How to Change the Rear Shocks on a '90 Acura Legend

Acura -- Honda's luxury car division -- released its first car in the U.S. in 1986. Acura dubbed its first vehicle the Legend, an interesting name considering the lack of Acura history. The 1990 Acura Legend came standard with a 160-horsepower, 2.7-liter V-6 engine and a MacPherson strut suspension system. Replacing the struts on the rear of the Legend requires great care and organization, as you must reinstall all of the strut's components exactly as intended. Failure to do so may result in a poor ride or noise from the new struts.

Instructions

1

Loosen the Legend's rear lug nuts with a ratchet and socket. Lift the rear of the Acura with a floor jack, and position jack stands under the rocker panel pinch welds, just in front of the rear wheels. Lower the vehicle onto the jack stands and remove the floor jack.

2

Remove the rear lug nuts and pull the rear wheels off the vehicle.

3

Position a floor jack under the lower suspension arm on the rear suspension and raise the jack until it contacts the suspension arm.

4

Open the Legend's trunk and pull back the carpeting covering the top of the strut. Remove the two outer nuts on the top of the strut with a ratchet and 8 mm socket -- do not remove the center nut, as this is what holds the strut assembly together.

5

Lower the floor jack from the lower suspension arm. Loosen the pinch bolt securing the bottom of the strut to the Legends rear hub using a ratchet and socket, and pull the bolt from the strut and hub. Pull the fork on the lower part of the strut assembly away from the hub and pull the strut downward to remove it.

6

Compress the strut spring with a strut spring compressing tool. This process varies, depending on the type of compressor used, so refer to your tool's instructions for specifics.

7

Remove the nut on top of the strut with a combination wrench. If needed, use a second combination on the flat spots on top of the strut stud to keep the stud from turning.

8

Pull all of the components from the top of the strut -- there are eight components in total -- make note on paper of each component's positioning as you remove them to aid with reinstallation. Discard all eight components except the damper mounting base -- the component with the threaded studs for mounting the strut.

9

Pull the spring -- still compressed -- off the strut. Pull the dust cover, bump stop plates, bump stops and spring seat off the strut assembly -- make note of each component's position prior to removal to aid with reinstallation. Check the dust cover, bump stop and spring seat for defects including cracks, breakage, brittleness or sponginess (bump stop only). Replace any component that has any defects.

10

Install the dust cover, bump stop plates, bump stops and spring seat in the order notated in Step 9. Set the compressed spring on the strut and rotate it so the end of the coil bumps against the raised part of the sprain seat.

11

Install the eight upper strut components in the order you notated in Step 8. The discarded components are all included in a rear strut mounting kit -- these new components assure the best fit and ride. Hand-tighten the new upper strut nut -- included with the new strut -- onto the struts upper stud about five turns.

12

Release the strut spring from the compressor, and reposition it as needed so the bottom end of the coil butts up against the spring seat. Tighten the upper strut nut to 22 foot-pounds with a torque wrench and socket.

13

Insert the pinch bolt through the strut's fork and the Legend's hub, then hand-tighten the pinch bolt. Use a floor jack to raise the lower suspension arm upward, as you guide the threaded studs on the top of the strut into the holes leading into the trunk. Hand-tighten the upper strut nuts onto the upper strut mount to hold the strut in place. Remove the floor jack.

14

Tighten the upper strut nuts to 28 foot-pounds, using a torque wrench and 8 mm socket. Pull the carpet back up to cover the top of the strut.

15

Repeat Steps 3 through 14 to replace the strut on the other side of the Acura.

16

Raise the Legend off the jack stands with a floor jack and remove the jack stands. Lower the vehicle to the ground. Tighten the strut's pinch bolt to 40 foot-pounds with the Acura on the ground.

17

Tighten the Legend's rear lug nuts to 80 foot-pounds in a crisscrossing pattern using a torque wrench and socket.

18

Take the Legend to an automotive repair facility to have a professional wheel alignment performed.