Removal

• 1). Park your Mercury Cougar in a safe place with enough room for you to work around the front of the car.
  
  
• 2). Loosen the wheel lugs on the side of the strut you want to change. Raise the vehicle using a floor jack and safely support it on a jack stand. Then remove the tire, open the hood and disconnect the black, negative battery cable.
  
  
• 3). Loosen the strut piston retaining nut. The nut is located on the strut tower-inside the engine compartment-holding the top of the strut assembly to the car body. You might need to remove a plastic cap from the top of the tower to gain access to the retaining nut. Use an 8mm Allen wrench and a hollow socket. As you hold the strut piston with the Allen wrench, slide the socket over the retaining nut. Then use a wrench to remove the nut while holding the piston tight with the Allen wrench.
  
  
• 4). Disconnect the sway bar link attached to the strut assembly-working from underneath the vehicle-using a wrench or ratchet and socket.
  
  
• 5). Disconnect the brake hose and anti-lock/wheel speed sensor wiring attached to the brackets on the strut assembly. Use a wrench or ratchet and socket.
  
  
• 6). Remove the outer tie rod end from the steering knuckle. Remove the cotter pin form the castle nut holding the tie-rod end to the steering knuckle using a pair of nose pliers; remove the castle nut with a wrench and disconnect the tie-rod end using a steering knuckle puller.
  
  
• 7). Remove the pinch bolt holding the steering knuckle to the strut joint using a wrench or ratchet and socket-you might need to force a pry bar or screwdriver on the strut/knuckle joint to pull it apart and release the strut. Pull the strut assembly off the vehicle.
  
  

Installation

• 1). Set the new strut/coil assembly in place and position the base of the strut into the steering knuckle. Thread the knuckle to strut pinch bolt, but do not tighten it yet.
  
  
• 2). Install the strut retaining nut with the hollow socket as you hold the strut piston with the Allen wrench. Then tighten the strut/steering knuckle joint bolt to 40 foot lbs. (54 Nm) using a torque wrench.
  
  
• 3). Install the sway bar link, brake hose and anti-lock/wheel speed sensor wiring to the strut assembly. Install the tie-rod end to the steering knuckle using a new cotter pin. Install the tire and lower the vehicle.
  
  
• 4). Connect the black, negative battery cable and check the vehicle for proper operation. Verify wheel alignment if necessary.