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Hi, I'm Mike from 1A Auto. I hope this how-to video helps you out, and next time you need parts for your vehicle, think of 1AAuto.com. Thanks.
In this video, I'm going to show you how to replace the front shocks and spring assemblies on this 2011 Chevy Silverado. This is a 1500 with full-wheel drive. It's the same as any Chevy Silverado 1500 as well as the GMC Sierra 1500. We'll show you the passenger's side, but the driver's side is the same procedure. We do always recommend you replace these in pairs. You'll need new struts from 1AAuto.com, you'll need 15mm to 22mm sockets with a ratchet, a long extension, breaker bar or pipe for some extra leverage, penetrating oil, torque wrench, and jack and jack stands.
From the top there are three 18mm nuts that hold the top of the strut in place. You can see one there, one has a wire loom on it there that I'm going to reach down, grab, and just pull off. I apologize for the camera shot. You just grab the wire clip and pull it up off the stud. You have the other one there and your third one there.
Now use an 18mm socket with a long extension and remove those three nuts. Remove the center cab just by prying with a screwdriver, and if you don't have the benefit of air tools, loosen the lug nuts with the vehicle on the ground, then raise and secure the vehicle. Then remove the lug nuts the rest of the way. Remove the wheel and tire, and they are 22mm lug nuts.
Turn the wheel using hands or using the steering wheel, and then you need to remove the stabilizer link. Make sure you put some penetrating oil on the top end of it there, then use a wrench on the top side and a socket and ratchet on the bottom side to remove it all the way. Going to speed it up a little bit using an impact wrench to take that off. It just speeds things up for us.
Now with the shock or strut in place, we're just using a 15mm socket and ratchet. You might want to use a breaker bar to break them loose, but they come apart pretty easy on this truck. We'll fast-forward as we just take those out. With those bolts out, press down on the suspension some and bring the strut down and then up and out.
You can see the new struts from 1A Auto are exactly the same. There are two clips on the old strut that you want to pry off with a screwdriver, and then it's easiest to reinstall those just when you put the strut back into the vehicle. Put them on there, put the bolt up through, and you'll see us to do that. Putting the strut back in, if you look on the top of the strut where the coil spring ends that goes to the outside, and you put the strut back in and then lift it up into place.
Then you can just start the nuts onto the top. Put the bottom down in place, take your bolt, run it up through, and then those clips that you took off of the original strut, put them into place, and we just kind of hold them with our fingers, get the bolt started, and then you can press them down into place and tighten up the bolts the rest of the way.
You can see here we use a screwdriver to put through the clip to hold it in place until it gets down far enough that it holds itself in place. Repeat it for the other side as well. You can tighten these up between 70 and 75 foot-pounds. Speed up as we put the stabilizer link back in place. Use a pry bar to lift up on the swag bar a little bit, put the link back in place, put the bolt up through, and then tighten the nut down on top.
Then put our wheel back on, put the lug nuts back on by hand first, then tighten them up preliminarily. With the vehicle back down on the ground and secure, torque the lug nuts to 110 foot-pounds using a crossing pattern. Tighten up and torque the top three nuts to *38* foot-pounds, and put that wire clip back in place. You should be all set.
We hope this video helps you out. Brought to you by www.1AAuto.com, your source for quality replacement parts and the best service on the Internet. Please feel free to call us toll-free, 888-844-3393. We're the company that's here for you on the Internet and in person.
WARNING: This product can expose you to chemicals including Lead and Lead Compounds, which are known to the State of California to cause cancer, and birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information, go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.
