Ramma2 Posted February 14, 2005 Report Share Posted February 14, 2005 1995 Olds Cutlass Supreme, rear of the car pops and creaks all the time, I assume that the struts are shot. You can bounce the rear of the car and it pops pops pops. How hard are they to replace? Can anyone give me a quick run down on whats involved? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AWeb80 Posted February 14, 2005 Report Share Posted February 14, 2005 go to http://www.fastfwdperformance.com. Then go to the coil-over section and click on the instructions link Ya, they are instructions on how to put the coil-overs in, but it also tells you how to take the stock struts out....replacing them is just a matter of reversing the steps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramma2 Posted February 14, 2005 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2005 Very good infos, thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Intlcutlass Posted February 14, 2005 Report Share Posted February 14, 2005 http://www.w-body.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=24704&highlight=rear+struts&sid=9a6a34034b773d9221a329387835a832 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramma2 Posted February 14, 2005 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2005 Why does the Fast FWD site mention nothing about compressing a spring, while the second link makes quite the emphasis on it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supreme_style21 Posted February 14, 2005 Report Share Posted February 14, 2005 Why does the Fast FWD site mention nothing about compressing a spring, while the second link makes quite the emphasis on it? I wonder the same. And another thing I'm confused about... 2 bolts on top.. inside the trunk, through the tower I'd assume. I've got two bolts there, but no nuts on them.. just one big nut in the center. And we NEED the strut mounts as well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GnatGoSplat Posted February 14, 2005 Report Share Posted February 14, 2005 You DO need to compress the spring! I had a 3-4hr struggle once because someone told me compressing the spring isn't that important, "just put a jack under the knuckle", he said... and I believed him. On the other side, I compressed the spring like Intlcutlass describes. That side went in easy, took 30-minutes tops with nothing but hand tools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GnatGoSplat Posted February 14, 2005 Report Share Posted February 14, 2005 I wonder the same. And another thing I'm confused about... 2 bolts on top.. inside the trunk, through the tower I'd assume. I've got two bolts there, but no nuts on them.. just one big nut in the center. And we NEED the strut mounts as well? Oh yeah... I bet the reason the FFP site doesn't say you need to compress the spring, is because you're putting in coilovers so the spring has to come out anyway. If you're not putting in coilovers, you'll need to compress the spring. The 2 bolts on top you access from the wheel well, that's why you don't see any bolt heads in the trunk. You don't NEED the strut mounts if they're in good shape, but if you live in a Northern state and your car is winter-driven, chances are they'll need to be replaced. On my 89, I replaced them anyway, but I don't think it was absolutely necessary. When I did my stepbrother's 90.. they looked good so I didn't bother and it hasn't been a problem (he was on a REAL tight budget too). Replacing them is always safer though, especially if they show wear, corrosion, and have a lot of miles on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supreme_style21 Posted February 14, 2005 Report Share Posted February 14, 2005 Ah.. gotcha.. I'd rather not replace the mounts.. they aren't the cheapest things I've seen and I'm on a tight college-student budget. I'll ride on the chance of not replacing them. It was a NY car until 2001. Its only lived in the north for 4 years/20k miles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramma2 Posted February 14, 2005 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2005 ".. somebody at General Motors must know how to design a turn signal stalk that feels more like a knife in butter than a snapping tree branch." Heh I like that, it helps to relieve stress feeling like I'm breaking something everytime I take a turn. *kernsap* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GnatGoSplat Posted February 14, 2005 Report Share Posted February 14, 2005 Ah.. gotcha.. I'd rather not replace the mounts.. they aren't the cheapest things I've seen and I'm on a tight college-student budget. I'll ride on the chance of not replacing them. It was a NY car until 2001. Its only lived in the north for 4 years/20k miles. Isn't NY considered a Northern state? At any rate, NY is pretty salty, and MN is too. I'd definitely recommend to inspect them VERY closely before reusing them. You could possibly inspect them without pulling them. If the jounce bumper (the yellow rubber bumpstop looking thing) is in good shape, you might be able to pull it out of the mount which will let you do a visual inspection of the inside of the mount. If it's completely rusty (which I've seen them VERY rusty before), then replace them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supreme_style21 Posted February 14, 2005 Report Share Posted February 14, 2005 I dunno... probably. I'll have to look at 'em when I pull it apart then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian P Posted February 14, 2005 Report Share Posted February 14, 2005 I never compressed the leaf spring when doing struts. I use the jack method, which is pretty straightforward. You just need a good thick jack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Intlcutlass Posted February 14, 2005 Report Share Posted February 14, 2005 I never compressed the leaf spring when doing struts. I use the jack method, which is pretty straightforward. You just need a good thick jack. What do you mean?... You jacked up the car under the spring? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian P Posted February 15, 2005 Report Share Posted February 15, 2005 Put the rear of the car on jackstands, put the jack under the rear knuckle. Lower down slowly to remove the strut, raise it up to install. of course it gets harder if you keep your auxiliary springs, and don't have the bolt to keep the aux spring compressed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay3800 Posted February 15, 2005 Report Share Posted February 15, 2005 I would definitely replace the upper mounts as those will make noise eventually as well. Especially on a higher mileage car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smoke1991 Posted February 15, 2005 Report Share Posted February 15, 2005 i guess no one said this, but where the leaf spring rests on the knuckles, spray some wd40 on both ends, then bouce on the back of the car, if that stops the sound, you need leaf spring boots, ive went though ehll with mine and still havent got the boots on, hell i dont even have the boots anymore. would someone be able to post the part # for rock auto.com brian i think u know the part # Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supreme_style21 Posted February 15, 2005 Report Share Posted February 15, 2005 i guess no one said this, but where the leaf spring rests on the knuckles, spray some wd40 on both ends, then bouce on the back of the car, if that stops the sound, you need leaf spring boots, ive went though ehll with mine and still havent got the boots on, hell i dont even have the boots anymore. would someone be able to post the part # for rock auto.com brian i think u know the part # I ordered a set of those to throw on. It doesn't need them, but I'll do it now so I don't have to do it later. The FedMoog number is K6544. As far as the mounts, what is the deal with the bearing? The part numbers I come up with are either with or without bearing. I can't find 'just the mount' anywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GnatGoSplat Posted February 15, 2005 Report Share Posted February 15, 2005 Put the rear of the car on jackstands, put the jack under the rear knuckle. Lower down slowly to remove the strut, raise it up to install. of course it gets harder if you keep your auxiliary springs, and don't have the bolt to keep the aux spring compressed. Hmmm, that's what I did when I had my miserable adventure. I could never get the knuckle angled right that way. By jacking up on the spring itself, the knuckle went limp and I could angle it any which way and it all went together simply. Maybe you've got a ton more muscle than me, or my spring was a lot more springy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian P Posted February 15, 2005 Report Share Posted February 15, 2005 what I did to get the angle correct, is I kept the 2 lower splined bolts "loose" and bolted the upper strut mount to the body. Then I was able to position the knuckle at any angle I wanted, then tighten the bolts up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GnatGoSplat Posted February 15, 2005 Report Share Posted February 15, 2005 Yeah, I tried that, but the knuckle angle was too far, I couldn't get the upper bolt holes to align and I pushed with all my might. Of course, all my might doesn't account to much. I see guys on TV pick up their women like they weigh nothing. Penny only weighs 126 lbs and I can't lift her 2". Then there are those commercials where mechanics pick up wheels and put them on a hub at head-level like they weigh nothing. I can't lift a wheel more than waist high. Maybe I shoulda kept all that to myself. :oops: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Intlcutlass Posted February 15, 2005 Report Share Posted February 15, 2005 Penny only weighs 126 lbs and I can't lift her 2". Then there are those commercials where mechanics pick up wheels and put them on a hub at head-level like they weigh nothing. I can't lift a wheel more than waist high. Maybe I shoulda kept all that to myself. :oops: You know what I hate... When your trying to put a wheel on, and you can't see where the studs are... then my arms get tired after like 3 seconds of fumbling around.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GnatGoSplat Posted February 15, 2005 Report Share Posted February 15, 2005 You know what I hate... When your trying to put a wheel on, and you can't see where the studs are... then my arms get tired after like 3 seconds of fumbling around.... Yep! Tired after 3-seconds sounds about right. That's even after just lifting the wheel like 2-3" off the ground. I guess I should go to the gym and work out, but who am I kidding... I love my sedentary lifestyle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smoke1991 Posted February 15, 2005 Report Share Posted February 15, 2005 You know what I hate... When your trying to put a wheel on, and you can't see where the studs are... then my arms get tired after like 3 seconds of fumbling around.... Yep! Tired after 3-seconds sounds about right. That's even after just lifting the wheel like 2-3" off the ground. I guess I should go to the gym and work out, but who am I kidding... I love my sedentary lifestyle. i found out after getting extreamly poed because i cant get a fucking tire on a car i go flip and pull a superman, bam, 4 seconds its on the car. then after that i light up a smoke and on to the next rim..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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