Irish TuneR

You've had a few problems but well done for persevering mate. I believe it was the rear right shock on my car that was leaking when i got mine too and after buying a second hand set, they had the same issue! As a stop gap i used the other LHS one and adjusted the top mount, worked fine. I've a set of 2008 shocks with Spoon springs on it now and they work great, would like a bit more of a drop though.

DaveUK

Honestly, I lost a bit of love for the car when my clutch broke. Hopefully it comes back once I can have fun with it. Thanks for the heads up about your replacement shock also leaking. It's made me think maybe I should get much lower mileage replacements.

How hard was it to adjust the top mount? Was it difficult to get it to line up? Or can you loosen it, fit it, then tighten everything? Cheers.

Define198

Sorry if its off topic, how did you manage to get the car so high? did you put it low on all 4 stands and then raise each end a little higher until you got to the max height?

I need to replace my clutch and cant decide if i should try myself, i have plenty of time to do it, but not sure i have the tools, i have the Halfords 150peice tool set

DaveUK

What I do is use a trolley jack to get the car up on the stands high enough to get a bottle jack in. Then I use the bottle jack and go up in a few stages. Otherwise you can end up moving the car and I didn't have space for that. Also, I use a bottle jack because trolley jacks don't always roll along the floor, and when they don't they can drag the car or slip on the jacking point. Bottle jacks go up vertically and not in an arc so I think they're much safer.

150 pieces is a lot. I'd check out the service manual and the DIYs on this site to make sure you have everything. Also, for the tough bolts like the subframe, you'll want a 6 point socket instead of 12 point so that it's less likely to round off the bolt. Wobble extensions are also a must, and an allen key for the driveshaft. You'll need a torque wrench. I had one that goes up to 80Nm for the pressure plate, and for the subframe and flywheel I had one that goes up to 200nm or something. I used a torque wrench for the gearbox bolts as well. Probably other things but I can't remember. There's a torque spec for everything in the service manual, but in my untrained, unprofessional opinion, doing it by feel is good enough for some things.

If you do decide to do it, then good luck! Don't break the knock sensor (by the top starter bolt), try not to strip any bolts (driveshaft, steering shaft coupler, some people have problems with subframe bolts rusting) and remember to mark the positions of the driveshaft and the steering column. Although, I marked the steering column, put it back bang on my marks, and my steering wheel is turned to the right a bit when going straight. I'll need to try again at some point.

chrispayze

If you need an idea of how to do it, I created this a while back.... https://www.s2ki.com/s2000/topic/111...ch-change-diy/

Avoids undoing the steering column and the subframe.