Good video, helped a lot. Just a some more tips, #1 you can loosen the abs sensor connector so there is no chance to hit it when forcing the hub downwards with a hammer. #2 To give the damper some more play in the hub I screwed the damper hub bolt from the other way and seated against a metal plate, in this way the hub expands and there is basically no force needed to lower the hub from the damper. #3 Add some heat to the hub bolt area to don't make it snap, especially if the car has been driven on salty roads. But be careful not to put too much heat on the damper.
how ridiculous is this, just failed my MOT, front passenger side coil spring broken and one water jet broken, been quoted 2x £160 for both front coils and £60 to replace water jet, Arnold Shark! £380. Gonna do it myself, £23.99 for water jet and £33 for a pair of springs with discount code, whole job done myself for £57. Video has helped thanks alot!
Hi - I've been watching your vids for about 6 months now but never commented. So.......just wanted to say thanks really. You're a very polite and conscientious young man....your father must be very proud. I'm not into Vauxhall or Fords but still love the vids, I like motorbikes (Japanese) so I couldn't believe when a trike and an old Yamaha came along!!! You even use nice music and scenes of nature! I reckon your subs will continue to rocket, well done.
Just a mandatory tip, the peg on the bearing must be left aligned with the peg on the strut that fits the slot of the hub. If not, the spring load on the bearing will not be uniform. You can get the bearing to develop friction.
Hello, my english us not so good but as I understand your tip sounds like quite important but i don't understand it. Is there any picture or graphical show of what you said about bearung and strut peg's , left orientation etc. ? Thanks
@@CRBN74 f*ck i already changed the bearing and first now understand what you mean, i think. are you talking about that the top part of the spring is slightly tilted and bushing part on the bearing must be mounted correctly because of this?
Always replace shocks in pairs buddy. Even if the other side is still serviceable, it won't be as good as the new one and will likely be under more load now and will wear out soon 👌 keep up the good work
Thanks for the video, helps to work out if I want to crawl around and replace the struts myself (broken top mount is my problem). Your video is easy to follow & listen to.
Good job well done. It's a pain when you start doing something and it leads to another and another... not to mention the expense. You can hold the strut in a bench vise when doing it and you won't be fighting with it so much.
I am in the middle of changing a wheel bearing on my mk2 Focus which involves taking the knuckle off as you have done here. However the pinch bolt across the strut was so knackered that it was rounding off when I tried a breaker bar. It eventually came off but these things apparently are known for being sods. I now have to find a new bolt. And the wheel bearing is similar to your Fiesta in that it’s not meant to be user serviceable and needs a high pressure press to get it out and put the new one in.
Got a knocking sound on my car.when I turn right or go over a speed bump.can feel it through the pedals.but it passed m.o.t like it without getting any advisorys .confused lol
Great Video as always mate, I have a drift I made from the inner piece of a hydraulic ram from a bin lorry for knocking the strut out of the hub. Some Volkswagen are the same, makes it sooo much easier!
The new shock/damper is a gas damper, they will always extend like that (hence the retainer holding it down for storage in the box) - oil dampers won't do this and can eventually settle back down into the strut if held upright, but they will be a lot harder to move in and out than your old one. So don't think you have a faulty damper if it doesn't extend like your new one. And yes, you should always do both the springs across an axle at the same time, even if the other looks good - this is more important with the dampers (shocks). New springs will be "stronger" and will cause it to ride higher until it settles a bit (another reason for doing both at the same time). The drop links between the strut and the anti-roll bar ("sway bar" is an American term and some people in the UK may not know what you mean if call it by this) are also a common failure point and can cause noises. But in this case, it could have been the damper/shock causing noises and not just the broken spring.
i watched in horror as you hammered the hub off, i was sure the abs wire/sensor was a goner, nice work though, you done a rear spring on the focus yet? that's my next job this weekend.
Currently working on a c max and it's been a total pain in the arse . The 15mm is more like 14.5mm so even with a good quality 6 sided socket it rounded .a 9" grinder was employed to remove the drop link but still having no luck with the pinch bolts
Good vid, I did same job on sisters Focus, but I replaced both sides, good practice to replace suspension components in pair, just like brake components.
Dont forget to replace the other front shock. You should never do just one. You will get uneven front suspension performance, and even uneven braking due to the imbalance in damping.
If you only did passenger side then that will be def be higher than the driver side. When replacing the spring and shock you should do it in pairs - so both fronts done together. I did my Focus couple of months ago due to broken spring and leaking shock, and front of the car now sits about 1 inch higher than it was before.
Yeah get the other side done too to keep it even. Looks mint now. Taking off method is the same as I did with mine its a pain when everything is seased.
Thank you, I've the same problem with my Focus that side too! Is it a design fault that the passenger side wears before the drivers side?? I had a look at mine today planning ahead, I'm glad you showed how to get the cover off and access to the 3 top strut mounting bolts.
A bit late but what happened with the first spring did it break up when the clamps were on it? When you were compressing the second spring couldn’t you take it below top of the bolt to easily get the nut on? Maybe that’s why it seemed to be riding a bit higher? and was the music Art Tatum it was very nice cheers
Useful video - got this job to do on a relative's car - hope everything comes apart as easily as on yours :) Can't help but be amused about your sage advice about safety issues then showing you wearing canvas deck shoes while compressing the spring ....... practice what you preach ;)
I had a feeling as soon as you started the job that the strut mounts bearings might be pooched and i hoped you didn't do all that work and find out that they were fucked. I fixed a similar issue on a 14 reg Mondeo for my cousin. If the one side was like that the other can't get far behind. Might be an idea to get your tracking checked afterwards. Having the front suspension apart might have upset it!
I've just done the exact same job on my focus. But I replaced everything wishbone drop link damper damper spring and topmount plus bearings. Now I got a horrible springy boingy sound when turning.
Hi after watching your video, I decided to venture and change both front springs of my Berlingo as both are slightly broken at the ends. However during the process of replacing the front left spring coil and while removing it the hub pulled the driveshaft out a little bit and oil started to leak from the gearbox I lost about a Litre I think. I pushed the driveshaft back in which stopped the oil(or so i though) coming out from the gearbox where the shaft goes in. Any advice I would greatly appreciate. Many Thanks.
My car sits like 5 cm higher in the front and rears after i replaced the 22 years old shocks. Thats what bad shocks do, they automatically lower your car and make it better looking :)
thanks for good vid on strut just all vids every one take the pinch bolt out 15mm mine tight as hell rounded bolt and having to drill out all day just to remove
Thanks for showing us your handy work 👍just bought an estate focus and I've this to do plus other stuff will follow your lead Ant from Wales . I've subd
Just done this on my fiesta but for some reason the top hat isn't sitting straight despite the spring sitting in and being torqued correctly, is this normal?
do you happen to know what the pinch bolt holding the front shock/strut in the knuckle is called. For mk2 focus. I'm struggling to find a replacement without a part number
Glad to hear you got it sorted. However, please don't drive with a camera on one hand. That's 6 penalty points and £200 fine - same as having a phone in your hand while driving.
I did the coil on my old Corsa C when I was like 19/20 before I understood the danger of it but it went fine, unless you put your coil compressors in a stupid place you should be fine.
not all struts self Return u know. I have a pair of £1800 Gax Gold Adjustable and never returned new from factory. if u drop em upside down and don't fully close there good.
Good job but unfortunately it says nothing about aligning the entire assembly. There are notches on the spring seat, the bearing and the mounting plate. These need to be centred during assembly and must face towards the engine when mounted. Otherwise, the suspension geometry will be affected.
my mechanic fixed it but what he did was rather than just take the strut out he took the whole assembly minus brakes to the spring compressor. dunno if thats easier
James more tutorial videos please you learn me a lot more cars as well please James. I like your videos and you James Thanks David from Scotland thanks
![Kodak Black - Versatile 4 [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/VcP_1Ua__vY/mqdefault.jpg)
One of the best guides I’ve ever seen on anything. Well done.
Good video, helped a lot.
Just a some more tips,
#1 you can loosen the abs sensor connector so there is no chance to hit it when forcing the hub downwards with a hammer.
#2 To give the damper some more play in the hub I screwed the damper hub bolt from the other way and seated against a metal plate, in this way the hub expands and there is basically no force needed to lower the hub from the damper.
#3 Add some heat to the hub bolt area to don't make it snap, especially if the car has been driven on salty roads. But be careful not to put too much heat on the damper.
Thanks for the video and all the tips. It helped me to change the complete strut on my
2010 focus, which had a broken spring.
how ridiculous is this, just failed my MOT, front passenger side coil spring broken and one water jet broken, been quoted 2x £160 for both front coils and £60 to replace water jet, Arnold Shark! £380. Gonna do it myself, £23.99 for water jet and £33 for a pair of springs with discount code, whole job done myself for £57. Video has helped thanks alot!
Hi - I've been watching your vids for about 6 months now but never commented. So.......just wanted to say thanks really. You're a very polite and conscientious young man....your father must be very proud. I'm not into Vauxhall or Fords but still love the vids, I like motorbikes (Japanese) so I couldn't believe when a trike and an old Yamaha came along!!! You even use nice music and scenes of nature! I reckon your subs will continue to rocket, well done.
Just a mandatory tip, the peg on the bearing must be left aligned with the peg on the strut that fits the slot of the hub. If not, the spring load on the bearing will not be uniform. You can get the bearing to develop friction.
Hello, my english us not so good but as I understand your tip sounds like quite important but i don't understand it. Is there any picture or graphical show of what you said about bearung and strut peg's , left orientation etc. ? Thanks
isnt the bearing designed to withstand this type of stress in the first place?
@@gabrielbergman1986 No, you really need to ensure the alignment or the spring will not sit properly.
@@CRBN74 f*ck i already changed the bearing and first now understand what you mean, i think. are you talking about that the top part of the spring is slightly tilted and bushing part on the bearing must be mounted correctly because of this?
@@gabrielbergman1986 Exactly...
Brilliant video, we’ve all missed the odd dust cover
Always replace shocks in pairs buddy. Even if the other side is still serviceable, it won't be as good as the new one and will likely be under more load now and will wear out soon 👌 keep up the good work
It would but the crap out of me not replace it both to be honest. Same with anything else that comes in pairs
done both front struts today, thanks for the video. Great help
Great video, the best bit is, you have no bumpy roads near you, where do you live, cant be in the UK, keep up the good work
It's all in the details!
Eurocar parts should sponsor you.
Thanks for the video, helps to work out if I want to crawl around and replace the struts myself (broken top mount is my problem). Your video is easy to follow & listen to.
Finally I heard you swear. I was starting to think you were a choir boy.
Good job well done. It's a pain when you start doing something and it leads to another and another... not to mention the expense. You can hold the strut in a bench vise when doing it and you won't be fighting with it so much.
I am in the middle of changing a wheel bearing on my mk2 Focus which involves taking the knuckle off as you have done here. However the pinch bolt across the strut was so knackered that it was rounding off when I tried a breaker bar. It eventually came off but these things apparently are known for being sods. I now have to find a new bolt. And the wheel bearing is similar to your Fiesta in that it’s not meant to be user serviceable and needs a high pressure press to get it out and put the new one in.
Should always replace in pairs James, tut tut ;)
He did buy a pair of front springs. No need to video both sides of the car. He should've replaced the other damper and bearing.
Parknest yeah but what if that other shocker decides to go kaput in 3 weeks time. Replace while you’re in there if you’re planning on keeping the car
Got a knocking sound on my car.when I turn right or go over a speed bump.can feel it through the pedals.but it passed m.o.t like it without getting any advisorys .confused lol
Wasn't meant to post this as a reply o well
secondmouse getscheese it'll be the droplink mate
When you remove the pinch bolt you can hammer a drift into the gap at the back to spread the knuckle, means you don’t have to hammer too much
Hey Mate.. I changed both Struts on my 2006 Ford Focus watching this vid. Thanks for your help.
Great Video as always mate, I have a drift I made from the inner piece of a hydraulic ram from a bin lorry for knocking the strut out of the hub. Some Volkswagen are the same, makes it sooo much easier!
The new shock/damper is a gas damper, they will always extend like that (hence the retainer holding it down for storage in the box) - oil dampers won't do this and can eventually settle back down into the strut if held upright, but they will be a lot harder to move in and out than your old one. So don't think you have a faulty damper if it doesn't extend like your new one.
And yes, you should always do both the springs across an axle at the same time, even if the other looks good - this is more important with the dampers (shocks).
New springs will be "stronger" and will cause it to ride higher until it settles a bit (another reason for doing both at the same time).
The drop links between the strut and the anti-roll bar ("sway bar" is an American term and some people in the UK may not know what you mean if call it by this) are also a common failure point and can cause noises. But in this case, it could have been the damper/shock causing noises and not just the broken spring.
You make that sway bar link look so easy to crack
i watched in horror as you hammered the hub off, i was sure the abs wire/sensor was a goner, nice work though, you done a rear spring on the focus yet? that's my next job this weekend.
It’s sitting higher because one spring is more stronger than the other that’s why you should do them as pairs
Currently working on a c max and it's been a total pain in the arse . The 15mm is more like 14.5mm so even with a good quality 6 sided socket it rounded .a 9" grinder was employed to remove the drop link but still having no luck with the pinch bolts
Good vid, I did same job on sisters Focus, but I replaced both sides, good practice to replace suspension components in pair, just like brake components.
Great tutorial video esp learning by your small mistakes. I could feel your pain! I gotta do my partner's front springs tomorrow so thank you😁
watching this in January makes me miss summer :(
Superb video. Doing both springs and top mounts/bearings on my ST tomorrow
Dont forget to replace the other front shock. You should never do just one. You will get uneven front suspension performance, and even uneven braking due to the imbalance in damping.
And it is advisable to replace the strut bearing as well on the other side along with strut and spring.
Agreed
If you only did passenger side then that will be def be higher than the driver side. When replacing the spring and shock you should do it in pairs - so both fronts done together. I did my Focus couple of months ago due to broken spring and leaking shock, and front of the car now sits about 1 inch higher than it was before.
Do you happen to have the part number for the bumpstops? Rebuilding mine with all oem parts so would make it easier to order parts before hand. Thanks
Yeah get the other side done too to keep it even. Looks mint now. Taking off method is the same as I did with mine its a pain when everything is seased.
Thank you, I've the same problem with my Focus that side too! Is it a design fault that the passenger side wears before the drivers side?? I had a look at mine today planning ahead, I'm glad you showed how to get the cover off and access to the 3 top strut mounting bolts.
I think you always replace in pairs per axle. Especially for front axle alignment is a must after job get done
We all forget stuff every now and then... 😋
Thank you for sharing!
A bit late but what happened with the first spring did it break up when the clamps were on it? When you were compressing the second spring couldn’t you take it below top of the bolt to easily get the nut on? Maybe that’s why it seemed to be riding a bit higher? and was the music Art Tatum it was very nice cheers
Nice work. I've done front springs on my 10 reg fiesta. A bit of a common fault.
Attempting this on the weekend 🤞🏻
How did you get on? I done it today too, bearing was fucked like in the video. Car parts shop doesn't open til tommorrow too.
You mentioned the tab on the strut bearing that should line up with the end of the spring nice one, hardly anyone mentions or knows about that =b
I would have disconnected the Abs sensor and when you fitted the new struts i would have fitted 2 new dust covers
Useful video - got this job to do on a relative's car - hope everything comes apart as easily as on yours :) Can't help but be amused about your sage advice about safety issues then showing you wearing canvas deck shoes while compressing the spring ....... practice what you preach ;)
Great Video.Thanks for posting.
I had a feeling as soon as you started the job that the strut mounts bearings might be pooched and i hoped you didn't do all that work and find out that they were fucked. I fixed a similar issue on a 14 reg Mondeo for my cousin.
If the one side was like that the other can't get far behind. Might be an idea to get your tracking checked afterwards. Having the front suspension apart might have upset it!
if the springs are thicker, it will sit higher...nice vid!
I've just done the exact same job on my focus. But I replaced everything wishbone drop link damper damper spring and topmount plus bearings.
Now I got a horrible springy boingy sound when turning.
Awesome video. Going to be doing this on the other halfs focus cmax next week so great help cheers
Great that you left in the broken bearings etc. It happens!
Dust cover... doh!
I feel your pain with the boot cover, I put the spring on upside down then put it all back together..AHHH!
So if all the bearings fall out they definitely need replacing? Or can you just clean them up and use them? Thanks
You should do a video on paint matching the greys on the focus
Get a Clarke strong arm I’ve used mine so many times takes the risk out of changing springs completely.
Doh ! The dust cover
Great Video! Keep up the good work! Just an observation, but your front brake pads looked abit low? Or was that just me? 🤔
top video,youve saved me a fair bit of time seeing how it comes apart :)
Does the strut come with a new shock absorber
Very helpful video
Hi after watching your video, I decided to venture and change both front springs of my Berlingo as both are slightly broken at the ends. However during the process of
replacing the front left spring coil and while removing it the hub pulled the driveshaft out a little bit and oil started to leak from the gearbox I lost about a Litre I think. I pushed the driveshaft back in which stopped the oil(or so i though) coming out from the gearbox where the shaft goes in. Any advice I would greatly appreciate. Many Thanks.
One problem there Mate no dust cover over the shocker dirt will get in 😊
18:45 it mustve been frustrating seeing the strut in video without the dust boot while editing the video😂
It's siting higher has you have only done one side when you replace the driver side it will sit level then
My car sits like 5 cm higher in the front and rears after i replaced the 22 years old shocks. Thats what bad shocks do, they automatically lower your car and make it better looking :)
thanks for good vid on strut just all vids every one take the pinch bolt out 15mm mine tight as hell rounded bolt and having to drill out all day just to remove
good job , from france
👌🏼
Good job thank you
Thank you sir
I love your safety boots .
Hi could you do a video on the stereo you have in the focus
I enjoy your video's but please tell me you changed both front struts.
Thanks for showing us your handy work 👍just bought an estate focus and I've this to do plus other stuff will follow your lead Ant from Wales . I've subd
Does the strut bearing make a poping a cluncking noise when going on pumbs
Just done this on my fiesta but for some reason the top hat isn't sitting straight despite the spring sitting in and being torqued correctly, is this normal?
Did you change the top nut with a new one? I've got some new struts but they didn't come with new nuts
Nice job mate
do you happen to know what the pinch bolt holding the front shock/strut in the knuckle is called. For mk2 focus. I'm struggling to find a replacement without a part number
Glad to hear you got it sorted. However, please don't drive with a camera on one hand. That's 6 penalty points and £200 fine - same as having a phone in your hand while driving.
Should I attempt this myself or keep driving my bouncy car.
I did the coil on my old Corsa C when I was like 19/20 before I understood the danger of it but it went fine, unless you put your coil compressors in a stupid place you should be fine.
not all struts self Return u know. I have a pair of £1800 Gax Gold Adjustable and never returned new from factory. if u drop em upside down and don't fully close there good.
شكرا على كل ما قدمت👍👍👍👍👍
Just did this job 2 days ago on my focus , seems as though someone has cut off the top of the bump stop on yours ??/
This is a strange non car related question, but what grade do you have on the side of your hair? Love the fiesta zetec s btw.
So if i'm right. You have to change two the struts to match and two coils with bearings. That's turned into a £300 parts Job. FFS.
Some ford focus have spring for handeling suspension, what color had your spring before you change it?
By the way, i like your interior
My God mate your struts were fd up hahahahah
Are you coming back on RUclips
I'm a Boqer123 fan too :D Awesome video lad :D
My cars failed an mot because of the coil spring need to know the price of possible
Good job but unfortunately it says nothing about aligning the entire assembly. There are notches on the spring seat, the bearing and the mounting plate. These need to be centred during assembly and must face towards the engine when mounted. Otherwise, the suspension geometry will be affected.
got my focus Lowered on Eibachs but the front Left is sitting higher then the right , anybody know why ??
Just subscribed
Good videos bud
My lover bolt on the shock is stuck bad 😢 wont get out
My fiesta spring broke exactly the same way.
Great Stuff
You forgot the dust shield
You never told us what happened with fog lights. Or have you?
i hit a pothole right after crsting a hill, looks like it broke then
my mechanic fixed it but what he did was rather than just take the strut out he took the whole assembly minus brakes to the spring compressor. dunno if thats easier
top lad
Did anyone else notice that the coolant lines are not attached to the heater? 😅
You cleverly edited out what a bollox it is getting the hub onto the shock.!!
Next time take the abs conector off other way u can broke that with hammer
James more tutorial videos please you learn me a lot more cars as well please James. I like your videos and you James
Thanks David from Scotland thanks