Cayenne front struts replacement DIY

[911nick]

I'm getting ready to replace the struts on my '06 Cayenne S non PASM. Does anyone have a DIY procedure for this or at least have torque specs for bolts?

 

Thanks

Edited July 7, 2017 by 911nick
Added more detail to title

[ekstroemtj]

I thought this would help you but I am mistaken. Don't know how to delete the video. Sorry!

 

 

 

Edited July 8, 2017 by Loren
deleted video as requested

[911nick]

I was able to view the video you posted before it was deleted. Contrary to what you thought, it was very helpful! The air and steel suspension strut assemblies are removed and installed the same way. 

 

If anyone has more info and/or torque specs, I would be very appreciative. 

[ekstroemtj]

 

In case you need it again

 

 

[911nick]

Thank you!

[911nick]

I just took a look at the left side strut this morning. It looks like the regular coil spring assembly has four bolts that the air assembly does not have. Take a look at the photo. The green arrows point to three bolts. The fourth is out of view. It seems to me that I can undo those four nuts, and the coil assembly will fall away from the hat. I would have to remove the torsion bar and lower control arm bolts too obviously. What do you think?

 

 

[Loren]

You are going to need a coil spring compressor or risk damage to the upper ball joint (or yourself).

[911nick]

I definitely have all the tools. But, it seems to me that undoing the four bolts will release the strut coil assembly from the big bracket that is mounted to the chassis. Once the coil assembly is out, I would compress the spring and remove the spring nut, etc. Those four bolts do not hold tension on the coil. I really want to avoid having to remove more than I need. Hopefully removing those four nuts will be the only fasteners that need to be removed from the upper assembly. If so, the process will be almost as simple as the rear shock assemblies I replaced a few days ago. Does my logic sound correct?   

Edited July 9, 2017 by 911nick

[911nick]

Front strut replacement completed!

 

I'm happy to report that removing the strut assemblies from the Cayenne is mostly a straight forward job. 

 

1. Raise the front of the vehicle so that both wheels are off the ground. Remove the wheels from the car. 

2. Remove the the bolt that connects the sway bar drop link to the sway bar. Note: leave the drop link connected to the strut.

 

[911nick]

3. Disconnect the upper control arm ball joint from the hub. This was the hardest part of the job as both sides required PB Blaster and a lot of force to remove. I did not replace the upper control arms, so I made sure to be careful and not mess with the boots. 

 

Edited July 16, 2017 by 911nick

[911nick]

4. Next, remove the bolt that connects the strut to the lower control arm.

 

[911nick]

5. Now, remove the four nuts that hold the strut to the chassis. 

 

[911nick]

6. Now, you are able to remove the strut assembly from the vehicle. Push the upper control arm up; this allows clearance for the strut to be removed. 

7. Before you compress the springs, you must remove the bottom portion of the dust boot from the plastic ring. I did not take a photo of this. I used a pair of small pliers to carefully pry the bottom lip of the boot from the plastic ring. You will remove the plastic ring and attach it to the new strut. 

8. Remove the sway bar link from the old strut. Note the position of the link before you do. You'll want to position the link on the new strut in the same position. 

 

[911nick]

9. Install strut assembly in reverse order. Torque spec for hub to ball joint upper control arm is 77 ft. lbs. Lower control arm to strut is 110 ft. lbs. + 90 degrees. I got these specs from a different forum. Be sure you pre-load the lower control arm to strut before tightening. I placed a jack under the joint and loaded the spring. Be careful as this will lift the vehicle off the jack stands. 

 

Happy wrenching!

[Bill LeVasseur]

Great writeup! I removed the drop links since I was replacing them (and the sway bar bushings). What I found out is that the long bolt that connects the drop link to the strut won't go back in from the inside of the vehicle (like they were from the factory), and I had to put them in the other way. Not a huge deal, but if you are the kind of tech that likes to keep it 100% original so to speak, then you can connect the drop links to the strut before installing the strut. Anyway, thanks for the post and photos @911nick!

[Doug_B_928]

Resurrecting this thread.  To clarify, using the method of removal described in this write-up, one does not need to compress the spring until it's out of the car?