Trenton Posted August 22, 2005 Report Share Posted August 22, 2005 Ok well I looked at all the aftermarket suspenions struts and spring and came to the conlusion right away that I can't afford it... But now i am still extremly confused. First of which strut is better oreillys syntract or Autozones gabrial? Then I get all these different things going on that I have no clue, I know I need to replace the struts in the front and the back. Do I need to buy a new mounting kit? The new ones should just bolt right in correct? I know i need to buy springs for the front too, but there is no rear spring in my car am I correct? Logically speaking, I take out the old, replace front spring and struts using my current parts in my car, then replace the rear cartraige with the currect parts in my car and call it a day right... well alignment too.. but I mean what am I missing here?[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiscoStudd Posted August 22, 2005 Report Share Posted August 22, 2005 Whew, where to begin. First the rear does have a spring, it's a fiberglass transverse monoleaf (just like Corvettes have) instead of the traditional coil springs. Second, the fronts struts have the replaceable cartridges, the rears don't. You won't have to replace the front springs at all (unless you broke one of them, but that's highly unlikely.) You don't even need to remove the strut knuckle or spring from the car when replacing the front strut cartridges (they come out through the top of the strut towers.) I would highly recommend getting new mounts for both front and rear struts, although if you were to skimp, the front mounts aren't as important to replace as the rears. New rear mounts are a necessity. Stay away from Gabriels. From everyone's experience here, they're nothing but junk. If you can afford them, go with Monroe Sensa-Tracks or KYB GR2's. Myself and several members here have installed the KYB's, and I can tell you that with the huge improvement in handling they give, they're worth every penny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trenton Posted August 23, 2005 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2005 I might have to go back to my high school and get some diagrams from alldata on how to remove the cartridge. You know of any websites? Is the rear removed from the top of the trunk too or below? So the back is a whole different sorry, but is still replaceable it just not a front cartridge. Sensa track are they oreillys products or aftermarket? yeah I have heard alot about the kybs I am just not sure if I can afford those or not. Well the whole thing about the springs, is my car leans to the left a bit and from what I see it leans in the front too... ride height is determined by the spring the strut just dampens. So I am pretty sure I have to replace my front springs for that purpose, but I dunno I could be wrong. Why is replacing the mount so imporant... I mean I will do it if I need to, but do they fatige or somthing? Sorry I know I sound like a newb, I know my car front and back... suspension that a whole new ball game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trenton Posted August 23, 2005 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2005 ACDELCO Part # 505388 CARTRIDGE,FRT SUSP STRUT w/SOFT RIDE SUSP(FE1) or SPORT SUSP(FE3) {STRUT-GAS CUSHIONED #22074850 whats so great about thoese and why are they double the cost of the monroes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trenton Posted August 23, 2005 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2005 Geezz.. from here can u tell me what I need, because I see all three ur talking about.. who is the best.. and do different companies require different mounting kits. http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/catalog.php?carcode=1255980&parttype=7584 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trenton Posted August 23, 2005 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2005 NExt.... they talk about a speical tool.. and a boot? It says I may need this boot for the monroes... which I did find out is the ones that oreillys carries... Many this is a load of crap... sorry I am being an idiot anyone wanna help me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiscoStudd Posted August 23, 2005 Report Share Posted August 23, 2005 The rears are changed from below, and you need a special tool kit to remove the front cartridges (which you can rent from any auto parts store - just ask for the "W-Body front strut kit.") Here's why it's imperative to change the rear mounts: My mount was so rotten, it broke and due to the strut having no charge left, the piston dropped down from the mount and caused this to happen. This is what the strut and mount looked like when I removed it: Another close-up of the mount: Here's a pic of the strut out of the car (along with the new strut with the boot and mount already attached, lying on the ground) : Someone on the forum did a write-up on how to easily change out the rear struts (I think it was Intlcutlass) a couple of months ago. Sorry, I don't have the link anymore, but I'm sure if you search long enough, you'll find it. I bought all of my KYB stuff (struts, mounts, and boots) from http://www.tirerack.com ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiscoStudd Posted August 23, 2005 Report Share Posted August 23, 2005 Here ya go: http://www.w-body.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=29633&highlight= Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trenton Posted August 23, 2005 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2005 Daaaaaaaaaamn.. well ok then you convenced me. Well I get a employee discount at oreillys thats why I ask because they carry the monroes. Yeah that website is a bit out of my price range. What do you think about that strut bar they where talking about on this forum for the rear? Yeah I was just looking at my rear and they dont have a boot as of right nowm just a plasic sheith.. but the monroes do require a boot.. that is bought seperatly? The sag to the left in my car... dont need new springs. thats not the cause? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron350 Posted August 24, 2005 Report Share Posted August 24, 2005 Kevin what are the early signs of rear strut mounts going bad? Thanks for the good pictures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trenton Posted August 24, 2005 Author Report Share Posted August 24, 2005 Well by the picture you can see if your mount is starting to rust that isnt good, but from what I hear you shouldn't worry about it unless it is broke like the picture, other than that replace it when you do the rear monoleaf.. thats what I am going to do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiscoStudd Posted August 24, 2005 Report Share Posted August 24, 2005 Kevin what are the early signs of rear strut mounts going bad? Thanks for the good pictures. The only "warning" that I got was a clunking sound eminating from the rear suspension. I knew my struts were shot, but I thought that maybe the rubber isolator pad on the end of the monoleaf was gone (which it almost was) and causing the noise. I installed the MOOG K6544 "pucks" and the noise remained. About a week after installing the new "pucks," the noise got progressively worse (more frequent and louder) during my drive to work. It was to the point to where I decided I should park the car once I made it home, until I could get around to fixing her. Well my luck ran out when I was a mile from home, and that's when the upper mount failed. I rounded a corner, and due to the piston collapsing back into the strut body, the top of the wheel swung out and expelled my auxillary spring in the process. What do you think about that strut bar they where talking about on this forum for the rear?The Addco bar, or the strut tower brace? I've heard that the Addco bar is a pain to install, and it creates a bunch of clunking noises from the rear. Personally, I bought a stock swaybar to install in my Regal, but since I've installed the KYB struts, I think I'm going to hold off on installing it. The KYB's have made such a huge difference in handling (for the better) that I'm not sure the swaybar will actually add any extra stability. Yeah I was just looking at my rear and they dont have a boot as of right nowm just a plasic sheith.. but the monroes do require a boot.. that is bought seperatly? I'm not sure about the Monroes, but the boots on the KYB's were a bit different than the boots on my old struts, which were more like a "sheath" than a boot. The KYB boots have the jounce bumper integrated on the top, and that slides right into the upper strut mount. The sag to the left in my car... dont need new springs. thats not the cause?MOOG sells a "helper kit" for the W-Bodies' rear monoleaf. I don't recall the part #, but it may be listed somewhere on the main W-Body.com site. You shouldn't need to replace the spring unless it's broken... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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