Ford Focus Struts & Stabilizer Links Replacement How-To

[@bsintzel]

Excellent video. You saved me from putting out over $1000 at the dealership. The wife is very happy about that and you know what they say -- a happy wife means ....I get some tonight ;)

[@BLUECOLLARGARAGE]

😂 thank you.

[@johnrockley9472]

Great video. It so clearly shows 'buggerations' that you experience doing something that appears reasonably straightforward!

[@Dhi-fe5eu]

Great video. Spoke clearly and showed every step.

[@heinobrummer1044]

For anyone watching this that wants to replace their shock absorbers, I found a hack that makes getting the shocks in and out of that annoying pressure fitted piece on the wheel hub. When you take out the bolt that contracts the fitting around the bottom of the shock absorber just start threading it in at the opposite end of where it came out and put a flat spanner in the slit where he put the pry bar in so the bolt pushes against the spanner and opens the slit up. Made a huge difference and getting in the new shock was essentially just dropping it in with gravity. Did this on my Focus ST250 '13 today.

[@iannye6054]

Excellent video to help me prep for this job on my 2012. Concise and clear.

[@sadfur8728]

31:27 if you have both wheels up and the steering unlocked, you may be able to turn it back and forth to allow it to align and drop in. If the knuckle isn't able to turn it makes it harder to align and drop in. A hard shove at the top of the brake rotor should then allow it to push the strut up a bit. Lightly fasten the lug nuts when working to keep the rotor right on the hub. That's also a good precaution to prevent rust flakes from dropping in between the rotor and causing runout -

[@simpleinstants]

Great video. I'm replacing my strut in my Ford Fusion, I think the process is pretty similar. Thanks for creating this material!

[@alexnelson8]

Wouldn't you want to torque the axle nut before putting it on the ground to preload the bearing? I know that's the case with other cars, but my Ford workshop manual doesn't say. Thank you for the quality videos. Definitely the best I have found.

[@georgevue8175]

Well made video - Using anti-seize is a great idea. I just replaced my struts & wow it rides like new again. However I think I under-tightened the top strut nut on the passenger side because it makes a clunking sound when turned all the way to one side at a standstill when backing up. I under-tightened it because when it was torqued down all the way the top assembly would not turn & I thought the bearings were being damaged so I loosened it by ¾ of a turn. With the anti-seize it will be no big deal because it will come out easily so I can torque it down proper.

[@trdshortbus8009]

If they’re already sliding down with a Mallot you mines as well just continue love tapping it until it drops THAN go loosen the top bolts

[@davelosonczy1537]

Ty😊

[@TP-zm2rb]

The shock bearing direction??

[@engr.charlesadefemi9167]

after changing the front shock absorber, the front height has increased making the car to loose it beauty

[@sadfur8728]

Maybe get a battery terminal puller to pull the wiper arms off instead of wrestling with it and stressing the mechanism-

[@ygu4322]

👍

[@jessicabakerseuk]

Please do not start hitting the drive shaft. To do this job there is no need to remove the drive shaft nut. It can be a little tricky to get the shock into the knuckle. Normally with some playing around with angles, you will suddenly find one where it just starts to go, then angle the wheel hub until the base of the shock really starts to locate. Another step he missed is there is a tab at the rear of the shock, that needs to line up with the gap in the knuckle and slide in the slot, where the stop bolt goes. Often the shock won't slide in, if the tab is not quite aligned. Different brands of shock/strut for some reason use a different thickness of metal for the tab so you may need to open up the slot as needed. The main thing when fitting FT Shocks is a lot of wriggling, twisting and some tapping. Note tapping not bashing it. 20 taps is better than one whack. We are mechanics, not building demolition workers. If you have one an air hammer, wound down to minimum force, high speed, is excellent for this job. When Im in my workshop, I often use the smallest hammer which on mine is around about a 1inch. If not then just lots of gentle with a hammer you would use to put a nail into a soft wood. Plenty of CU slip before putting the shock into the knuckle helps a lot. As it goes keep giving it a spray with something such as plus gas ( a penetrating oil ) or WD40 etc. That keeps it sliding. I would never use an elect device on the spring compressors. That type are dangerous at the best of times. There are a lot of forces involved. Take them slow and careful. If your on the floor be careful where you place your legs and feet etc, just in case they go pop. They will normally, sadly not always, fire in a line off the end of the strut. Keep clear of that. The coil compressors should be directly opposite each other, which helps to keep them safer. If you can rent one, a floor-standing spring compressor is a lot safer. They cost a lot so not worth it for a home mechanic. In the UK some tool shops will rent them out. These days, for most popular cars a complete assembled strut is available for not too much more than the cost of the shock. Think about it, the spring has done just as much work as the shock, so why not replace both at the same time. Makes sense. Another point is please as with brakes, never replace only one side, always do them as a pair! That is very important. As it happens, Im have just completed replacing the whole FT steering, suspension, brakes the full monty on a mk1 focus. A complete pair of struts, £135. A pair of shocks only, are £95. Neither are the cheapest, they are of mid-price reasonable quality. Hope my comments help keep you safe.

[@georgegeorgel7254]

The rubber stopper must go inside the bearing u should remove the dust proof first in order to fit it

[@georgevue8175]

Update - I had to remove the new struts because I under-tightened the top nut that holds the bearing assembly into place, plus I waited to torque the 3 top bolts until the car was resting on the ground. When done the rear shocks felt horrible in comparison so I also replaced those & the end result is for fairly cheap $$$ the car rides like new again.

[@BLUECOLLARGARAGE]

Good to hear thanks for the update.