1986-1993 Volvo 240 Front Struts Replacement

Step 1

Repair step

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• Jack up the front of the car and place it on jack stands.
• Never work on or underneath a car that is only supported by a jack. The jack may slip or fail, resulting in serious injury or even death.
• Use an impact wrench or tire iron to remove the five 19 mm lug nuts from the front wheel.
• Pull the front wheel off the wheel lugs and set it aside.

Step 2

Repair step

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iF

TOOL USED ON THIS STEP 24 mm Impact Socket Referenced by the iFixit guide

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iF

TOOL USED ON THIS STEP Socket Wrench Referenced by the iFixit guide

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• Use a socket wrench or impact gun to remove the 15 mm nut on the front sway bar endlink.

Step 3

Repair step

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iF

TOOL USED ON THIS STEP Socket Wrench Referenced by the iFixit guide

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• The front brake lines are attached to the body by a small bracket near the strut.
• Grab the front edge of the bracket with a pair of locking pliers.
• Without the locking pliers to hold the bracket in place, it may twist back and forth. This twisting could fracture the rigid brake lines.
• Remove the 12 mm bolt that holds the bracket in place with a socket wrench.

Step 4

Repair step

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iF

TOOL USED ON THIS STEP 24 mm Impact Socket Referenced by the iFixit guide

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iF

TOOL USED ON THIS STEP Socket Wrench Referenced by the iFixit guide

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• Use a socket wrench or impact gun to remove the 19 mm tie rod end nut.

Step 5

Repair step

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iF

TOOL USED ON THIS STEP Socket Wrench Referenced by the iFixit guide

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• Place a tie rod end puller over the exposed threads of the tie rod end and turn the puller with a socket wrench to push the tie rod end out of the steering knuckle.

Step 6

Repair step

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iF

TOOL USED ON THIS STEP 18 mm Box End Wrench Referenced by the iFixit guide

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• The ball joint is held to the control arm by three 18 mm bolts.
• Remove the bottom two nuts with a breaker bar or long wrench.
• Place a breaker bar over the gold nut on the bottom of the control arm.
• The breaker bar alone will not be able to loosen the nut, since the bolt is free to rotate.
• Place an 18 mm box end wrench over the bolt on top of the control arm.
• Turn the breaker bar and the wrench in their respective counterclockwise directions to loosen and remove the third ball joint-to-control arm bolt.

Step 7

Repair step

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• Place a jack underneath the ball joint to support it once you remove the 3 ball joint-to-control arm bolts.

Step 8

Repair step

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iF

TOOL USED ON THIS STEP 13 mm Deep Socket Referenced by the iFixit guide

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iF

TOOL USED ON THIS STEP 24 mm Impact Socket Referenced by the iFixit guide

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• Open the hood and locate the three strut mounting bolts on the strut tower.
• Make an alignment mark on the shoe at the dimple in the top of the strut tower before removing the mounting nuts.
• Use a ratcheting socket wrench or impact wrench with a 13 mm deep socket to remove the three nuts.

Step 9

Repair step

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• Slowly lower the jack and guide the strut assembly down and out of the car.

Step 10

Repair step

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• Place spring compressors on opposite sides of the spring.
• Make sure you are using spring compressors that are meant for MacPherson struts. Internal-type spring compressors will not work.
• Alternate tightening the spring compressors evenly until you are able to move the entire spring up and down.

Step 11

Repair step

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• Use an impact wrench to remove the 24 mm nut at the top of the strut assembly.
• Remove the strut mount from the strut assembly.

Step 12

Repair step

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• Remove the upper spring seat and pull the spring off the strut assembly.
• If you are installing new springs you will need to remove the spring compressors. Loosen each spring compressor evenly, alternating from side to side until they are off the spring completely.
• When installing new springs you will need to compress them with the spring compressors before placing them on the strut assembly.
• If you are reinstalling the same springs you may keep the compressors in place until it is time to reassemble the suspension.

Step 13

Repair step

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• Remove the rubber bump stop from the strut assembly.

Step 14

Repair step

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• Use a large adjustable wrench or pair of groove joint pliers to remove the strut gland nut.

Step 15

Repair step

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• Grab the top of the strut and pull it out of the strut assembly.