How to Change Out Struts on a 1998 Ford Mustang

The struts on a 1998 Ford Mustang are designed to support the upper part of the spindle and to rotate with the steering. The 1998 Mustang has a separate set of coil springs independent of the struts. The struts dampen the vertical motion of the springs. The amount and size of the valving within the strut determines the amount of damping. Numerous manufacturers offer different grades of valving to support high-performance applications. Testing struts for wear is a simple matter of bouncing the front of the car up and down and noting how quickly the struts recover from the bouncing. Good struts will stop the vertical bouncing immediately. The higher the performance of the strut the harder it is to bounce.

Instructions

1

Use the lug wrench to loosen the lug nuts on the front wheels one complete turn. Raise the front of the car with the floor jack and place jack stands under the sub-frame on both sides. Lower the car so it rests on the jack stands. Remove the lug nuts and wheels.

2

Remove the ABS wheel sensor wire support on the side of the strut using a socket. Leave it loose so it has slack. Place the floor jack under the lower-control arm and raise it enough to supply support for the lower arm.

3

Open the hood and, using a 21 mm socket, remove the nut on the top of the strut protruding through the alignment plate on the fender well. Remove the two large bolts securing the base of the strut to the spindle using a 21 mm wrench on the bolt head side and a 24 mm socket on the nut side.

4

Remove the brass figure-8 washer that is over the two bolts from the front radiator side of the strut. Pull the bolts out. Separate the strut from the spindle by pulling them apart and removing the strut from the car.

5

Extend the new strut by turning the strut rod counterclockwise with a wrench. This will allow the strut shaft to extend. Remove the dust cover and rubber ring under the dust cover and transfer them to the new strut.

6

Push the strut rod up through the opening in the top of the fender well and install the nut loosely. Raise or lower the lower control arm as necessary to align the holes in the strut with those in the spindle. Insert the two bolts with the heads of the bolts facing the rear of the car.

7

Install the brass figure-8 washer over the bolts on the radiator side of the strut base. Install the two 24 mm nuts and tighten to 60 foot-pounds of torque. Install the wire support for the ABS wheel speed sensor using a socket.

8

Tighten the upper 21 mm nut on the top of the fender well to 60 foot-pounds of torque. Install the wheel and tighten the lug nuts. Do the other side in the same manner and lower the Mustang to the ground. Tighten the lug nuts to 100 foot-pounds of torque.