Below are instructions for replacing Buick Reatta rear struts.
The photos are from a 1988 model.
Your model may be slightly different.
Be prepared for the top nut holding the strut to be very hard to remove, especially if the threads are rusty. There are situations where it cannot be unscrewed and may require cutting the nut off (or cutting the shaft) to remove it. Some people have had success holding the shaft with vice grips or a pipe wrench. Doing that will prevent the strut from being reused.
1. Loosen your lug nuts before you raise the car off of the floor.
2. Raise the chassis with a floor jack and mount your car on a pair of jack stands, this will keep the rear end stabilized.
3. Remove both rear wheels.
4. Remove the bolts on the sway bar that attach to the strut flanges. Swing sway bar to get it out of the way.
5. Remove the nut on top of one strut shaft. Start to loosen the nut, then take a 3/8" box-end wrench (possibly a #30 Torx wrench may be needed) on the strut shaft to keep the strut shaft from turning. Allow the wrench to turn until wrench meets the sheet metal. This will allow you to focus on removing the nut.
6. At this point make a list of what can be removed off the strut shaft above the strut tower. With a digital camera take a pic as how anything above the strut tower is removed. Yours may differ from the photo below.
7. Hold a block of wood on the end of the strut shaft and push down to compress the strut. While compressed, insert a tool under the strut tower to allow you to compress the strut far enough to allow you to pull the strut away from the strut tower.
Be careful not to stress the ABS sensor cable or the brake hose when removing the strut shaft from the strut tower. Damage could occur. (see photo #1 above)
At this point make note of pulling off each item off of the strut shaft and with the digital camera, take a pic of each item before you remove them off of the strut shaft. After removing all items - dirt cover, bushings and/or washers, Allow strut shaft to extend (decompress).8. The base of the strut is held in a clamp. In the clamp, you will find a bolt with a nut, remove the nut.
9. To access the bolt, pull strut shaft away from strut tower. Place a block of wood to wedge the strut to keep the strut angled to gain access to the bolt.
Take care to not damage the ABS sensor cable or the brake hose. Adding blocks of wood under the control arm to support it will help keep them from being stretched too far.
Now the bolt can be removed with a ratchet and extension. Make note which direction the bolt went into the clamp.
Even though the bolt is now removed, the strut is still clamped. In order to loosen the clamp, you must take a wide blade screwdriver and insert it into the clamp slit and drive it into the slit with a hammer which will open the slit to release the clamping of the strut. If strut will not slide out of clamp, drive the screwdriver farther for the slit to open wider. If the strut is still not willing to slip out of the clamp, then (with the screwdriver driven into slit) use hammer on the end of strut to pound the strut up through the clamp.
10. Before installing new strut, you can spray or wipe lithium grease on the inside of the clamp to assist the new strut to slide into the clamp, (screwdriver must in the slit to spread the slit of the clamp & so strut can be inserted). Turn the alignment tab toward the clamp bolt. There is a notch (indention) on the outside of the strut. The strut bolt you removed must be able to go through the notch. When the strut is bottomed out in the notch has to be on the backside where the slit is located. There is no need to worry if the notch is at the correct height because when the strut is bottomed out in the alignment tab the notch meets the slot for the bolt. Insert the block of wood which will allow clearance & remove screwdriver to allow clamp close then insert the bolt and ratchet the bolt tight. Tighten nut on end of the clamp bolt. Then remove block of wood.
11. Per the instructions of the strut, rotate strut shaft which will allow the strut to decompress and the strut shaft will extend to maximum length.
10. Insert the bushings & dust cover onto strut shaft as they were removed.
11. Compress the strut shaft and push the the end of the strut shaft up into the strut tower and allow the strut shaft to decompress and enter the hole of the strut tower..Rotate the strut shaft and allow the lower bushing to mate with the strut tower.
13. Insert the upper bushing onto the strut shaft, then turn nut onto strut shaft and tighten per manufacturers torque.
14. Repeat installation instructions for opposite strut.
15. Swing sway bar until it enters flange on the strut and insert bolt and tighten down per torque rating. Repeat for opposite end of sway bar.
16. Mount wheels and apply lug nuts til snug.
17. Raise chassis with floor jack and remove jack stands. Then lower chassis to floor and tighten lug nuts.
Thanks to 89 Maui, member of the Reatta forums, for this information.
