How to Install the Rear Shock on a 2000 Mazda Protege

Between the mid-1990s and early-2000s, the MacPherson strut began taking over for the basic shock absorber on all four corners of vehicles. The MacPherson strut is essentially a standard shock absorber with a spring wrapped around the outside; this gave the soft ride of the shock but greatly reduced body roll. Despite the 2000 Protege being an inexpensive entry-level car, it came standard with struts on all four corners. Removing and installing a shock in the rear strut assembly requires removing, disassembling, reassembling and installing the strut assembly.

Instructions

1

Loosen the rear lug nuts with a ratchet and socket and raise the rear of the Mazda with a floor jack. Slide jack stands under the rear suspension cross member and lower the vehicle onto the jack stands. Remove the lug nuts and pull the rear wheels from the vehicle.

2

Open the trunk. Grab the front part of the package trim -- the carpeting on the sides of the trunk -- and pull one side rearward until the strut towers on either side of the Protege are exposed.

3

Pull the rubber dust cover from the top of one strut and remove the sponge-like noise insulator. Remove the three upper strut nuts using a ratchet and socket.

4

Look on the rear of the strut, near the bottom, and find the C-clip that holds the brake hose to the strut. Pull this clip away from the strut with needle nose pliers and pull the brake hose from its mount on the strut.

5

Remove the bolt securing the antilock brake system wire bracket to the strut, if the Protege has ABS, using a ratchet and socket. Pull the ABS wire bracket from the strut.

6

Remove each lower strut mount nut with a ratchet and socket, while holding its bolt steady with a combination wrench. Push the lower strut mount inward to free it from the rear spindle, then pull it downward to remove it.

7

Place the strut assembly in a vice with rubber jaw protectors and tighten the vice to secure the strut. Loosen the upper strut nut with a ratchet and deep-well socket, but do not remove it. Compress the strut spring, using a strut spring compressor. This process varies, depending on the style of compressor used, so refer to the compressors instructions for specifics. Remove the upper strut nut.

8

Remove the upper mounting plate, strut spring seat, strut spring, dust boot, rubber bump stopper and lower spring seat from the strut; make notes of the positioning of all the components as you remove them to aid in reassembly. This leaves just the shock part of the strut in the vice.

9

Remove the old shock from the vice and secure the new shock in the vice.

10

Set all of the components removed from the old shock onto the new shock, using your removal notes as your guide. When installing the mounting plate, position it so the notch on its outer edge is set between the lower strut mount ears when looking down on the strut assembly from the top.

11

Hand-thread the nut onto the upper strut stud. Loosen the strut spring compressor, then remove it. Torque the upper strut nut to between 41 and 50 foot-pounds with a torque wrench and deep-well socket

12

Guide the upper strut mounting studs through their holes in the strut tower. Hand-thread the three nuts onto the upper studs. Guide the lower strut mount onto its mounting position and insert the bolts through the bolt holes. Hand-thread the nuts onto the lower strut mount bolts.

13

Tighten the lower strut mount nuts to between 69 and 94 foot-pounds with a torque wrench and socket as you hold each bolt steady with a combination wrench. Tighten the upper strut nuts to between 34 and 46 foot-pounds.

14

Set the ABS wire bracket, if equipped, into position on the new strut and hand-thread its retaining bolt. Tighten the ABS wire bracket bolt to between 14 and 18 foot-pounds.

15

Press the brake hose back into its bracket on the rear of the strut and press the C-clip into the bracket to lock the hose in place.

16

Insert the sponge-like noise insulator into the top of the strut and press the rubber dust cap onto the top of the strut. Press the package trim back into its original position.

17

Repeat Steps 2 through 16 to remove and replace the strut on the other side of the Protege.

18

Reinstall the rear wheels onto the rear hubs and hand-tighten the lug nuts. Raise the vehicle off the jack stands, using a floor jack, and remove the jack stands. Lower the Protege to the ground and tighten the lug nuts, in a crisscross pattern, to between 65 and 87 foot-pounds.

19

Take the Protege to a local auto repair facility to have a four-wheel alignment performed.