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Strut Replacement Experience

7K views 6 replies 6 participants last post by  RAL 
#1 ·
I recently replaced the struts, shocks, front lower control arms, and sway bar links on my 2012 pilot. I had 3 challenges that I thought I'd share for anyone else planning to take this on. First of all, if you have some experience working on things (know a torque wrench, etc.), it's pretty straightforward. I also suggest taking the wheels off and inspecting all of the suspension in advance so that you can order all of the necessary parts and do it all at once. As an example, you have to detach the sway bar links to replace the strut, so might as well do that at the same time. Here are the challenges to consider:

1) The lower bolt on the rear shocks was seized to the inside bushing of the shock. I tried heat, but eventually had to cut them out. If you're doing this job, I'd recommend ordering replacement lower bolts. In addition, spray all of the bolts and nuts with liquid wrench a week or so before doing the job, it'll make things quite a bit easier.

2) The sway bar links all needed replacing, the rubber had started to crack on each. Front driver side was making popping sounds. You'll save yourself a lot of time soaking them with liquid wrench a few days before replacing. I went with the original Honda part for these.

3) I went with an aftermarket set of struts, thought they were an upgrade. After experiencing lots of noise, I then went with a set from Amazon that had great reviews. Those also made a lot of noise when turning left/right. Finally, I replaced with Honda parts (hondapartsguys.com) and the car is now perfect. The Honda struts cost almost twice as much, but when you consider the time, well worth it. You should tighten the struts under a load. In addition, replacing these requires realigning the car.

Anyways, wanted to share my experience in case any of you plan to take this on yourselves in the future. Maybe I can save you from some of my mistakes. :)
 
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#4 ·
1) The lower bolt on the rear shocks was seized to the inside bushing of the shock. I tried heat, but eventually had to cut them out. If you're doing this job, I'd recommend ordering replacement lower bolts. In addition, spray all of the bolts and nuts with liquid wrench a week or so before doing the job, it'll make things quite a bit easier.
Point 1 in the OP's list prompts me to add "Never-Seize the bottom bolts" to my fall maintenance list. The bolts appear to be zinc plated but no way to tell if the metal sleeve in the bottom shock bushing is also plated. A coating of zinc anti-seize compound will take the place of any missing plating. Should be a five-minute exercise with the car already raised.
 
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