Many, many news articles recently have discussed the pros and cons of AI. To some, it’s a marvelous future: machines that can process enormous quantities of information, organize that information, and learn from it. To others, it’s 1984, Brave New World, and your choice of terrifying futurist science fiction, in which machines decide that humans have become irrelevant. (“I’m sorry, Dave, I can’t do that.”)
Bringing it closer to our automotive hobby, I took my experience-based instructions on how to change the front strut inserts on a 2002, and then asked ChatGPT the same thing. Here’s my human version of the process:
- Loosen the front wheel bolts, jack the car up, and place it on jack stands.
- Once it’s firmly supported, remove the wheels, brake pads and their hardware. Unbolt the rigid brake-line brackets (13-mm wrench) and the calipers (17-mm wrench) from their respective struts.
- Fasten the calipers up out of the way—without kinking the attached flexible brake lines.
- Disconnect the sway-bar links and set them aside. Replace the bushings if they’re worn or damaged, noting that the cupped washers face away from their bushings.
- Support the bottom of the strut with a jack and remove the three 13-mm nuts that hold the strut’s upper end in place.
- Lower the jack until the strut is hanging as low as it will.
- Drape a towel around the fender lip to prevent scratches, push down on the strut assembly until its top clears the fender opening, then swing it outward. Support it on a jack or wooden block. This will save disconnecting the lower end of the strut from the steering arm.
- Use a spring compressor to take the tension off the upper spring perch. Be very careful when you compress springs; they can cause severe injury if they come loose. Then remove the 19-mm nut on the strut insert’s upper end, and make a drawing or take a picture of the order in which all the spacers, washers, and upper strut bearings come out. With that done, you can remove the spring—still compressed—and set it aside.
- The final removal step is to unscrew the gland nut that holds the strut insert in its housing. A large pair of slip-joint pliers or a pipe wrench seems to work best. It may take a judicious application of heat to loosen up years of rust; lots of wet rags are advisable in order to preserve nearby paint. Some anti-seize on those threads will make it easier the next time. With the gland nut unscrewed, you can remove the strut insert and install the new one.
Reassembly as they say, is the reverse. The only tricky part is placing those washers and spacers just below the upper strut bearing back in the right order: first the road spring, then washer, upper spring cup, washer, spacer, cup washer/grease retainer (rim facing upwards), upper strut bearing, small washer, and 19-mm nut. Remove the spring compressor, ensuring that the spring seats properly. Finally, push down on the assembled strut so that it clears the fender and resumes its place in the fender well. Use a small scissors jack to push it upward through the upper mount holes, reinstalling and properly torquing the three nuts on the strut bearing. And you’re done.
Now for ChatGPT’s version. My command to Chat: Give me installation instructions for front suspension struts on a 1973 BMW model 2002. Chat’s answer:
- Preparation. Park your vehicle on a flat surface and engage the parking brake. Locate the front suspension struts on both sides of the vehicle.
- Removing the old struts. Lift the front of your vehicle using a floor jack and support it securely on jack stands. Remove the wheel/tire assembly from each side where you’ll be working. Locate the upper strut mount under the hood and remove any bolts securing it to the vehicle’s body. Move to the wheel-well area and locate the lower end of the strut. Use a socket wrench to remove the bolts securing the lower strut assembly to the wheel hub or control arm. Carefully lower the floor jack, allowing the suspension to decompress and the strut assembly to be removed. Use a pry bar or hammer if necessary to help release the strut.
- Installing the new struts. Take the new front suspension struts and compare them to the old ones to ensure that they match in terms of length and mounting points. Place the new strut assembly into the wheel well and align the mounting holes with the corresponding holes on the wheel hub or control arm. Insert and tighten the bolts that secure the lower end of the strut assembly. Raise the floor jack to compress the suspension and align the upper strut mount with the mounting holes in the vehicle’s body. Insert and tighten the bolts that secure the upper strut mount under the hood.
- Finishing up. Double-check all the bolts and ensure that they are tightened to the manufacturer’s recommended torque specifications. Reinstall the wheel/tire assembly onto each side of the vehicle. Carefully lower the vehicle from the jack stands.
While the AI instructions are generally correct, it (he? she?) leaves out some important steps (unbolting the brake calipers) and a number of details (washer and spacer sequences) that can affect the entire repair.
I think my job is safe, at least for now.
