How to Change the Shocks on a 2007 Civic

The eighth-generation Civic, which began in 2006 and continues through 2012, was far and away the most contemporary Civic to date. Honda ditched its typical conservative look for its popular compact vehicle and gave it the modern look buyers were looking for. The 2007 Civic came standard with a 140-horsepower, 1.8-liter engine, and the Si trim level had a 197-horsepower 2.0-liter engine. All trim levels of the 2007 Civic came with front MacPherson struts and a rear double wishbone suspension system that used two shock absorbers. Replacing these rear shock absorbers is a straightforward task that requires removing the interior truck trim to access the upper mounting hardware.

Things You'll Need

• Flat-head screwdriver
• Ratchet
• Socket set
• Floor jack
• Allen key wrench set
• Combination wrench set
• Torque wrench
• Crowfoot attachment

Instructions

1. Fold the rear seats forward. Open the trunk. Find the plastic trim panel on the front-most part of the spare tire cover. Grab the rearmost part of this panel and pull it upward and toward the front of the vehicle to unfasten its retaining clips. Remove the panel.

2. Lift upward on the spare tire cover and pull it from the trunk.

3. Find the slit in the trunk weatherstripping, near the rearmost part of the trunk. Pull the weatherstripping off the pinch weld around the trunk until the weatherstripping on just the front-most straight of the trunk's pinch weld remains attached.

4. Remove the trunk scuff panel, the plastic trim on the rear-most center part of the trunk that covers the trunk latch striker, by prying the top part of it toward the front of the Civic with a flat-head screwdriver.

5. Find the three screw-style retaining clips -- small plastic clips with plastic screws in the center -- securing the side trim panel in the trunk. Remove the screw in the center of each clip with a flat-head screwdriver, then pry each clip from the trunk’s trim.

6. Find the two push-style retaining clips securing the side trim panel in the trunk and pry them out with a flat-head screwdriver. Remove the trunk’s side trim panel, guiding the seatback release cable through the slot in the trim on two-door models or the wiring harness through the slot on four-door models.

7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 to remove the side trim panel on the other side of the trunk.

8. Loosen the lug nuts on the rear wheels with a ratchet and socket, and lift the rear of the vehicle with a floor jack. Slide jack stands under the rear suspension cross-member and lower the Civic onto the jack stands. Remove the lug nuts and pull the wheels off the rear of the Civic.

9. Slide the floor jack, so it is directly under where the trailing arm and the rear wheel knuckle connect, in line with the lower mounting bolt for the shock. Raise the jack until that side of the suspension compresses slightly.

10. Remove the lower mounting bolt from the shock, using a ratchet and socket.

11. Find the top of the shock absorber inside the trunk, just behind where the trunk’s side panel was. Position an Allen key wrench into the hole on the top of the shock’s upper mounting stud. Hold the Allen key wrench to prevent the stud from turning, then loosen the upper shock nut with a combination wrench.

12. Remove the Allen key wrench, then remove the upper shock nut by hand. Pull the metal washer and rubber bushing off the upper shock nut.

13. Press upward on the bottom half of the shock absorber to compress it to provide the clearance needed to remove it, remove the lower shock mount from its bracket on the rear wheel knuckle and pull the shock downward to remove it.

14. Slide one new upper shock bushing -- two new bushings come with the replacement shock -- onto the shock’s upper mounting stud, then guide the upper shock mounting stud through the hole in the body. Compress the shock slightly, then guide the lower shock mount into its bracket on the rear wheel knuckle.

15. Hand-thread the lower shock mounting bolt into the lower strut mount and its bracket. Raise the floor jack slightly until the rear suspension is slightly off the jack stands and torque the lower shock mounting bolt to 51 foot-pounds on an Si model Civic or 43 foot-pounds on all other model Civics, with a torque wrench and socket.

16. Slide a new upper shock mount bushing onto the upper shock mounting stud, then slide a new washer, which comes with the new shock, onto the bushing. Hand-tighten a new upper shock nut, which comes with the new shock, onto the upper shock mounting nut. Torque the upper shock mounting nut to 22 foot-pounds with a torque wrench and crowfoot attachment, while holding the upper shock mounting stud with an Allen key wrench.

17. Repeat steps 9 through 16 to replace the shock on the other side of the vehicle. You should always replace shocks in sets of two, or you may experience unstable handling.

18. Reinstall the trunk’s side trim and align its retaining clip holes with those in the trunk. Reinstall the two push-style pins and press them downward until their heads contact the trunk’s trim. Press the screw-style retaining clips into their holes in the trunk’s trim panel and tighten the center screw into each, using a flat-head screwdriver, until the screw is flush with the head of the clip. Repeat this step to reinstall the trim panel on the other side.

19. Align the clips along the top of the trunk’s scuff panel with the holes on the rearmost lip of the trunk. Press the scuff panel onto the rearmost lip of the trunk until its clips snap into place. Press the weatherstripping back onto the remainder of the rear-most part of the trunk’s pinch-weld.

20. Slide the spare tire cover back into place over the spare tire. Position the plastic trim panel back into place over the front-most part of the spare tire cover, aligning its retaining clips with the holes in the Civic’s trunk. Pivot the trim panel downward with moderate pressure until the retaining clips snap into place.

21. Fold the seats up and lock them into place.

22. Drive the Civic to a nearby automotive repair facility to have the alignment checked. It may not require adjustment, but it is best to have it inspected to avoid excessive tire wear in case you put it out of specification while replacing the shocks.

References

• Alldata: 2007 Honda Civic Suspension strut/Shock Absorber Service and Repair Rear Suspension
• Alldata: 2007 Honda Civic Trim Removal/Installation – Trunk Area
• Edmunds.com: Honda Civic History
• Edmunds.com: Honda Civic DX Sedan Features and Specs
• Edmunds.com: Honda Civic DX Coupe Features and Specs
• Edmunds.com: Honda Civic Si Coupe Features and Specs