Rear shock nuts removal

WAGONBRO33

MEMBER
1988 CHEVROLET CAVALIER
2.0L
4 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
125,000 MILES

Hi, I have the vehicle listed above wagon. I need to remove the rear shocks, but it seems as though it might be tricky. The top mounting nuts for the shock are located under a plastic square cap on the wheel well cover inside the cargo compartment of the station wagon. (Picture #3) The nuts appear to be 10mm. The space seems tricky to maneuver, however I have plenty of socket extensions if needed. My issue is that there are threaded rods coming out of the top of the nuts that stick so far up that my sockets can’t slip over them it seems. I’m not sure what to do here. I think I need deeper sockets, but I wonder if I’m overlooking something. Any help is greatly appreciated! Thank you

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1 Reply

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
109,700 POSTS

Welcome to 2CarPros.

There are only two nuts you need to remove, one at the top and one at the bottom. Here are the directions. The two attached pictures correlate with these directions.

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REAR SUSPENSION
Fig. 2 Rear shock absorber upper attachment components

picture 1

Fig. 3 Stabilizer bar & shock absorber removal

picture 2

1. Open deck lid, then remove trim cover and shock absorber upper retaining nut.
2. Raise rear of vehicle and support rear axle using a suitable jack.
3. Remove shock absorber lower attaching bolt, then disconnect shock absorber from mounting bracket, Fig. 2. Remove shock absorber from vehicle.
4. Reverse procedure to install. Torque lower attaching bolt to 41 ft. Lbs. And upper attaching nut to 13 ft. Lbs. When installing upper shock absorber attachment components, refer to Fig. 3, for proper installation order.

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Let me know if this helps of if you have other questions.

Take care,
Joe

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