Honda Civic 2002-2003 Service Manual page 594

Rear Suspension
Damper/Spring Replacement (cont'd)
Disassembly Iinspection
1. Compress the damper spring with a commercially
available strut compressor IA) according to the
manufacturer's instructions, then remove the self-
locking nut IS) while holding the damper shaft IC)
with a hex wrench ID). Do not compress the spring
more than necessary to remove the nut.
c
2. Release the pressure from the strut spring
compressor, then disassemble the damper as
shown in the Exploded View.
3. Reassemble all the parts, except for the spring.
4. Compress the damper assembly by hand, and
check for smooth operation through a full stroke,
both compression and extension. The damper
should extend smoothly and constantly when
compression is released. If it does not, the gas is
leaking and the damper should be replaced.
5. Check for oil leaks, abnormal noises, or binding
during these tests.
18-36
Reassembly
1. Install all the parts except the self-locking nut onto
the damper unit by referring to the Exploded View.
Align the bottom of the spring (A) and the stepped
part of the lower spring seat IS), and align the
damper mounting base as shown,
_________ c
A
LEFT RIGHT
21 "3°
r~~
_
"f~,OI21
±3°
2. Install the damper assembly on a commercially
available strut spring compressor IC).
3. Compress the damper spring with the spring
compressor.
4. Install the new self-locking nut IA) on the damper
shaft.
c
A
10
x
1.25
mm
29N·m
13.0 kgf·m, 22 Ibf·ftl
B
5. Hold the damper shaft IS) with a hex wrench IC)'
and tighten the self-locking nut to the specified
torque.