If your car is knocking, driving a bit odd and you suspect it could be top mounts, jack the car up and put a lever under the wheel and puch it up and down. If there is play in the top mount and it's moving about they are gone.
Get yourself some decent ones. Febi, Lemforder or just go to the dealer. Don't do cheap ones fgs I killed some in 1300 miles!
Get the bearings too but they normally come with them.
Step one: Removing the shock:
Park it up, open the bonnet and undo the top mounts.
THE EASIEST ways to do this are go and buy yourself a deep socket to fit. Mine are 22mm but I think stock they are 24mm. Try to find one with a flat head, like a spark plug spanner. They are out there, or you could file the sides down like I now have. Or you can use deep swan neck spanners like
(Thanks Javalin) and one of these:
Jack the car up (somehow
) and put it on a stand on the subframe or something but NOT the wishbone.
Undo the two 18mm bolts and nuts and remove:
Undo this while holding the shock:
Now you can take it out:
Step two coming up in a bit but the lack of a 22mm deep socket and allen key has got me stuck.
STEP TWO: - Changing the mounts & bearing:
Pull the top mount off, it'll just come off:
Now undo the 22/24mm nut on the strut. WARNING. Mine are coilovers. Therefore all I did was wind them down and there was no pressure. If you have standard or even lowering springs you could need spring compressors. If you loosen this without them the nut will fly off, you will injure your self and won't get it back together.
If your spring is loose, you are fine, if it is under pressure and is tight you need some spring compressors:
Mine were a right fatherless son to undo, amazingly tight but in true Danny Monday style, we suceeded first one I hacksawed through the bearing carefully, second time:
Take the bearing off:
I now took the time to take the springs out and wire brush then re copper grease all the threads.
But put the new bearing on and put the nut back on (look at that arm
):
Pop the new mount on:
Pop it back in the strut tower:
Then put the two 18mms back in, if you put them both in then pull the strut towards you as you tighten them, this will give you 0 camber.
Still not finished yet, will update in a bit just finishing the other side. This only takes an hour with the right tools, two maybe if you've never done them before.
But the next step is to tighten up the top 22mm up nearly all the way, then put the wheel back on, put the car to the ground and tighten it up, then tighten it with the allen key in the middle.
Drive it round for about 20 miles then get it tracked.
Finished:
Ignore the missing cambelt cover.