I paid $65 at the dealer. they looked over the car and said that both rear struts are bad and some other things. the struts are $360.00(not installed) is that a good price? anybody know of a cheaper place to get them. or a better strut?
let me know
thanks
marcus
Get some Monroe Sens-a-Trac's. I paid around $400 for parts and labor on all 4 corners.
i got KYB GR2 rear struts from tirerack for $40 or $50 something and i think they are great. rear struts aren't too difficult to replace (much easier for me now that i have rear coilovers). i've never done the front struts but they are just a cartridge that comes right out of the top of the strut.
joshua
redturbo90 Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2002 8:05 pm Post subject:
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Get some Monroe Sens-a-Trac's. I paid around $400 for parts and labor on all 4 corners
Red where did you get that done.. every here wants like 700... to do all four... Just wondering...thanks.. KCP
I got them done at a place called Monro's. It is pronounced exactly like Monroe. I had already bought all 4 basic Monroe struts and was going to have them put them on. They quoted me a lower price on the Sens-a-Trac's for buying them there. So I took the other ones back to Advance Auto Parts.
It takes a special tool to do the front cartridges!!! I got one from the Checker Auto Parts tool loaner program. It takes about 2 hours to do both sides with the proper tool. The rears are pretty easy too, but you will need a 1/2" drive breaker bar with a cheater bar on it for the lower strut bolts. I think it is like a 30mm bolt isn't it?? I think I paid $60/ea for the fronts and $80/ea for the rears and they were KYB GR2. 8)
Quote from: TGPilotIt takes a special tool to do the front cartridges!!!
yeah you Jack the car up so the spring is streched and then you pull up on the boot and use a "BIG" pair of channel locks to get that nut.
thats what you do if you cant get a tool.
Installed Gabriels on my STE improved ride quality greatly. $400 installed. However now I need to replace all susension bushings :oops:
Thomas
What are you talking about Jeorge? There is a special tool that you need to unscrew the cartridge retaining cap on the front struts. Channel locks won't do a thing for him. In the kit is an allen or torques head wrench and a special socket to get the large shaft nut loose. If it is rusted...soak it in penetrating fluid and it will come free.
Marcus look up on google.com or something for a parts break-down of a W-body front strut. It requires a centering collar to be put in place and then you unscrew the cartridge retaining cap. You do not jack the car up at all to do this cartridge replacement. The stock cartridge is sitting in oil in the stock strut housing. When you pull the stock cartridge you should syphon the old fluid out before you put in the replacment sealed strut cartridges. W-body front struts are nothing like the standard Mac-Pherson strut replacements!.... 8)
Ah shit....this is how you do it... Remove the top plate nuts and remove the top plate. With the special tool remove the large center nut from the top of the strut shaft. Dig out the centering rubber and the bump stop from the strut shaft. There will be a rod that is threaded that you put on the top of the strut shaft where the large top nut was. You will need to use this as leverage to center the strut shaft in the shock tower. Once you have it centered there is a collar you slid down into the strut tower that will then hold everything center in the strut tower. Then with another tool in the special tool kit you will then unscrew the cartridge retaining collar and pull the strut cartridge out. There is about 500cc worth of fluid in there that you should syphon out before you put the sealed cartridge back in. Reverse this procedure to put everything back in. I may have missed a step or two, but the special tool kit should have directions in it...that is how I learned to do it. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DO THIS WITHOUT THE SPECIAL TOOL!!!!! It sounds harder than it is. It took me two hours to do both sides with the proper tools in the kit! If I remember correctly it was called a "W-body strut replacement kit" at Checker Auto Parts. 8)
for the Nut at the Top, THats Easy I have a box end that Fits Right in there. its bent alittle odd I guess. always had it so never thought of it as a "Special" tool
I guess I didnt even think of the top because I never had a Problem with that. because I had that Boxend.
and I dont have the Tool to get the Ring nut from below so I used the Chanel locks, yeah I had to Siphon too.
and it only took us 2.5 hours to change 8 struts when we got going.
4 front and 4 rear we did 2 cars.
we are what you would call a "back woods" type machanic.....and no I dont date my family members!
when you have 2 people and a good set of tools doesnt take long.
{not always the Right tools but good ones.}
Im still looking into getting a set of Strut tools because I need to do the STE next Spring when it comes out from being Parked for the winter.
BTY I got new rear plates for $24 Shipped to me from Ebay brand new GM ones. this will make it alot nicer for the REAR because I didnt spend $65 each for them LOL
I never had a Problem like that.
well we are the ones that Replace Alts in these things in 12mins belt and all. and also only takes 30 Mins to do all the plugs and wires too.
Thats why I dont have any Pics of this being done because we get done toquick. and my camara is a POS im looking for a new one.
anyone have a good digi cam forsale cheap??
Quote from: Jeorge
4 front and 4 rear we did 2 cars.
were those 2 cars w-bodies? because i too have heard that it is impossible without the special tool kit.
joshua
Quote from: malibuoldsQuote from: Jeorge
4 front and 4 rear we did 2 cars.
were those 2 cars w-bodies? because i too have heard that it is impossible without the special tool kit.
joshua
a 1992 Lumina 4 door and a 1988 Cutlass 2 Door
Like I said back woods type,
that and Air Tools help for the little things,
An Never forget that back bolt that comes with the Strut MAKE SURE YOU USE THAT to compress that Bushing other wise that sucks I learned that on my old 1991 Cutlass 4dr
got some napa struts yesterday. they were $30 each. going to put them on myself.
man thats insane! the $$$$$! the tgp shocks are the easiest i have ever put on any car. You don't even need a spring compressor. There are only 2 upper screws and 2 large bolts lower (for the rear) and them blown shocks come right out! The front also does not require a spring compressor. PLEASE DO NOT PAY SOMEONE $$$$$ TO REPLACE THESE. If you guys can do basic maintenance you can replace your shocks. The repair manual gives your precise to a T instructions (which is really rare). I rear shocks are stockers cost $11ea and the fronts were $29ea at autozone. Did it all my self with basic tools. If you need help I will write detailed instructions. USE THAT MONEY FOR OTHER MODS!
I didn't have the tool but also didn't need one. You can also use a big mouth vice-grip to do the same thing. I saw the tool listed for $24.99 that you will only probably use once :(
I'm looking to change them today. anyone have instructions?
marcus
The back ones are pretty easy. Take out the two main bolts in the spindle, and undo the upper bolts. It will fall out. I do it with the car jacked up by the center and use another jack to raise the spindle since sometimes it won't want to go up easily.
The fronts are a different story. You have to use the special tool to loosen the cartridge from the strut body. If you don't have that tool, I've never done it without it. Someone was talking about it somewhere, you might do a search here and at wbody.com.
If you have the special tool, you have to take the upper strut plate off, take out the nut, the rubber insulator the bump stop and maybe some washers. Then use the tool to get in there and loosen the strut cartridge. Try to suck out as much of the old strut oil as possible. When you put the new one in the oil may spill over the side of the strut if you don't get it all out. Sometimes the strut body will shift around under the weight of the car so you might have to push on the side or front of the car to get it lined up and tighten the nut. DON'T Jack the front of the car up or the whole mess will come apart and be a pain to get lined back up.
Chris
$700 for 4 sens-a-tracks!? You're getting ripped off. My local Monroe place quoted me $500 for four Monroe Re-Flex [better then the sensa-tracks, just as good as KYB GR2s] struts, alignment, install, and labor. But I'm getting KYB's shortly.
If you don't have the $24-29 strut removal tool you can use the big mouth vise-grips (what i did) and just hit it with a hammer and it comes loose. To remove the fronts you must loosen the top plate jacked up, then loosen the top shock piston nut, then lower the car so the weight of the car pushing the shock bushing upward, then totally remove the nut and after you finish removing the shock body cap screw the shock slides right out. easy as pie :lol: !
Didn't we go through the front strut removal once before? :shock: Easiest way is to get a W-Body Front Strut removal tool. This tool is specific to W-Body cars...you do not compress the strut spring on W-Body cars like the rest of the MacPherson Strut world!! Work through the top of the car from start to finish without having to jack anything. My Checker Auto-Parts and Auto-Zone both have this tool on their tool loaner program. Makes life extremely easy and you can do both Struts in an hour with the tool... 8)
It costs $99.00 to purchase it or free to borrow it from them at their store. Worth it's weight in gold!! http://www.partsamerica.com/SelectParts.asp?SourceArea=SHOP&CategoryCode=3492+&SourcePage=SelectCategory&TopLevelCategoryCode=T&TopLevelCatDesc=&SearchFor=Chassis+Tools
Then go here... POWERBUILT TOOLS 648609 $99.99 GM W-body Strut Removal Kit: #19 (It wouldn't let me copy the entire lnk).
I am sorry but I don't agree with the not jacking up thing :?: If you try to remove the top black plate without jacking the car there will be madddd tension on the underside of the plate unless your shocks were completely blown (but of course you don't know that until you take them out). The purpose of the plate is to keep the shock piston/black rubber retainer from flying straight up through your hood when the car bounces. It clearly says in the repair manual to jack up the car so the shock tension is pulled downward taking the pressure off the bottom of the plate. Then your slowing let it down to push the the black rubber retainer upwards to dislodge it cuz that sucker is tight. Well i guess this is one of those to each his own type things! There are always more than one way to skin a cat!!! :lol:
1trucavalier... You have obviously never done a W-body front strut the proper way!! Marcus18...Do it however you want, but I highly recommend you do it with the W-Body Tool. There is a reason that this is a special tool! Because it works and was designed for the W-Body car...hense it's name. I have done the struts in my car twice and two other W-bodys with the tool and there is NO preload on the strut. In fact...I just replaced the control arm to frame bushings and the ball joint on the control arm and the strut comes out as a unit completely intact. If you take the weight of the car off the strut then you will have a ton of preload on the center nut!! There is no tension on that center nut on a W-body like there is on a conventional MacPherson strut when the weight of the car is on it. Remove the weight and you have full spring tension on that center nut. When you do the front struts you use the tools supplied to turn the center nut and the allen wrench to hold the shock cartridge from turning. Once that is removed you PRY the center black shock tower bushing out! Once that is removed you thread on the extension rod to the top of the shock cartridge for leverage to insert the removal sleave. When that is in place you use the next tool in the kit to unscrew the cartridge retaining nut and the stock cartridge comes out. There is hydralic fluid in there that you may want to remove or leave it in there and the new sealed cartridge will displace most of the fluid on the floor. If you do any of this with the car jacked off the floor you will cause the shock to drop down below the shock tower opening and you will play hell getting back in line so you can remove the cartridge retainer collar. If you want to do this the hard way...jack it up and go in through the wheel well. Do it the easy way with the W-Body tool and you will be done in 2 hours on your first try... 8)
I installed them monday. they were the rear struts. piece of cake.
thanks for the input people.
marcus
The fronts are even easier with the proper tools!! Good job man and you saved yourself a bunch of money doing it yourself?? That is the idea of these forums!!
Good Job man!!
8)
Not that I do not support ingenuity, but please guys, be careful with using tools not designed for changing struts! I would hate to see someone get seriously hurt or injured. BTW, why risk damaging your rare and pretty TGP with inferior tools and equipment. I wouldnt dare to use a hammer and pliers on installing my radio, lol.
Quote from: TGPilotThe fronts are even easier with the proper tools!! Good job man and you saved yourself a bunch of money doing it yourself?? That is the idea of these forums!!
Good Job man!!
8)
And of these cars.. hehehe ... If you dont learn to work on these cars, they will COST A LOT!!