Questions and Answers
A Change Of Struts
Q. Vince, I would like to change the struts on my car:
1993 Honda Civic Del Sol Si
4 cylinder 1.6 liter
5-Speed transmission
74,000 Miles
Fuel Injection
P/S, P/B, Cruise control
Rack and Pinion SteeringA friend of mine who has done struts on Subarus and Volkswagens has offered to help, but I'd like to get a good idea of what's involved before jumping in.
The guy at my local tire shop suggested I should use Tokico non-adjustable struts, and put on H&K Springs since my stock ones are sagging in the back. He'd love to do it for about $400.00 labor plus parts, but I'd rather do it myself and save the difference (if it's not too bad). Please let me know what is involved and things to watch out for.
Thanks!
A. Tokico is what that car came with, so I don't understand why he's recommending OEM. But then again, it could be me.
You can use any good heavy duty strut such as Monroe or Gabriel. Most come with a lifetime warranty so if they should go bad in the future you can get new ones. Now about the springs, is he measuring the actual height or is he looking, like, across the parking lot? Maybe you have a lot of stuff in the trunk?
If replacement springs are necessary, then I would go with OEM springs. That's always my preference. Of course you can use an aftermarket spring as well if you prefer.
Replacing struts is not a difficult job, but it can be a dangerous one. You are compressing springs which can be, potentially, life threatening. You must be very careful on what tools you use to compress them and make sure you are using the tool correctly. Threat the compressed spring with care. I put the compressed spring in a metal garbage can while I swap the struts just in case it decides it wants to pop.
But, outside of the springs, the job is fairly simple and straight forward. I don't see why you and your friend can't do it yourselves.
Additional Information provided courtesy of ALLDATA
