Turn off the suspension switch in the trunk. Remove the tire and jack up the corner..
Turn the steering wheel to the right (to work on the driver side).
On my car, the spring is basically a rubber tube with thick, heavy plastic plugs fastened to each end.
The top has an additional plastic ring around it. The ring has notches around it's outer perimeter. When that ring is turned and it's notches line up with matching notches in the upper suspension plate, the ring and the upper part of the spring can move downwards, away from the plate.
The top of the air bag is now freed.
[My top-ring may have been prevented from accidentally turning due to vibration by something.. i forget what it was.. a metal tab perhaps. Did something locked it in place? This is all from memory.]
The bottom "plug" has a little mushroom shaped knob sticking out of it's bottom. That knob goes through a hole in the lower spring support. A square metal spring-clip slips under that knob and locks it to the support plate. (This knob and clip can be seen if you lay on the floor and look up at it.)
Remove the clip with a screwdriver, and the bottom of the air bag is free.
If the bag is empty it can be squeezed and pushed out of the suspension.
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Note that one must first remove the air line and solenoid, and deflate the bag.
Remove the solenoid's 2-wire connection plug, and the air line.
The solenoid has a spring clip that prevents it from turning. Remove that clip. Then, if you turn the solenoid counterclockwise (?) about 30 degrees, it will (suddenly!) pop out part way, hit a shoulder (preventing it from flying out and knocking you unconscious) and, being loose, a whoosh of air remaining in the bag will escape around it. Then the solenoid can be turned further and removed. ( it's a bit startling the first time, but safe and harmless.)
If your leak emptied the bag and there's no air pressure remaining, this won't be nearly as exciting as it is with a healthy bag...
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So, the only tools mine needed is a screwdriver or small pry bar to un-clip the bottom clip, and perhaps a pair of pliers to remove the solenoid clip. And I recall using a small channel-lock pliers to grab and turn the solenoids, which can be a bit difficult to turn by hand.
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Actually, that top plastic ring collects road dirt and grit, and mine was stuck. I had to knock it with a hammer and screwdriver back and forth a couple times to get it loose so it would turn..
Replacement is a reversal of those things..
That's about it on my car. Remove and replace is a leisurely hour..
Describe the "hub tools" you mentioned.. Hub as in wheel hub? Remove the wheels and bearings? I have no idea what that's about.
Turn the steering wheel to the right (to work on the driver side).
On my car, the spring is basically a rubber tube with thick, heavy plastic plugs fastened to each end.
The top has an additional plastic ring around it. The ring has notches around it's outer perimeter. When that ring is turned and it's notches line up with matching notches in the upper suspension plate, the ring and the upper part of the spring can move downwards, away from the plate.
The top of the air bag is now freed.
[My top-ring may have been prevented from accidentally turning due to vibration by something.. i forget what it was.. a metal tab perhaps. Did something locked it in place? This is all from memory.]
The bottom "plug" has a little mushroom shaped knob sticking out of it's bottom. That knob goes through a hole in the lower spring support. A square metal spring-clip slips under that knob and locks it to the support plate. (This knob and clip can be seen if you lay on the floor and look up at it.)
Remove the clip with a screwdriver, and the bottom of the air bag is free.
If the bag is empty it can be squeezed and pushed out of the suspension.
---------
Note that one must first remove the air line and solenoid, and deflate the bag.
Remove the solenoid's 2-wire connection plug, and the air line.
The solenoid has a spring clip that prevents it from turning. Remove that clip. Then, if you turn the solenoid counterclockwise (?) about 30 degrees, it will (suddenly!) pop out part way, hit a shoulder (preventing it from flying out and knocking you unconscious) and, being loose, a whoosh of air remaining in the bag will escape around it. Then the solenoid can be turned further and removed. ( it's a bit startling the first time, but safe and harmless.)
If your leak emptied the bag and there's no air pressure remaining, this won't be nearly as exciting as it is with a healthy bag...
---
So, the only tools mine needed is a screwdriver or small pry bar to un-clip the bottom clip, and perhaps a pair of pliers to remove the solenoid clip. And I recall using a small channel-lock pliers to grab and turn the solenoids, which can be a bit difficult to turn by hand.
-----
Actually, that top plastic ring collects road dirt and grit, and mine was stuck. I had to knock it with a hammer and screwdriver back and forth a couple times to get it loose so it would turn..
Replacement is a reversal of those things..
That's about it on my car. Remove and replace is a leisurely hour..
Describe the "hub tools" you mentioned.. Hub as in wheel hub? Remove the wheels and bearings? I have no idea what that's about.
Daughter's Mark 7 boyfriend did most of the work and I assisted and learned. By the way, he seemed to know that trick you posted above about getting the new bag warm. He put a clean sheet of newspaper on the driveway and laid the bag out for a bit, then turned it over, and then bent over in both directions before installing.