Replacing SLS

From Boosted Tech

Article by The Goodz

NOTE: The E-Series Owners Club and the writers of the articles take no responsibility for any damage or problems or grief that may be a result of following one of our articles. Make sure you know what you are doing, are confident and competent before commencing any activity. You do so at your own risk!

Written by Alex Stojan

This article will show you how to replace the self leveling shock absorbers in EA Fairmont Ghias, NA/NC/NF/NL Fairlanes and DA/DC/DF/DL LTDs. This is an easy job, and should take around half an hour at the most. I take no responsibility for anything you stuff up, you follow this tutorial at your own risk.

Step 1

Jack up your car and support it with chassis stands. Do not jack the vehicle up at the axle, use the chassis. The picture shows no chassis stands but that's only because I didn't have any at the time. Remove the wheel.

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Step 2

Remove the plastic trim panel covering the rear upper shock mount. This is located just behind the rear seat backrest on either side of the boot opening. Undo the plastic cap at the top of the shock, remove it along with the airline. CAUTION: There is a small O-ring that fits around the airline which is on the underside of the plastic cap. Do not lose this, you will need it when you're putting it back together. If it's not on the airline, it's probably still on the top of the shocker.

Once the airline has been removed, undo the upper shock absorber bolt, and remove the steel plate, and the rubber bush. Undo the 4 bolts holding the shock absorber mount, and remove.

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Step 3

Get under the vehicle and undo the bottom shock absorber mount nut, and remove the bolt. If you look like what I did in the photo to the far right, requiring the wall for leverage, then you're probably turning the nut the wrong way, like I did. It will keep getting tighter, so it's hard to tell.

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Step 4

Remove the shock absorber through the hole at the top. Installation is a reversal of this procedure. Ensure all bushes and plates and everything is the same as before. It's not a bad idea to replace the airline o-ring. This o-ring is often the cause of leaks, so changing it is always a good thing.