wear out and the shock will stop working effectively with no external leakage. BUT, there are easy ways to diagnose bad shocks that you can do on your own without taking the word of someone who seems to be trying to stick it to you.
I have had shocks that were still just fine at 100k miles and shocks that wore out at 65-70k. I don't have enough experience with 911 shocks to tell you what the average life-expectancy is. As a point of reference, I drive my car ('09 C2) every day, on pretty rough roads. I drive pretty aggressively. My car has almost 76k miles on it. I think my shocks are fine and probably have several thousand miles left in them.
Agree with others, shocks are probably fine. But you do say the ride is a little rough.
Since you have a S, first check that PASM is working properly. Is the handling and ride noticeably different with PASM on versus off? If PASM is not working for some reason it defaults to full stiff, might explain it.
Although shocks are probably fine there are rubber bits in the suspension that might be going or gone. Common ones on the front axle are the lower control arm bushings and strut top mounts. The LCA's are not too bad to replace, and can be fairly inexpensive if you go aftermarket (TRW is an OEM supplier). Strut tops though mean the shock tower comes out so plan on that when you eventually do the shocks.
Thank you all. Turning on PASM certainly changes the ride so I think it's still good. I should probably find a new Indy (many in Houston to choose from) Will get the DSC.
02-24-2016, 01:00 PM
Can shock damper be replaced without removing the shock and shock carrier
