digitaloutsider Posted January 25, 2006 Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 I really haven't looked at the rear suspensions of many W-bodies, but what the hell are these rubber o-things? All I know is my car handles like ass, and when you're diving into a turn, it feels like the rear end is correcting itself over and over (the whole car shakes). Could these be the culprit? What are they?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy K Posted January 25, 2006 Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 dampening springs. More likely than not you have dryrotted bushings causing your correcting problem, or an FE1 sway bar???? The only car in my collection that has an FE1 sway bar (94 CS) does exactly what you describe. it also has the dampening springs. But the 95 CS and 92 Lumina are FE1 as well, but with upgraded sway bars. My vert has the dampening springs, but I notched them for the brake upgrade lol You can remove them quite easily..... I did to change a lateral link, You put a flor jack againt the bottom of the lateral link, disconnect the bolt from the link to the spindle, and then let the jack down, and out comes the spring. But the bolt back it and you are done. Test drive and see how it feels without them. In fact, I lost the dampening springs on my 92 lumina following an axle assembly swap. The new axle had a sway bar on the rear.... i left it off for a year, but when I added it, it felt no different. The swaping in of an FE3 front sway bar is where it counts, I changed that and it stabilized the car completely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitaloutsider Posted January 25, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 As a 3.4 International, my car got all the suspension goodies No FE1 around here! I was already betting on bushings. Anyone know what size I need for the front STB bushings, or even where I could find some? This car handles worse than most full-sized vans I've driven. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TurboSedan Posted January 25, 2006 Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 some people refer to those things in your pic as "spring helpers". i would ditch them. As a 3.4 International, my car got all the suspension goodies No FE1 around here! I was already betting on bushings. Anyone know what size I need for the front STB bushings, or even where I could find some? This car handles worse than most full-sized vans I've driven. a front STB uses bushings?? or do mean bushings for the front sway bar? i'm not really sure where to get them though but i'll need them soon too...preferably poly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TurboSedan Posted January 25, 2006 Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 The only car in my collection that has an FE1 sway bar (94 CS) does exactly what you describe. i always thought FE1 meant no rear sway bar? my '91 Cutlass (FE1) came with no bar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiscoStudd Posted January 25, 2006 Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 GnatGoSplat calls them "Figure 8's." I've seen them refered to as "Auxillary Springs" (I've called them both "Figure 8's" and "Aux. Springs.") I lost one on my Regal when the strut mount "broke" and the strut/knuckle swung out towards the fender when I took a sharp right turn. I noticed it was gone when I changed out my struts. I got the other one out while changing the struts simply by pounding out the strut-to-knuckle mounting bolts. It was under a bit of tension, but didn't "fly" off or anything. That same day when my wife was leaving for work, I tossed the "Figure 8" under her tire, then stood near the car and when she backed over the spring I yelled "AAAAAAAH, MY FOOT!" I never saw anyone so pale in the face in my life . You can guess what happened after I told her I was just jerking her chain. <-- That about sums it up ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay3800 Posted January 25, 2006 Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 The only car in my collection that has an FE1 sway bar (94 CS) does exactly what you describe. i always thought FE1 meant no rear sway bar? my '91 Cutlass (FE1) came with no bar My FE1 has a rear sway bar, but its very small compared to the Addco you put in. Mine is a coupe though, so maybe sedans didn't come with them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitaloutsider Posted January 25, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 Yeah. I meant sway bar, sorry. It was late. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robby1870 Posted January 25, 2006 Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 The only car in my collection that has an FE1 sway bar (94 CS) does exactly what you describe. i always thought FE1 meant no rear sway bar? my '91 Cutlass (FE1) came with no bar My 92 GP had FE1 and had a rear sway bar....12mm, I think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pabz Posted January 25, 2006 Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 I didnt like the way it felt when i removed the aux springs (this was with the stock monoleaf). The rear end sat higher too after i took them out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White93z34 Posted January 25, 2006 Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 how blown are your struts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOT2B GM Posted January 25, 2006 Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 Yeah. I meant sway bar, sorry. It was late. I just picked up Energy Suspension front sway bar bushings for my Z34. I haven't had a chance to install them yet. They are greaseable polyurethane bushings. Front inner bushings: 9.5167R Front outer bushings: 9.5160R They are packaged in pairs so you only have to buy one of each. The R on the end of the part numbers designates red polyurethane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GnatGoSplat Posted January 25, 2006 Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 The aux springs give a progressive nature to the stock leaf. It softens the small bumps without having any effect on larger bumps. I pulled mine, because their brackets were in the way of the 94+ rear calipers. Mine were the cylindrical type, not the figure 8 style, so I don't know what's better or why, all I know is they don't make brackets to fit the cylinder type with the 94+ rear calipers or else I'd put them back on. Removing them definitely stiffens the ride, as well as raising the ride height. I need to get ahold of some that fit with 94+ rear calipers so maybe my rear "lowering spring" will actually look like one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pabz Posted January 25, 2006 Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 Struts are good, I shaved the top brackets so they wouldnt hit the e-brake piece for the 94+ calipers. They havent fallen out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitaloutsider Posted January 25, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 Yeah. I meant sway bar, sorry. It was late. I just picked up Energy Suspension front sway bar bushings for my Z34. I haven't had a chance to install them yet. They are greaseable polyurethane bushings. Front inner bushings: 9.5167R Front outer bushings: 9.5160R They are packaged in pairs so you only have to buy one of each. The R on the end of the part numbers designates red polyurethane. Thanks!!! 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy K Posted January 26, 2006 Report Share Posted January 26, 2006 The FE1 suspension cars CAN have a rear sway bar, AND a heavier duty front sway bar. It is probably one of the SPID codes I cannot define. It appears to be the same as the sway bars that would some with an FE3 suspension. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AWeb80 Posted January 26, 2006 Report Share Posted January 26, 2006 All I know is my car handles like ass, and when you're diving into a turn, it feels like the rear end is correcting itself over and over (the whole car shakes). I had this same thing happen to me when I had the car.... I think it was the reason I put the car in the ditch that snowy night....dunno if you remember that.... But ya, the backend handled really crappy.... I think you need a rear STB... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitaloutsider Posted January 26, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2006 No doubt a larger rear STB would help, but this car handles worse than my FE1 GP ever did. It's seriously got some major suspension problems, and as soon as I can muster up the money, it's getting a complete overhaul. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joey b Posted January 26, 2006 Report Share Posted January 26, 2006 my 92 has just a large piece of rubber in there. I dont' think it is compressed at all. Don't know if that is stock or was added by a previous owner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GnatGoSplat Posted January 26, 2006 Report Share Posted January 26, 2006 my 92 has just a large piece of rubber in there. I dont' think it is compressed at all. Don't know if that is stock or was added by a previous owner. Sounds like you have the cylindrical ones like my 89 had. Oh yeah, it's compressed for sure! It gets maybe like 2" longer when removed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Posted January 27, 2006 Report Share Posted January 27, 2006 So, as I see this, removing the figure 8 rubber cushions will raise (?) the ride hieght. Saggy rear ends will improve? ;though causing a rougher general ride. I may need to consider this in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitaloutsider Posted January 27, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2006 I had the back end of the car off the ground earlier. The alignment is so far off it isn't even funny. The bottom of the left rear wheel goes waaaay in toward the middle of the car. WTF! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92LuminaRS Posted January 31, 2006 Report Share Posted January 31, 2006 Those Aux springs push down on the arms to lower the rear ride height of the car to match the front, I remember reading this somewhere because I was trying to figure out what they were also. If you remove them the rear of your car will sit up a little higher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cutlsp Posted January 31, 2006 Report Share Posted January 31, 2006 That same day when my wife was leaving for work, I tossed the "Figure 8" under her tire, then stood near the car and when she backed over the spring I yelled "AAAAAAAH, MY FOOT!" I never saw anyone so pale in the face in my life . You can guess what happened after I told her I was just jerking her chain. <-- That about sums it up ... I don't have those on my 89 fe3 car i guess they were taken out. oh well that might be why it feels weird but you can go to your auto parts stor for some ploy bushings for your sway bars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92LuminaRS Posted January 31, 2006 Report Share Posted January 31, 2006 If your car has a factory sway bar you wont have the aux springs for some reason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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