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Hard Riding 97 Cutlass Coupe


Mark 1997 Cutlass Coupe

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I was wondering if anyone else had the same issue. I replaced the rear struts, and it really did nothing. They were really worn, so I was surprised. It doesn't pull, or make any obvious weird noises like something is broken, but I feel every little bump in the road. Front struts are next, but I can't imagine they could make up for all the harshness. Is there an obvious particular part that I should look for that's worn? When I got new tires I thought that would help, but like the rear struts really did nothing. I'm not getting any unusual tire wear, and on a smooth road it tracks straight. I'd appreciate any thoughts!

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How's the ride height? I think that car has the monoleaf, right? On a monoleaf car the struts are valved backwards from most struts from all the ones I've seen. They offer little or no resistance to compress and then soften the recoil so I would suspect the leaf of being the problem.

 

Higher than stock tire pressures will make a car feel harsh too, my Yokohamas are a high pressure tire and feel a bit harsh but I've adapted to them.

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The suspension is all stock, and from what I can tell, sitting slightly lower than new from wear. The car has about 160,000 miles, and I've owned it about 9 years, and I've never replaced the front struts, but like I mentioned, the rears were replaced. When I hit a bump the harshness really seems to be from the front end. Every little bump is felt, and in Cleveland, the roads suck, so it's not a pleasant ride!

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Oh? pull the caps and see if the upper bushings are shot, then do a good visual inspection of the springs.. I thought the problem was in the rear.

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I just watched a youtube video where a guy did the front strut insert replacement on a 96 Regal sedan. It looks fairly straightforward, with the 2 specialty tools he showed. I'm wondering if the bushings under the metal cap covering the strut assembly are shot. I didn't realize how the struts worked until I watched the video. It would be nice if that would help the problem!

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Right?[emoji23]

Oh? pull the caps and see if the upper bushings are shot, then do a good visual inspection of the springs.. I thought the problem was in the rear.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

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When I replaced my front inserts I was able to rent the tool from Autozone to do the job. It helps to have an impact handy. My bolts were pretty tight and I was not able to loosen them with out an impact. However you might be able to in your case.

 

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

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When I replaced my front inserts I was able to rent the tool from Autozone to do the job. It helps to have an impact handy. My bolts were pretty tight and I was not able to loosen them with out an impact. However you might be able to in your case.

 

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

They don't rent the tool anymore.

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