Installing H&R Lowering Springs

Date: Sun, 07 Jun 1998 12:41:22 -0700
From: "Anthony J. Sarno" (anthony.j.sarno@boeing.com)
Subject: An addition to the "various infoormaion" articles on the web...

INSTALLATION OF  H&R lowering springs (91 MR-2 Turbo)
 
Firstly, I would like to say that I bought these springs for $220.00
including tax. This is a great deal, considering the high quality of
these springs. They come powder-coated in red paint. Too bad nobody will
ever see them...
The "feel" and handing of my car has been greatly enhanced, with no
large difference in comfort with the stock struts, but an enormous
reduction in body roll. The car is only about 1.00 inches lower, but the
appearance is greatly enhanced. My power steering has completely broken
(help!) but the car is still a complete joy to drive, so that says
something. Curbs and speed bumps (what idiot invented those!!) are still
no problem. The only downside is, that oil changes will be harder, since
a drip tray will not fit as easily. Oh well. I haven’t tested the car
for liftoff oversteer yet, but this mod should reduce the tendency for
the vehicle to oversteer at the adhesion limits in a corner. For the
average driver, this is a safety enhancement. At least this is what I
told my spouse. In my opinion, this is the best 200.00 I have ever spent
on a car.
 
Tools Used: safety glasses, work gloves, spring compressor (we rented
ours for $5.00), 10, 12, 14, 17, 19 mm sockets, extensions, torque,
phillips screwdriver, combination wrenches, dremel tool, vise grip
pliers, fire extinguisher, safety shoes, floor jacks, metric allen/hex
wrenches (for the sway bar links), the big green book, a short stool to
sit on.

Procedure:
  
Firstly it is important to realize that this is a fairly involved
installation process, and it really helps to have a friend help out as I
did. It will still take (2) guys about 5 hours to perform the entire
procedure. When it is complete, the car will require a (4) wheel
alignment. 
 
NOTE: As usual, what you do to your car is your own responsibility. I
refuse to assume in whole or in part any responsibility for any/all
consequences. A macpherson strut assembly is spring loaded, so exercise
caution.
 
Front Wheels:
 
-Loosen the 19 mm nut on the top of the shock strut. You will have to
remove those rubber caps first.
-Loosen the (3) 12 mm nuts which surround the 19mm one.
-Do not remove them just yet. There is a serious amount of hernia work
yet.
-The front springs are easier than the back, since a spring compressor
isn’t really required at all. With the car properly jacked, remove the
right front and left front wheels. Jack the car in such a way as to
permit full suspension travel.
-Loosen and remove the 19 millimeter nuts and bolts which attach the
struts to the wheel spindles. This is best achieved with a half inch
drive socket plus a large power bar. These fasteners have a serious
amount of torque on them, so remember to re-torque then per  the manual.
You may have to remove the 14mm bolt on the top of the  brake caliper
(as I did) to gain access. Aren’t you glad that you didn’t remove the
nuts at the top of the strut?
-Borrow/buy a dremel or equivalent to perform the next step. Toyota in
their infinite wisdom ran the brake lines through a lug which is welded
to the strut. Boneheads. You need to detach the brake line from the
strut, in order to provide enough slack. I cut the lug with a dremel
tool, exercising caution not to damage the brake lines. You have to
remove the sheet metal spring clip to gain access. The dremel will eat
right through this mild steel in no time at all. This is a good time to
wear safety glasses and have a fire extinguisher handy. The dremel will
create sparks, and throw debris around at a ferocious rate, so use
common sense. This sounds a lot worse than it actually is. You could use
a hacksaw, but I don’t think there is enough access. You could also
remove the brake line from the caliper (you purist, you), but this will
involve a lot of brake bleeding after. Do not cut through the spring
clip. You will have re-use this later.
-Twist the lug with vise grips or equivalent and carefully push the
brake line out of the way. It might be a good time to consider
installing those stainless steel brake lines at this point. You should
also inspect your brake rotors and pads for wear.
-Remove the sway bar link from the strut with a 14 mm wrench and a hex
wrench.
-Now remove the 12 mm nuts at the top of the strut, (but not the 19mm
nut!) and set them aside.
-By wiggling the strut around, you should be able to remove the entire
strut assembly from the car. To be safe, attach one of the spring
compressors to compress the spring slightly. This is to prevent the top
of the strut assembly from flying off and causing bodily harm. In fact,
the front springs are not pre-loaded very much, but better safe than
trying to pry a suspension piece out of the top of your head... Try to
remember which part of the strut points outboard (away from the car) and
which part of the spring points upward. Now remove the 19mm nut and
remove the old spring. Take a look at your new springs. The large
diameter ones go on the front, by the way. Ensure that both of your new
springs are the same length (stranger things have happened, you know).
Notice that at the top of the piston rod (the shiny chrome plated thing
on the strut, there are two flats, just under the threads which mate
with two flats on the underside of the top of the strut. These must be
re-aligned while re-assembling the strut. Notice also that the bottom of
the strut has a feature which allows the end of the spring to nest into
it. This is important.
-Now is a good time to inspect your strut for leakage. Any leaking strut
should be tossed away. I re-used my struts which have only 40000 miles
on them. Now would be a good time to install those after-market struts
that you bought on sale....
-Since the new springs are shorter than the old ones, a spring
compressor was not required to assemble the strut.
-Re-install the strut assembly using the torque values supplied in the
BGB. The 19mm nut at the top of the strut is best torqued with weight on
wheels.
-Re-attach the brake line to the strut. Carefully bend the lug straight
with pliers, and re-install the spring clip. Don’t worry, with the
spring clip installed, the brake line will not come loose. You could
wire-lock it to prevent it from flopping around. Make sure that the
brake line is adequately secured. You do not want it to flop around.
-Re-install the sway bar link to the strut.
-Re-assemble the brake calipers, and properly torque your wheel. Do not
over-torque your lug nuts, this will lead to premature rotor wear and
warpage.
-Do the other front wheel, and marvel as I did at how fast the second
wheel goes compared with the first wheel.
 
 Rear wheels:
 
-The procedure for the rear wheels is similar to the front, except the
spring compressor will get heavy usage here. The only trick is to
squeeze the bottom of the strut to the highest coil you can reach. Space
constraints prevented us from installing two compressors, which would
have made it easier. We tried to squeeze just the spring coils together,
but the spring would not compress evenly. Make sure that the compressor
is firmly anchored at all times. You do not want to end up with this
thing flying off and causing damage to you or even worse, your MR-2. I
had to use a small C-clamp to hold the compressor in place. The rear
springs are pre-loaded quite a bit more than the front, so be careful,
already..
It also helps to have a friend to push down on the wheel spindle (with
his/her foot), while you wiggle the strut out.