How to Replace Shocks and Struts on a Geo Prism
The struts on your Geo Prism are designed to control the rebound of the springs every time you go over an irregular road surface. This happens very frequently while driving, which causes the struts to wear over several thousand cycles of compressing and rebounding. When this happens, the struts lose their ability to control the rebound of the spring, creating a bouncy and uncomfortable ride. Worn struts can also increase braking times because the inertia of the vehicle is transferred to the front of the vehicle during braking, possibly lifting the rear wheels off the ground slightly and reducing or eliminating their braking ability.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Jack
- Jack stands (4)
- Lug nut wrench
- Ratchet
- Sockets
- Spring compressor
- Locking pliers
- Wrench
- New struts
Instructions
-
-
1
Loosen the lug nuts on each wheel with a lug nut wrench located in the trunk of your Prism.
-
2
Jack the car and place it on jack stands. Remove the wheels.
-
-
3
Follow one of the struts to where it meets the steering knuckle. Note that it is pinched in the knuckle by two bolts holding it in place. Remove these two bolts with a ratchet on one end and a wrench on the other to hold the nut.
-
4
Pull the strut out of the steering knuckle.
-
5
Open the hood and locate the studs of the strut tower protruding from the sheet metal on either side of the engine bay. Use a ratchet to remove the nuts. Be prepared for the strut assembly to drop. Remove the strut assembly from the car.
-
6
Place one side of the strut compressor on the upper portion of the spring and the other side of the strut compressor on the lowest portion of the spring, then tighten the compressor with a ratchet. This relieves pressure on the assembly and allows you to remove the strut. If you don't use a strut compressor, you can suffer serious injury from the strut hardware shooting dangerously upward toward you.
-
7
Place a wrench on the nut holding the strut tower on the strut then place locking pliers on the top of the strut so that the strut doesn't spin when you try to remove the nut. Loosen the nut with your left hand; hold the locking pliers with your right.
-
8
Pull the strut out of the assembly and place the new one in it. Tighten the nut that holds the strut to the strut tower.
-
9
Decompress the spring gradually until it pushes against the strut at the bottom and the strut tower at the top.
-
10
Place the assembly in the wheel well, push the studs of the strut assembly through the sheet metal in the engine bay then screw the nuts onto the threads to hold up the strut assembly. Tighten the nuts with a ratchet.
-
11
Place the strut in the steering knuckle and tighten the two bolts that you removed earlier.
-
12
Reattach the wheel. Repeat the process on the three other corners of the car. The only difference for replacing the struts in the rear is that instead of raising the hood to access the nuts holding the strut assembly in place, you will enter the trunk and remove the plastic trim covering the nuts. It will be located directly above the strut assembly. It's a circular disc that can be removed by prying between the disc and the interior trim.
-
13
Raise the car high enough to clear the jack stands. Remove the jack stands and lower the car to the ground.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Sometimes holding the strut with vise grips at the top of the strut does not work. If it doesn't, try holding the strut from the strut rod instead.
Wear safety glasses to protect your eyes.
