1992 Lumina 3.1 sedan - oldie but goodie - needs rear struts

[Chris2012]

Howdy Neybuz. I'm a bit confused by the procedure in the Haynes manual as to this job. It's a real mess! Special GM tools are required for removing the auxiliary damper and the big transverse spring/s. There's a youtube video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-z29h9gf_0/) that describes replacement of 97 struts. Can the jack under the wheel suffice for doing whatever is necessary to, secure? the big spring/s, until you need to pull the strut out? Then reapply pressure w/the jack to facilitate installing/bolting up the new strut? What about that damper thing? The tool looks like a c-clamp largely. Should I just wing it???

[AL]

97s have a different rear suspension set up, so that video really doesnt help you at all, ill let someone else chime in with the best way to take on the rear struts

[White93z34]

Replacement struts (at least used to) come with a bolt meant to hold that figure 8 rubber thing in place while you worked on them, it went down through the middle of the bracket and threaded into the bottom. you may need to track something like that down to hold it in.

 

as far as the rest of the strut replacement, its pretty easy. don't worry too much about the leaf coming unsprung, but do support the bottom of the knuckle with a jack for safety and to help lift the strut back up into the car when you are done. other then that its just the bottom 2 bolts and the top 2 bolts. not a bad job provided its not all rusted in place.

[Chris2012]

Replacement struts (at least used to) come with a bolt meant to hold that figure 8 rubber thing in place while you worked on them, it went down through the middle of the bracket and threaded into the bottom. you may need to track something like that down to hold it in.

 

Although the Monroe Gasmatics each came with a 10mm x 1.5mm thread x 90mm bolt, it won't thread in. Neither did a 10mm x 1.25mm, nor the 3/8" x 16 course, nor the 3/8" x 24 fine. The instruction tell you to stick the bolt in from the bottom (?), but I don't see any way of doing that. So I sticks it in the top! But it won't catch.

 

Can I just continue w/the dismantling, and let that dag nab auxiliary spring assembly pop off? Will I wind up in the ER? I hear a lot of people just don't bother putting it back on.

[LuminaPower92]

I took the aux springs off of my car and kept them. never noticed much of a difference, however i lowered both cars with birchmount so i take that with a grain of salt. Do they make a diffence? I dont think so, my euro doesnt have them and is stock suspension. As far as just popping them off, i dont know if i would do that. I had the gm c clamp tool, so it was easy for me. I would try to track one down on ebay.

[Chris2012]

no time to track anything down. Maybe I could modify a c-clamp.

[Gunboat]

Ok,I have a 1992 z34 3.4l DOHC,mine have the leaf spring it was a piece of cake

Here is is finished,I also put a zip tie on the lower bellows to keep it tight and to keep it in place.it was a pretty easy job.I hope that this helps you out.

[GOT2B GM]

The aux spring you can just unbolt without compressing it. I've done that on all of my verts.

[white96supreme]

I checked mine last night for the aux springs and it doesn't have em. IIRC, it took about 45 minutes to replace both rear struts on my cutlass and to get the camber set close to what it was before removing the old struts. Gotta love air tools, especially my air hammer to knock the knuckle bolts out .

[Chris2012]

The aux spring you can just unbolt without compressing it. I've done that on all of my verts.

 

Not to be insulting, but can anyone else reinforce this statement (a 2nd opinion never hurts)? I have a big piece of plexiglass I can hide behind while I, as a very first step, remove the lower bolt securing the aux assembly. W/a long extension/breaker bar, not a problem. I just wonder if the thing will explode and possibly damage something in there (or me!). That things has to be out of the way before I proceed w/the rest of the job (and my big bolts loosen up quite readily, w/the help of a mallet). I want that thing out of there before I pound the splined bolts out of their place.

[steven eckols]

Can anyone please help with a picture or diagram schematic of rear monoleaf suspension on a .93 lumina sedan please.