Bad Suspension Install

[happyisthealero]

lol yea I was actually wondering what it would be like. I wonder if there is a video on youtube with someone doing just that.

[03glgold]

Originally Posted by billytheman1188

Yea you can do it yourself....just need a spring compressor and torque wrench It's ok to drive to the alignment shop....if its not too far. Just be careful cause it's scary driving a car without an alignment

My truck had horrible alignment for quite some time...it is also a manual and no cup holders...driving a manual one handed with bad alignment is where I would start to call it scary...lol

[billytheman1188]

Originally Posted by happyisthealero

lol yea I was actually wondering what it would be like. I wonder if there is a video on youtube with someone doing just that.

It's a little dangerous when you have compress the spring cause there is A LOT of tension on the compressor but as long as you're very careful you should be fine. It's really pretty easy to put a strut in....as far as putting it together (cause the strut mounts are built into the strut)...might be a little tougher for a novice. But swapping the struts....cake....take off the two (18mm i think? if not bigger) bolts that hold the bottom of the strut to the knuckle....then take off the three bolts under the engine bay and trunk area....then they pop right out....actually in the rear there's 2 bolts that go up into the trunk (gotta get it from the wheel well) and then 2 nuts on top of the strut tower. Then they slide right out....then reverse order. Might be a little time consuming if you're doing it yourself but you can get it done in a day. Also....you DEF need a big breaker bar if you don't have air tools cause the big bolts that hold the bottom of the strut to the knuckle will be TIGHT....take the nut off, leave the nut on the end of the bolt (flush with the end of the bolt) then hammer them out....take nut off end.....hammer LIGHTLY on the end of the bolt because you don't wanna damage it...


Hope that helped....but if you're more of a visual person i totally understand cause i'm like that too.

[a.graham52]

http://www.aleromod.com/forums/showt...ut+replacement

[Gr1m]

they really put a lug nut on that instead of a regular locknut?

[happyisthealero]

Originally Posted by billytheman1188

It's a little dangerous when you have compress the spring cause there is A LOT of tension on the compressor but as long as you're very careful you should be fine. It's really pretty easy to put a strut in....as far as putting it together (cause the strut mounts are built into the strut)...might be a little tougher for a novice. But swapping the struts....cake....take off the two (18mm i think? if not bigger) bolts that hold the bottom of the strut to the knuckle....then take off the three bolts under the engine bay and trunk area....then they pop right out....actually in the rear there's 2 bolts that go up into the trunk (gotta get it from the wheel well) and then 2 nuts on top of the strut tower. Then they slide right out....then reverse order. Might be a little time consuming if you're doing it yourself but you can get it done in a day. Also....you DEF need a big breaker bar if you don't have air tools cause the big bolts that hold the bottom of the strut to the knuckle will be TIGHT....take the nut off, leave the nut on the end of the bolt (flush with the end of the bolt) then hammer them out....take nut off end.....hammer LIGHTLY on the end of the bolt because you don't wanna damage it...


Hope that helped....but if you're more of a visual person i totally understand cause i'm like that too.

Yes, and yes I am visual learner and you just wasted your time explaining all that... lol... I cant even remember what you said, even if I looked up in the quote. It all looks like foreign to me lol.


But, in all seriousness, I looked at all the mounting points, a year or so ago, and thought it would be easy to do myself, but knew I needed an alignment afterward.


For now, I still need to come up with the money and my dream car a 2dr alero for now I'm stuck with 4.

Either way a lot of good information up there, and warning which is not only good for me, but others as well. Thanks Billy

[XanderWiFi]

Called KYB today, apparently you can replace the adjustor alone...but I am not sure that will fly on this one. I am going to send them the pictures and see what they have to say.

Anyone have the part number handy for the KYB AGXs for our car?

[xXManwhoreXx]

In their catalog it's part #734057

[XanderWiFi]

Thanks Manwhore.

Messaged KYB's tech support with the pictures and they said it is way too damaged and needs to be replaced.

Hopefully someone sells them in singles or I will have a back up I guess...

[zzyzzx]

You really only need new strut mounts, unless they broke something else.

They should buy them for you and refund their labor, and align at no extra charge.

[a.graham52]

He does not need the mounts. He needs the dampen adjuster replaced. And the only way tj fix his is to replace the strut

[XanderWiFi]

Originally Posted by a.graham52

He does not need the mounts. He needs the dampen adjuster replaced. And the only way tj fix his is to replace the strut

Truth. There are a lot of things I SHOULD do about this. But it has been a while since it was done, aligned in a different shop...I plan to bring it to the owners attention but a pissing match over a couple hundred bucks is more than I have enough room on my plate for. Story of my life at this point: add something on and fix the effeduppness of it three times only to have it happen on the next part. No energy for it any longer.

[sleepyalero]

I agree, my axle broke shortly after the swap... i didnt hassle mike about it. it cost me 200$ to get it back up and running so it really wasnt that big of a deal, if the axle was modified the right way the first time i wouldnt have had the problem.

aside from that the car is still awesome. everything is pretty flawless.

[XanderWiFi]

Well, got the new one ordered and installed. Yet more probable problems arise...Look at the pictures. One nut is bolted down farther, about a .5 inch difference, which is also the difference between the top of the tire tread and the body (measured on not the most even ground).

So...should it be even? Would it be as easy as grabbing a properly sized socket and ratcheting it down myself?

[sleepyalero]

That's weird.. I would think they would be even..

[a.graham52]

They should be even. you can try to use a socket and wrench but you may not be able to tighen the nut, you may just spin the strut rod. we use impact guns at work becuase of the quick snap they make. try it, shouldnt hurt. and by looking at the amount of threads showing on the "good" side pic, that nut is BARELY on there which isnt an OMG emergincy issue. as long as the weight of your cars holding the spring down you could take the nut off if u wished. but try and tighten it ASAP!

[billytheman1188]

Originally Posted by a.graham52

They should be even. you can try to use a socket and wrench but you may not be able to tighen the nut, you may just spin the strut rod. we use impact guns at work becuase of the quick snap they make. try it, shouldnt hurt. and by looking at the amount of threads showing on the "good" side pic, that nut is BARELY on there which isnt an OMG emergincy issue. as long as the weight of your cars holding the spring down you could take the nut off if u wished. but try and tighten it ASAP!

yea....umm....impact gun is not a good idea when putting those nuts on...their only supposed to be torqued to like 35 ft lbs. I don't like using impacts unless it's for like strut bolts or frame bolts....lug nuts i hand tighten and then torque....some people friggin torque the crap out of lug nuts....took my sisters wheel off once and damn near pulled a muscle...lol...dude had it torqued on there at like 150 ft lbs lol. But like graham said...it shouldn't really cause any problems since the weight of the car is pushing down. Any weird sounds?

The new strut on the driver's side does not appear to have the nut fully tightened.
It should look like the passenger side.

[a.graham52]

Originally Posted by billytheman1188

yea....umm....impact gun is not a good idea when putting those nuts on...their only supposed to be torqued to like 35 ft lbs. I don't like using impacts unless it's for like strut bolts or frame bolts....lug nuts i hand tighten and then torque....some people friggin torque the crap out of lug nuts....took my sisters wheel off once and damn near pulled a muscle...lol...dude had it torqued on there at like 150 ft lbs lol. But like graham said...it shouldn't really cause any problems since the weight of the car is pushing down. Any weird sounds?

When it comes to air tools.... A little common sence goes a long way. I can put a 10mm bolt in with a 1/2 inch air gun without problems. People that done give a shit are the problem.

Make sure to tighten that damn nut! Hate to think u Dukes a curb or speed bump and it all come apart. If that nut was to come off, there is POTENTIAL for the strud rod to compress and then u will be in a major world of hurt

[XanderWiFi]

Originally Posted by billytheman1188

yea....umm....impact gun is not a good idea when putting those nuts on...their only supposed to be torqued to like 35 ft lbs. I don't like using impacts unless it's for like strut bolts or frame bolts....lug nuts i hand tighten and then torque....some people friggin torque the crap out of lug nuts....took my sisters wheel off once and damn near pulled a muscle...lol...dude had it torqued on there at like 150 ft lbs lol. But like graham said...it shouldn't really cause any problems since the weight of the car is pushing down. Any weird sounds?

Actually, yeah. Around 30-40 mph I kind of get an odd whum-whum-whum that sounds more like tire noise than anything else. May be from a recent tire rotation if they did that when I took it in for an oil change (wrist still on surgical recovery).

Makes me wonder which side is correct. The passenger side, which is the tighter of the two, squeaks a lot. No squeaking from newer looser looking non-eff up shop side. I will have to stop back in and check with them.