Note for anyone watching this. Don’t reuse those cast aluminum top mounts. 87k miles on my 2014 Mazda3, completely shattered top mounts. They don’t last long, ought to be replaced with the shock
Similar mount on my 2015 Mazda6 went 273k miles (shocks too! lol). Video I saw made it look like it was about 10 minutes a side...but the bottom shock stud was oriented so I had to removee the spring and sway bar end link to get it out. (I mention because this came up because of a search I did for changing Mazda6 shocks)
Man you live in America! Love the sounds of the woods in the background. Reminds me of Grandmom's in South Jersey. Never be jealous of city living. Thanks for the video. You saved me $400
AMATEUR! Just kidding, it's cool that people admit that they suck. I broke my new shock mount a couple years ago, planning to break one again while changing the rear shocks this time!
Straight too it, No fancy intro or promotion, l wanted t see was a shock change with some verbal, and that's what I got. And you have given me the confidence to do it myself...Bless my friend, Thank you very much..
Sir: I had no idea how straight forward this was. I had one replaced by the dealer for too much money and now the other one is gone. I am going to give this a try. Thank you for saving me money!
@@OliverPorter92 Everything went well. Only snag I ran into was with getting the mounting nut off of the old shock absorber. I just let some penetraiting oil soak in for about an hour and used a bench vise to hold the stud while I took the nut off!
@@unstoppable008 Awesome! Believe it or not that's what I ended up doing to. It was stuck on well. Also, tightening the nut on I used a bench vise, if it isn't tight enough the whole assembly will clunk in the car.
Thanks for the video. I get the pleasure of replacing those struts on the rear of a mazda 6 when I get back to work. The joy of processing used cars at a dealership....
Nice, wish I knew before I shelled out $472 for two replacement rear shock absorber for 2010 mAzda 3. It includes parts ($266) and mechanic labor ($190)
You can clean and paint all the parts that look like they're bare metal it'll help extend the life of the parts that's what I did I would highly suggest find new upper mounts cuz they're cheap
@@MrJeepsterman Because they are known the corrode and fail.. and snap off.. source: Just had it happen to me on my Mazda 3.. should have been a recall
how did you jack up the rear end to put the jack stands on?? the scissor jack does not extend out that far. Plus did you use the jack stand on a hardened point?
Agreed - that was why I decided to change them. The OEM Spectrums were awful however; they started leaking after only 12,000 mi! I have KYB's on now, noticeable improvement.
@@OliverPorter92 Well a shop that only repairs Toyota warned me not to put in KYB in the rears. He said customers returned complaining of knocking from the top when going over bumps. Sure enough one of rears did start making noise on bumps. The Toyota rears cost 3 times as much but have a dampening lining on the upper strut mounts.
My Mazda 3 doesn't have 60k yet and recently noticed that the foam/rubber part on top are broken on both sides. Hearing you mention you are actually reusing yours at 90k makes me wonder what could've gone wrong. Thanks for the video.
I'm about to do mine on Mazdaspeed 3 2007, 85000km and the bumpstops are absolutely destroyed, you can see the strut through them. I think they're just cheap quality from factory tbh
Thanks for watching. No particular reason - I just did not purchase the mounts. It is an easy/inexpensive change and worth it to swap the mounts if you can. I just cleaned mine with a wire brush.
@@jorgemagoo27 no worries. I swapped for KYBs pretty quickly, the OEs in the back weren’t great. Still have OE front quickstruts installed 50k miles later though!
@@OliverPorter92 so I was going to do this and my wife decided she just wanted a new car...so she got a SUV yesterday lol. Tbh I wanted to keep her mazda as it was a fun little car. Thanks anyway for the info!
My strut mount broke 8 times bad design galvanic corrosion between steel wheel well and aluminum housing white rusts attacks quick in winter weather, replace housing
@@OliverPorter92 I can barely jack my front up only on the control arms from the rust attack. Having said that I agree with you, got 410,000km car is reliable as hell original clutch too! It's a great winter beater these days:)
To make this job in under FOUR minutes, just buy replacement shock mounts. They are cheap, and the cast aluminum mounts frequently break easily, so just replace them and not spend that time trying to get them off the old shock.
Thanks for watching, see caption for video but here they are again: 17 mm Lower Shock Bolt: 59-77 ft-lb (Shop Manual) 13 mm Shock Lock Nut: 20 ft-lb (Not in manual, this was what I used, not sure what the true value is. Must be well-seated for functionality, but it is small so do not want to over-torque) 12 mm Shock Upper Mount Nuts: 17-20 ft-lb (Shop Manual)
@@OliverPorter92 Thanks a ton for that Oliver. I used 60 fp for the bottom bolt w/blue loctite, and 20 fp for the center nut and the top mount nuts. It's nice to have it verified. Thanks for getting back🌞👍
Not sure, but often times it is different for MazdaSpeed, and often times the Amazon fitment check has not been reliable for me. I check RockAuto and the OEM number if I can. Hope this helps!
Thanks for watching and hope I caught you in time. There is no set torque for the center shaft top nut, but I have not had any issues in over 5 mo using 20 ft-lb. Be careful on the anti-rotation, I had to use a vise because the nut slid a bit. The bottom bolt is 59-77 ft-lb per shop manual. Good luck!
Thanks for watching! Not technically required after a rear alignment, but I got one because 1) I have a lifetime limited plan and 2) the ride height may change which affects the alignment.
Thanks for watching, apologies, forgot to include them. They are now in the description, hope this helps. Note for the bump stop lock nut, I could not find anything in my shop manual (see note).
Replaced mine....but now it rattles ALOT......any thoughts? honestly it feels like the springs were sooo compressed that there is some play....but if anyone knows anything please fill me in....Thanks!
just did mine the other day and i'm having the same issue. did you end up doing anything with yours? i'm sure i tightened eveything, but i've been hearing squeaking and rattling
@@SanchzBoyz I ended replacing the end sway links and took the rattling away....and make sure when you tighten the shocks to the gray piece make sure it isn't loose with the rubber part. Hope this helps....good luck
Thanks for watching! Yes...I actually bought a Harbor Freight vise for this job that makes it really easy and was only $15. The Monroe struts are terrible so I replaced with KYB recently.
I know that bottom bolt didnt just fly right on there, you had to line it up, but first not after the top nuts because it doesnt line up. skipped some steps.
It's great when videos are right to the point without having to hear about the history of struts and how the automobile was invented.
Thanks for watching! Hope it was helpful.
Note for anyone watching this. Don’t reuse those cast aluminum top mounts. 87k miles on my 2014 Mazda3, completely shattered top mounts. They don’t last long, ought to be replaced with the shock
Agreed, sorry I showed no replacement.
Yes, it's a known issue with Mazda 3's.
Similar mount on my 2015 Mazda6 went 273k miles (shocks too! lol). Video I saw made it look like it was about 10 minutes a side...but the bottom shock stud was oriented so I had to removee the spring and sway bar end link to get it out. (I mention because this came up because of a search I did for changing Mazda6 shocks)
Man you live in America! Love the sounds of the woods in the background. Reminds me of Grandmom's in South Jersey. Never be jealous of city living. Thanks for the video. You saved me $400
Thanks for watching, glad it helped! Nice to work in the woods !
2016 Mazda 3 is a lil different on the bottom.❤❤❤
took me an hour, not 5 minutes! thanks for the vid, helped a lot.
AMATEUR! Just kidding, it's cool that people admit that they suck. I broke my new shock mount a couple years ago, planning to break one again while changing the rear shocks this time!
I think he meant the video was under 5 min. Still an easy replacement non the less.
Straight too it, No fancy intro or promotion, l wanted t see was a shock change with some verbal, and that's what I got. And you have given me the confidence to do it myself...Bless my friend, Thank you very much..
Thanks for watching! Glad it helped!
Wow..what a super easy guide. Easy to listen to. Easy directions. Clear video. Many thanks - you'll never be a doctor (they are too confusing)
Thanks for watching! Glad it helped.
mazda engineered everything diy-friendly in their cars
Most repairs are quite easy, a few are harder (see vent solenoid video). Thanks for watching!
Just did this in about 15 min. with a recycled part i purchased for 8 bucks from a scrap yard
Nice video!!
Perfect illustration
Thanks for watching - glad it helped!
Sir: I had no idea how straight forward this was. I had one replaced by the dealer for too much money and now the other one is gone. I am going to give this a try. Thank you for saving me money!
Thanks for watching! Hope it helps - yes, pretty simple job!
Boom. Nailed it! Thanks.
This is how DIY RUclips videos are supposed to be!
Thanks for the kind words and glad it helped!!!
Thks for the vid! 👍 By the way, the notch in your slip joint pliers you used to hold the shaft from spinning, is to cut wire..
Great video! Short, descriptive, and informational!
Thanks for watching! Glad you enjoyed it.
@@OliverPorter92 Everything went well. Only snag I ran into was with getting the mounting nut off of the old shock absorber. I just let some penetraiting oil soak in for about an hour and used a bench vise to hold the stud while I took the nut off!
@@unstoppable008 Awesome! Believe it or not that's what I ended up doing to. It was stuck on well. Also, tightening the nut on I used a bench vise, if it isn't tight enough the whole assembly will clunk in the car.
YOU Sir, made my day easier.
Thanks for watching! Glad it helped.
Thanks for the video. I get the pleasure of replacing those struts on the rear of a mazda 6 when I get back to work. The joy of processing used cars at a dealership....
Thanks for watching, hope this helps and it is an easy job!
Very helpful, going to do this to my 2011 mazda 3, Very right to the point! Love the Mazda 3 videos!
Thanks for watching, glad it helped!
Nice, wish I knew before I shelled out $472 for two replacement rear shock absorber for 2010 mAzda 3. It includes parts ($266) and mechanic labor ($190)
Thanks for watching! Hopefully it saves you some $ next time.
Meh, its only money"
You can clean and paint all the parts that look like they're bare metal it'll help extend the life of the parts that's what I did I would highly suggest find new upper mounts cuz they're cheap
the video itself is under 5 minutes not the job, anyone who thought it would actually take 5 minutes LOL
Shpuld have spent the extra $60 and replaced the mounts.
Why?
@@MrJeepsterman Because they are known the corrode and fail.. and snap off.. source: Just had it happen to me on my Mazda 3.. should have been a recall
@@matejice happened to me too
@@matejice @LoYee Lawrence Leung Add me to that list :(
@@matejice and me :(
how did you jack up the rear end to put the jack stands on?? the scissor jack does not extend out that far. Plus did you use the jack stand on a hardened point?
Trolley jack lower cross member then lower on chassis pinch
very helpful video! just wanted to point out that this is a SHOCK, not a STRUT.
Thank you. That was very detailed and straight to the point.
Thanks for watching! Hope it helps.
If the originals aren't leaking after 90k,the dampening rate has probably changed for sure. They gradually lose firmness.
Agreed - that was why I decided to change them. The OEM Spectrums were awful however; they started leaking after only 12,000 mi! I have KYB's on now, noticeable improvement.
@@OliverPorter92 Well a shop that only repairs Toyota warned me not to put in KYB in the rears. He said customers returned complaining of knocking from the top when going over bumps. Sure enough one of rears did start making noise on bumps. The Toyota rears cost 3 times as much but have a dampening lining on the upper strut mounts.
@@rkgsd Interesting, if anything I have had less noise so far. We'll see.
thanks man, you made this so easy for me.
Thanks for watching! Glad it helped!
My Mazda 3 doesn't have 60k yet and recently noticed that the foam/rubber part on top are broken on both sides. Hearing you mention you are actually reusing yours at 90k makes me wonder what could've gone wrong. Thanks for the video.
Thanks for watching! I think you are fine replacing them early; I should have replaced mine at this time. Hope this helps!
I'm about to do mine on Mazdaspeed 3 2007, 85000km and the bumpstops are absolutely destroyed, you can see the strut through them. I think they're just cheap quality from factory tbh
Thank you. Questio, why did you NOT replace the mounts as well? I am curious because I may be doing this task soon. J Bennett
Thanks for watching. No particular reason - I just did not purchase the mounts. It is an easy/inexpensive change and worth it to swap the mounts if you can. I just cleaned mine with a wire brush.
Best to change the mounts when changing shocks as they are aluminum and corrode from road salt in Pennsylvania
P. S. The mounds only cost 20 bucks at the park store each
May as well replace the upper mounts while in there cause they will break eventually
hi, how did the oe spectrums ride? i heard that they are some times defective? how many miles have you put on them thanks
just read your description sorry for the question lol
@@jorgemagoo27 no worries. I swapped for KYBs pretty quickly, the OEs in the back weren’t great. Still have OE front quickstruts installed 50k miles later though!
Easy job but nice to have a vid to watch first just in case. thanks
Thanks for watching and hope it worked out well.
Oliver Porter The lower 17mm shock bolts were rusted to hell and were a real bitch to get off. Other than that it was smooth sailing
I would do the mounts as well. Great video though!
Thanks for watching, agreed in retrospect
What year is this for? I have a 2016 and mine are leaking
Thanks for watching! This is for a 2012. Rockauto.com has a good parts cross reference to see if the design is the same. Hope this helps.
@@OliverPorter92 so I was going to do this and my wife decided she just wanted a new car...so she got a SUV yesterday lol. Tbh I wanted to keep her mazda as it was a fun little car. Thanks anyway for the info!
Very intuitive.
Thanks for watching, hope it helped.
Whats the torque for the bolts
In the middle of work please reply fast
20 ft-lb. Not in the manual but approximated. Thanks for watching and hope this helps.
Excellent video
Thanks for watching, hope it helps.
Awesome video great details
Thanks for watching! Hope it helped.
Thank so much ! Good video
Thanks for watching, hope it helped!
Can you advise what number the shock is Thanks
MONROE 5683 Rear Shock @t Hope this helps!
My strut mount broke 8 times bad design galvanic corrosion between steel wheel well and aluminum housing white rusts attacks quick in winter weather, replace housing
Wow not surprising I replaced mine a few times too. The 3 is a great car but rust prone.
@@OliverPorter92 I can barely jack my front up only on the control arms from the rust attack. Having said that I agree with you, got 410,000km car is reliable as hell original clutch too! It's a great winter beater these days:)
Super helpful !
Thanks for watching, glad it helped.
You didnt have to compress the shock at all to get that bottom bolt in?
Thanks for watching! I needed to compress it slightly, but you can use a jack and hockey puck - or your hands. Hope this helps!
Nice job - thanks for posting!
Thanks for watching, hope it helped!
what were your torque specs?
See description
Thank you so much for this video
Thanks for watching! Hope it helped.
@@OliverPorter92 yes it helped and i've been on new suspension since! thank you again for sharing
To make this job in under FOUR minutes, just buy replacement shock mounts. They are cheap, and the cast aluminum mounts frequently break easily, so just replace them and not spend that time trying to get them off the old shock.
I recommend as well, thanks for watching/the comment.
How did you torque the 13mm?
What are the torque values!
Thanks for watching, see caption for video but here they are again: 17 mm Lower Shock Bolt: 59-77 ft-lb (Shop Manual)
13 mm Shock Lock Nut: 20 ft-lb (Not in manual, this was what I used, not sure what the true value is. Must be well-seated for functionality, but it is small so do not want to over-torque)
12 mm Shock Upper Mount Nuts: 17-20 ft-lb (Shop Manual)
@@OliverPorter92 Thanks a ton for that Oliver. I used 60 fp for the bottom bolt w/blue loctite, and 20 fp for the center nut and the top mount nuts. It's nice to have it verified. Thanks for getting back🌞👍
@@leh3827 No problem, glad it helped.
Thanks bro, so easy!
Thanks for watching! Happy this helped.
Any idea why Amazon says this shock doesn't fit a 2011 mazda 3?
Not sure, but often times it is different for MazdaSpeed, and often times the Amazon fitment check has not been reliable for me. I check RockAuto and the OEM number if I can. Hope this helps!
@@OliverPorter92 you had it right, Amazon was wrong.
Doing this job tonight. What are the torque specs for the bottom bolt and the center shaft top nut on the bracket (not the nuts that go on the studs)
Thanks for watching and hope I caught you in time. There is no set torque for the center shaft top nut, but I have not had any issues in over 5 mo using 20 ft-lb. Be careful on the anti-rotation, I had to use a vise because the nut slid a bit. The bottom bolt is 59-77 ft-lb per shop manual. Good luck!
would you require an alignment after this?
Thanks for watching! Not technically required after a rear alignment, but I got one because 1) I have a lifetime limited plan and 2) the ride height may change which affects the alignment.
Thanks bro!
Why bother saying to torque it and not give any kinda mention of around what it should be torqued too?
Thanks for watching, apologies, forgot to include them. They are now in the description, hope this helps. Note for the bump stop lock nut, I could not find anything in my shop manual (see note).
@@OliverPorter92 no worries i was just so confused lol great video though
It's a strut. 3 "duggas" with an air gun 😂
@@fuscox1379 Lol its not a strut...ITS a shock....Struts on the front not the rear...
I'm trying to get a pair for my vehicle
Replaced mine....but now it rattles ALOT......any thoughts? honestly it feels like the springs were sooo compressed that there is some play....but if anyone knows anything please fill me in....Thanks!
just did mine the other day and i'm having the same issue. did you end up doing anything with yours? i'm sure i tightened eveything, but i've been hearing squeaking and rattling
@@SanchzBoyz I ended replacing the end sway links and took the rattling away....and make sure when you tighten the shocks to the gray piece make sure it isn't loose with the rubber part. Hope this helps....good luck
Yeah easy job. But here in Wisconsin, rusty bolts and stuff...takes a lot longer.
Understandable. I think I am finally going to get a 1/2" impact now that I am doing more suspension jobs. It accelerates the process.
Sorry not trying to be a smart ass but that is a shock not a strut
Thanks for watching! Totally true. Changed the description areas where it said strut to shock :)
@@OliverPorter92 I agree with you 100% and the guy forgot to mention how to push the shock back before installing it which is kind of hard
It's not a strut it's a shock a strut is a spring that hold a spring
under 5 minutes my ass, but helpful
Vise Grips always . Get a grip ...
Thanks for watching! Yes...I actually bought a Harbor Freight vise for this job that makes it really easy and was only $15. The Monroe struts are terrible so I replaced with KYB recently.
I know that bottom bolt didnt just fly right on there, you had to line it up, but first
not after the top nuts because it doesnt line up. skipped some steps.
Thanks! very helpful.