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strut replacement, headachee :/


Jprice90

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hey guys, i bought new Monroe SensaTracs for my front, i have a 95 Lumina, theres are a pain, i dont know whats going on, i got the tool, but it seems my struts are pulled toward the back? like they arent even straight?..what can i do? or is it just a waste of time?

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If you run into that you can rent a tool from autozone that includes a collar that fits in to keep the strut tube from going back like yours is. makes it WAY nicer to do.

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  • 6 months later...

replying SOOO late lol. I will try to find that tool. I'm not sure what I'm doing yet, they need to be replaced soon, when I go over speed bumps you can hear something witht he suspension, maybe the strut mounts or bushings etc. I was trying to sell it, but I dont know if I want to right now, I'll miss the MPG

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  • 3 weeks later...

Thats the only tool to do the front struts :lol: Unless you have something homemade. To make it really easy, you need that, and the long thin tube, which screws on the top of the strut.

 

Take the 3 15mm bolts off of the covers, There will be a 7/8" I think if i remember right, youll need to unbolt that, then you can pop that isolator out. Take that 4-prong tool and take the nut off the strut, then youl be able to pull the strut out. If the assebmly does tilt toward the back a little bit, dont get concerned. Take that long thin tube, and screw it onto the top of strut. You can get the strut in there and if it is tilited back a little bit, that tool will help with some leverage to get it back to where it should be. Then just assemble everything back together. Very easy. Both can be done in about 15minutes.

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I cant even get the bolt off because it's tweaked back too much. I cant get the tool flush. I already bent one of the nipples that is on the bottom of the tool, my neighbor tried to straighten it and shaved it down some. The tube doesnt even have thread on it to screw it onto the strut

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There are two tools. One for the nut holding the strut in place, and one to screw onto the top of the strut. Normally they would tilt back a little bit, but most of the time you can wrestle the tool on, and pull it back on the tool, straightening the strut, and thatll be enough. But for your case, sounds like you need so make something to pull the assemly forward. Like ratcht strap the housing to something solid to pull it forward enough to work on it.

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Ignore this if you have already read this before.

 

Aitozone rents a tool kit for changing W-Body front struts that they call GM Wide Body tool kit #27034.

The tool kit is located in the lower left hand corner on Autozones rental tool counter cover mat.

 

27034.jpg

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Can someone post pictures of how "messed" or tilted their strut housings were when doing this? I dont understand how it takes anyone more than 20minutes per side. And that includes a phone conversation/6pack of beer/ or several mixed drinks if you like those too, and a bag of pizza rolls.

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its not really hard to imagine, i've had it happen basically the spring for whatever reason wants to force the strut forward or backward and you need that collar to hold the bottom of the knuckle top from going totally backwards when you remove the cartridge.

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And thats why it was a PITA for me, I dont have the collar. My driveway is slightly downhill, when I put it in park I feel it roll forward a tad until the pawl takes over, I wonder if thats what made it tilt back also, maybe if I pull it and let it roll backward it will make it straight?

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What can be done if that TORX bolt is completly stripped at the top of the strut? Went to change mounts and the thing under the mounts and i found both sides are stripped so i cant use the tool. I thought if new struts came with this i can just cut the things off, but ive fucked up more things than ive fixed by doing that:lol:

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When I did mine and found out what the collar was used for it made the installation wayyy easier, but i did notice the monroe sensa-tracs use allen heads instead of a Torx and the strut bolt was a pain to tighten down.

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