Is my rear suspension shot? '05 SE

[00Beast]

Good post Grimm. I don't remove the wheels, but I have a lift, so I can see where it would help when working on the ground, lol.

[Ludichris]

I found the thread from when I did my shocks 2 summers ago. Here was the complete process:

-Jacked up the back with the car jack.
-Jacked up the control arm a little bit with a floor jack.
-Take off wheel.
-Loosen the two bolts at the control arm holding the shock (to make sure they can be easily done without busting out some help).
-Remove the black plastic nut on the inside of the trunk holding on the carpet (on the side). Pull back carpet.
-Remove the rubber cover on the nut at the top of the shock (inside the trunk)
-Remove the nut (this is why you don't remove the bottom bolts, otherwise the shock twists when you do the top nut)
-Remove the air line to the shock.
-Remove the bottom bolts.
-Remove shock.
-Take new shock and pull the one end out some.
-Insert the top end of shock (don't forget that concave washer at the top that you remove from the old one).
-Start the bottom bolts into the shock.
-Jack up the control arm until the bolt on the top of the shock sticks through the fender well.
-Put the top bolt back on.
-Finish the bottom bolts.
-Reinstall air line.
-Put wheel back on.
-Not sure if necessary, but I then started the car and waited until I heard the ELC kick in. Then I lowered the car and made sure the top bolt was sufficiently tight on the shock.

Took about and hour and fifteen minutes including the time to get out the jacks, tools, etc.

Okay, that seems like something I could probably handle, with maybe a little bit of trouble but not so much that I couldn't get out of it....but....I don't even own any jack except for the emergency jack that comes with the car. I'm takin' my jack kit out of my '97 before it gets sold to the scrap yard, so I'd actually have two.....but as we all know, those things are kinda flimsy. I don't know if I'm properly equipped to do this. You see, I'm apartment livin' and I don't have a garage or a lot of tools, just the bare bones basics 120 piece socket set, screwdrivers, wrenches, that sort of thing.

Question: As you're doing this repair, is there any part of it as you're loosening or tightening the bolts that would cause the car to shake enough to possibly (probably) come off that flimsy jack that is intended only to change tires with?

[00Beast]

I would not work on the car with that jack being the only thing holding it up...

[Ludichris]

I would not work on the car with that jack being the only thing holding it up...

That's kinda what I'm thinking too.

[01bonneSC]

And I wouldn't consider the scissor jack a real jack lol

[Ken_W]

<deleted due to accidental double-post>

[Ken_W]

Ludachris -- a pair of jackstands is a must if you expect to do any work on this car, and you can get some good ones for $30-$50. You can get a good jack for $60-$80. Keep in mind that you can use these items for many, many years. It is possible to change your shocks without either of these things (without lifting the car), but it will be more difficult because you will have to reach around the tire and do part of it by feel.

Other than those two tools (jackstand and floor jack), your socket set should be enough to do the job. I would also recommend using a wire brush to clean off the lower shock mounting bolts prior to removing them.

I've been learning to work on cars since owning my Bonneville, and as an amateur I agree that this is one of the easier procedures. Be sure to use "Search" and do some reading beforehand, so that you will know the tricks and potential pitfalls before you begin. There are multiple discussions of this topic here at the club, as well as a couple other procedure descriptions in addition to the one already posted above.

As far as your question regarding the wisdom of getting an alignment... An alignment is the solution to your problem. The only question is whether or not the car will stay aligned afterward, or start to slip out of alignment again after a few days. It is possible that your car will stay aligned; since it is new to you and you don't know its history, this might be all you need. Only one way to find out.

Ken_W