Chevy Cobalt Suspension info
A.)
The rear torsion bar of the Cobalt houses the rear spring and a strut (spring tube with 2 holes for bolts).
A typical truck has long thin "leaf springs" (uses 2 much larger bolts), leaf springs have a series of bent metal layered/stacked on each other making it the rear suspension alone and if one metal piece brakes you have to replace the entire assembly.
The Cobalt is also unlike many vehicles that have independent rear suspensions which have no torsion bar running across the back of the car instead there are metal rods attaching the spring housing to the vehicles body. (not sure where the rear strut is at now that I think about it?)
1.) Q: How to remove the rear springs on a Chevrolet Cobalt?
1.) A: Remove the rear tire, remove the top (or bottom) bolt holding in the strut so that the rear torsion bar has freedom of movement, then use a large flat head screw driver and slide it in-between the top of the spring and the cars body and put pressure either up or down to pry the spring free. Hitting the end of the screw driver with a hammer to force it in further works also.
..the spring is essentially stuck in the housing at the bottom and up against the top of the car, so you are manipulating it to become free with the screw driver. Maybe it will just flop free when you lower the torsion bar, if you remove both sets of struts one on each side this may occur, but if you're doing one side at a time, or have a broken spring this method works best and for all scenarios.
..I had in the past tried to get the stock oem spring up and out of the housing and it was rather difficult to accomplish. Used the same screw driver on the lower housing trying to get the spring to raise up by slamming the screw driver in and prying it up and nothing worked it free nor was it easy. Then watched and saw the top screw driver method in a video and tried it the next time I swapped springs and it couldn't have been any easier using the screw driver method.
...aftermarket lowered springs sort of just free themselves when you remove the strut (strut bolt) because they are so much shorter than the stock springs.
B.)
The front suspension of a Chevy Cobalt is a Macpherson strut assembly which has the strut inside of the spring instead of like the rear where the strut and spring are separate. Macpherson strut is very common on all vehicles. High end cars have magnetic ride control. And air ride suspension is another type rare on cars but common on large trucks.
C.)
There is a lot of stuff connected to the front suspension like brakes, tie-rod ends, the drive shaft, etc.. I might explain some of that later on.
I don't know if this is from a chevy cobalt front suspension... but is the same basically if not...
A.)
The rear torsion bar of the Cobalt houses the rear spring and a strut (spring tube with 2 holes for bolts).
A typical truck has long thin "leaf springs" (uses 2 much larger bolts), leaf springs have a series of bent metal layered/stacked on each other making it the rear suspension alone and if one metal piece brakes you have to replace the entire assembly.
The Cobalt is also unlike many vehicles that have independent rear suspensions which have no torsion bar running across the back of the car instead there are metal rods attaching the spring housing to the vehicles body. (not sure where the rear strut is at now that I think about it?)
1.) Q: How to remove the rear springs on a Chevrolet Cobalt?
1.) A: Remove the rear tire, remove the top (or bottom) bolt holding in the strut so that the rear torsion bar has freedom of movement, then use a large flat head screw driver and slide it in-between the top of the spring and the cars body and put pressure either up or down to pry the spring free. Hitting the end of the screw driver with a hammer to force it in further works also.
..the spring is essentially stuck in the housing at the bottom and up against the top of the car, so you are manipulating it to become free with the screw driver. Maybe it will just flop free when you lower the torsion bar, if you remove both sets of struts one on each side this may occur, but if you're doing one side at a time, or have a broken spring this method works best and for all scenarios.
DO NOT UNINTENTIONALLY REMOVE BOTH SIDES "BOLTS" OF THE REAR SPRINGS HOLDING THE TORSION BAR - BECAUSE IT WILL FALL A DISTANCE WHEN (IF) YOU REMOVE BOTH SIDES BOLTS!!! The torsion bar the "triangle" shaped bar running the entire length across the car from rear spring on left to rear spring on right is only held in place by the shock (and or spring if it is jammed in good) so when you remove the final top or bottom bolt on the strut (the long black tube) the entire torsion bar will fall downwards to a point, it has a built in end point of movement but would be best to learn where that is safely by placing a jack under it before removing the other bolt (see pictures below), as the bolt may cause issues being removed having the weight of the bar on it as you try to wiggle and prey the bolt out, so resting the torsion bar on a jack as in the pump up jack to raise the car will be helpful here. You can just raise the torsion bar it isn't that heavy that you can't raise it some to work the bolt loose, but you may SUPRISE YOURSELF and your foot and tools and drink if you pull both bolts from both sides. Maybe put some stress on whatever is in that arm of the torsion bar so maybe it would fall free and fall all the way down to do stress of breaking whatever it is that keeps it from just free floating all the way down. POINT IS!!!... YOU NEED TO RAISE IT BACK UP AFTER YOU REPLACE THINGS SO YOU NEED TO PUT THE BOLTS BACK IN SO USE A CAR JACK IF YOU HAVE 1 TO LINE IT ALL UP EASIER. As in instead of lift the entire torsion bar all the way up by hand you can have it already raised.
NOTE: It is easier to let the torsion bar go as far down as it will go so that you can remove the springs. So this is just info to make bolt removal and install easier and protect yourself from the falling torsion bar and any stress on parts letting it free fall.
Top bolt and bottom bolt of the strut and the cars jack, plus another jack stand on the torsion bar. This car has an aftermarket "sway" bar installed that is what the red bar is under the torsion bar. You can also have a sway bar in the front under the hood between the struts above the engine.
Front sway bar in the engine between the struts.
Rear sway bar and 2 jack stands on the torsion bar. This is not a "Cobalt"
This is a 2005 to 2010 Cobalt rear axel torsion bar. Springs fit in the bottom holes and the bar attaches via the top latch with bolts then it is just the springs and strut bolts. It is the top latch here the circular part that I mention you may "stress."
car jack
..I had in the past tried to get the stock oem spring up and out of the housing and it was rather difficult to accomplish. Used the same screw driver on the lower housing trying to get the spring to raise up by slamming the screw driver in and prying it up and nothing worked it free nor was it easy. Then watched and saw the top screw driver method in a video and tried it the next time I swapped springs and it couldn't have been any easier using the screw driver method.
...aftermarket lowered springs sort of just free themselves when you remove the strut (strut bolt) because they are so much shorter than the stock springs.
B.)
The front suspension of a Chevy Cobalt is a Macpherson strut assembly which has the strut inside of the spring instead of like the rear where the strut and spring are separate. Macpherson strut is very common on all vehicles. High end cars have magnetic ride control. And air ride suspension is another type rare on cars but common on large trucks.
C.)
There is a lot of stuff connected to the front suspension like brakes, tie-rod ends, the drive shaft, etc.. I might explain some of that later on.
I don't know if this is from a chevy cobalt front suspension... but is the same basically if not...
mounting hardware for new front struts
