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Front Strut Video


pitzel
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Someone put a video on Youtube concerning changing the front struts on a W-body. First one I've seen so far, and fairly well done.

 

 

Only comment I'd make is that I personally used a bit of silicone grease to make the upper mount go back in properly. And not really sure if its necessary to drain the oil off. The theory presented, that leaving some oil to act as a coolant, is an interesting one (although not sure if its true!).

 

If anyone has any doubts as to how easy the fronts are to change, watch that video, and any doubts should quickly dissipate.

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I've seen this vid. Makes it seem easy. Still not sure if I want to take on this project one day, although I should probably swap out the front struts. I feel the car jumps too much on bumps.

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I did mine. It was super easy and made a world of difference in handling, and parts were under a hundered bucks. Leave a little oil in help the new cartridge slide in.

 

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well, damn.... I'm considering doing this now. I hate suspension work, but this seems simple enough.

 

In the video, the bolt on the top released very easily for the guy. It might not be so easy for you, and a bit more trickery is involved if you end up stripping the Torx bit on the top.

 

Also, stuff should torqued down to spec, rather than just at random. The manual has the specs.

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specs aren't a problem.... the factory procedure is actually nearly identical to what was shown in the video. manual says to use a suction device to remove "any oil from the strut tube", which sounds like it shouldn't be in there?

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specs aren't a problem.... the factory procedure is actually nearly identical to what was shown in the video. manual says to use a suction device to remove "any oil from the strut tube", which sounds like it shouldn't be in there?

The factory strut cartridges are not sealed like the replacements so basically you are pulling out the inside of the strut, the new ones slide into the old housing.if you will. If you leave to much oil in the new ones wont fit down all the way. I kept a little in and lubbed up the new ones with the oil...I was scared at first but after doing.the first one it was easy.[emoji1]

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you can still get ACDelco struts for w-bodies.... are those sealed versions now too? did only the factory installed versions get made as unsealed?

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you can still get ACDelco struts for w-bodies.... are those sealed versions now too? did only the factory installed versions get made as unsealed?

 

My 94 service manual lists it as a sealed replacement and I've seen ACDelcos in sealed configuration.

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looked at earlier service manuals, even for a 1990, the manual specifies that replacements will be self-contained.... so, only factory units are unsealed, and GM apparently used unsealed throughout 1st gen production from what I can see.

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So then the question becomes why replace the struts instead of finding more oil for them?

 

I've thought about swapping the fronts since the car doesn't take bumps very well but if the struts are "unsealed, couldn't I in theory just put hydraulic fluid or w.e.in em? Just a thought really.

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So then the question becomes why replace the struts instead of finding more oil for them?

 

I've thought about swapping the fronts since the car doesn't take bumps very well but if the struts are "unsealed, couldn't I in theory just put hydraulic fluid or w.e.in em? Just a thought really.

When sealed struts or shocks fail, its.not from losing.oil..the seals and valves wear out so the oil does not travel as it should.

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When sealed struts or shocks fail, its.not from losing.oil..the seals and valves wear out so the oil does not travel as it should.

 

and I assume you're saying this design (the stock GM struts) are the same thing?

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and I assume you're saying this design (the stock GM struts) are the same thing?

Yeah. They are the same design as sealed...work on the same exact principle of moving fluid around to dampend the ride. Instead.of removing whole strut, you are taking out the inside.of the strut and leaving the case if you will. The new sealed strut is actually a little smaller so it can fit in the housing of the old one.

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Maybe another way to put it would be to say that all aftermarket replacements are self contained strut cartridges. The factory strut housing, spindle and brake caliper mount was assembled as one unit.

When you unscrew the nut from the top of the factory strut you are basically opening up the strut and pulling the rod and piston out of it. It seems the manual says to leave 50ml oil in the strut tube to prevent rusting so the strut cartridge can be removed the next time they need to be changed.

The hardest part of the job is finding the long strut socket tool to rent or borrow to get the nut off over the strut rod.

Edited by George
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Yeah. They are the same design as sealed...work on the same exact principle of moving fluid around to dampend the ride. Instead.of removing whole strut, you are taking out the inside.of the strut and leaving the case if you will. The new sealed strut is actually a little smaller so it can fit in the housing of the old one.

 

I started wondering why change it if it wasn't sealed. I really wanted to test out whether or not it was actually worth swapping out. I know my rear struts were completely collapsed when I took em out. They had no pressure at all.

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I started wondering why change it if it wasn't sealed. I really wanted to test out whether or not it was actually worth swapping out. I know my rear struts were completely collapsed when I took em out. They had no pressure at all.

Do it..its cheap and easy..if your rears were not working, the fronts are toast with the weight of the drivetrain :)..made a huge difference on my vert[emoji1]

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I started wondering why change it if it wasn't sealed. I really wanted to test out whether or not it was actually worth swapping out. I know my rear struts were completely collapsed when I took em out. They had no pressure at all.

 

The reason they go bad is not just because the fluid goes bad or fluid is lost, but because the piston rings and seals wear out. I believe those are made of some kind of rubber. It's technically possible to rebuild a strut, but I'm not sure if they can come apart without destroying them, and pretty sure the internal parts and seals can't be bought anywhere.

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The reason they go bad is not just because the fluid goes bad or fluid is lost, but because the piston rings and seals wear out. I believe those are made of some kind of rubber. It's technically possible to rebuild a strut, but I'm not sure if they can come apart without destroying them, and pretty sure the internal parts and seals can't be bought anywhere.

 

Might be interesting, for those who still have a factory-original car, to remove the factory struts, suction out the existing oil, and replace with a higher viscosity hydraulic fluid. And observe if that actually changes performance.

 

Worst case scenario, of course, is that such 'experiment' doesn't work, and the front strut has to be replaced with one of the replacement inserts.

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Do it..its cheap and easy..if your rears were not working, the fronts are toast with the weight of the drivetrain :)..made a huge difference on my vert[emoji1]

 

Yeah, I figure as much. Surprsingly, I still have some padding on the monoleaf, although I want to switch to the Moog pads to stiffen up the ride a bit.

 

My only question is how did you get the fluid out and how did you dispose of it?

 

The reason they go bad is not just because the fluid goes bad or fluid is lost, but because the piston rings and seals wear out. I believe those are made of some kind of rubber. It's technically possible to rebuild a strut, but I'm not sure if they can come apart without destroying them, and pretty sure the internal parts and seals can't be bought anywhere.

 

Yeah, I figured as much. The same thing happens to those lift supports. I gotta replace those on the vert as well. The passenger's side lift support sprays a bit of fluid out.

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No more needs to be said. I will be making a run for that soon.

 

Did you drain all of it, or half of it as the video said?

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