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Old 02-03-2010, 03:21 PM   #16
kornjulio
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Re: 2000 venture suspension noises/woes

I have access to the factory service manual. There's no mention of doing anything to the halfshaft or its nut in the lwr control arm R&R section.

PS - Don't forget to disconnect the ABS wiring before yanking the control arm out!
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2000 Venture - repairs to date:
LIM gasket, water pump, wiper park position, front wheel bearings, rear wheel bearings, flickering lights, blower motor resistor, door speaker corroded, rear hatch handle, rear wiper motor, front struts, busted sway bar, LCA bushings, hard shifting tranny (new solenoids!)
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Old 02-04-2010, 09:53 AM   #17
pjw73nh
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Re: 2000 venture suspension noises/woes

Kornjulio,

Tnx for the reply. Yes I have the same set of manuals. I have found them very poorly written, and many times inaccurate. I have also found that they will give the "by the book" method, which in many cases is much more convoluted and complicated than the "shortcut" methods we as DIY mechanics come up with and share in great forums like this.

I forgot where I read the part about the spindle nut. I didn't think it was true as I have done a few CV joints/half-shafts in my time and only had an issue once. It was with a Plymouth Voyager. And that is exactly what happened.

As soon as I pried the ball joint taper out of the steering knuckle, WHAM !! The strut came down (and out) about 2 inches, and pulled the half shaft out of the transaxle, then trans fluid was leaking all over the place. Not a huge deal, but was certainly unexpected. And a I had to use a "suicide spring compressor" (much to my chagrin and dismay) to get it back in place.

In any case, I am going to attempt the control arms this afternoon.

One thing I did find a bit disturbing, is that I was under the impression that DORMAN was an American company selling American made goods. I looked at the new control arms. Made in China !!!!! I hope they hold up as well as the OEM ones did. Especially the ball joint. My ball joints are fine now (no play at all). I hope the replacement ones last as long (125k miles).

P.../NH
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Old 02-04-2010, 06:08 PM   #18
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Re: 2000 venture suspension noises/woes

I know what you mean regarding service manual quality. It tells you everything about nothing.

Ever replace the HVAC blower motor resistor on one of these things? You'd think the service guys would include the small detail that the screws securing it are the very common 5.5mm? Nope. I spent an hour on my back trying various sizes of sockets and dropping some f-bombs until I figured out what was going on.
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2000 Venture - repairs to date:
LIM gasket, water pump, wiper park position, front wheel bearings, rear wheel bearings, flickering lights, blower motor resistor, door speaker corroded, rear hatch handle, rear wiper motor, front struts, busted sway bar, LCA bushings, hard shifting tranny (new solenoids!)
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Old 02-04-2010, 07:55 PM   #19
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Re: 2000 venture suspension noises/woes

5.5 mm ??? WTF. I've never heard of it before... Oh well.

I put the control arms in this afternoon. Took about 3 hrs. Couldn't figure out the best way to "tilt" the vertical end of the arm in, so I loosely fit the rear bushing and the ball joint taper in place, then used a bottle jack to push up the control arm, so the vertical bushing was at less of an angle. Then a few taps with a hammer and I was able to get the bolt in. Rides like a different vehicle. No noises (that I could hear on the test drive). Any idea where I can get those little plastic holders that go into the control arm to hold the ABS sensor wire secure? I went to the local VIP and Autozone. They didn't have them. For now I used zip ties (UV resistant ones). I'll look around tomorrow.

Struts and mounts most likely tomorrow or over the weekend.

P.../NH
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Old 02-07-2010, 12:44 PM   #20
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Re: 2000 venture suspension noises/woes

OK. I did the struts and strut mounts 3 days ago. Yes the passenger strut mount nuts are a real pain to get to. I had to remove the wiper linkage and the cruise control, and the washer bottle. Look here for details on the removal process.

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...d.php?t=977114

Once that was out here is what I did.

1. Jacked up front end of van with jack stands. Both front wheels off the ground.

2. Remove tires.

3. Remove 2 large 21mm ? nuts that hold the lower part of the strut to the steering knuckle. You will most likely have to bang the 2 bolts out with a hammer as they "friction fit" and splined. Put the nut back on so it is flush with the end of the bolt and hammer/punch it out.

4. Remove 3 strut mount nuts and remove the strut assembly.

I took mine to a local garage and had them put the mounts and struts into the spring. Minimal fee ($20).

Reverse the process to reinstall. It helps to have a helper hold the strut up in place as you thread the new nuts on. I did it by myself. No fun.

Hope this helps someone.

P..../NH
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Old 02-07-2010, 07:07 PM   #21
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Re: 2000 venture suspension noises/woes

Nice work! You're going to have a brand-new van pretty soon!
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2000 Venture - repairs to date:
LIM gasket, water pump, wiper park position, front wheel bearings, rear wheel bearings, flickering lights, blower motor resistor, door speaker corroded, rear hatch handle, rear wiper motor, front struts, busted sway bar, LCA bushings, hard shifting tranny (new solenoids!)
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Old 02-07-2010, 08:13 PM   #22
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Re: 2000 venture suspension noises/woes

OK.. So now that all the repairs have been completed. Tell me where I went wrong. See if you can follow my symptom/action list.

1. Original status lots of noises and rough ride when going over bumps.

2. Replace broken stabilizer, links, and bushings. Car has less roll, but seems like there are more noises.

3. Replace rear shocks. Car rides a little higher and stiffer in the rear. No increase or decrease in noises.

4. Replace control arms, bushings, and ball joints. Car rides like a dream. No noises. Very tight ride. I love it.

5. Replace struts and strut mounts. Minor (light) noises re-appear in front (I think mostly left, maybe right too) when going over a bump.Car rides very tight. Too tight. When I go over a bump in the front it feels more like a sports car ride (stiffer) than a softer (VAN) type ride, like I had before I did the struts & mounts. I had the local garage build the struts & mounts. They fit and look fine. I am sure I installed them correctly and really tightened them down securely. Though I have to admit it does feel like, sounds like the mount bearings are bad. (I replaced them as part of the mount kits.

Thoughts?

Thanks...
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Old 02-08-2010, 05:36 PM   #23
kornjulio
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Re: 2000 venture suspension noises/woes

That's odd...when I replaced my struts nothing like what you've experienced has occurred on my van.

All I can offer is to go back & recheck all the fasteners - maybe you missed torquing one?
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2000 Venture - repairs to date:
LIM gasket, water pump, wiper park position, front wheel bearings, rear wheel bearings, flickering lights, blower motor resistor, door speaker corroded, rear hatch handle, rear wiper motor, front struts, busted sway bar, LCA bushings, hard shifting tranny (new solenoids!)
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Old 02-09-2010, 07:37 AM   #24
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Re: 2000 venture suspension noises/woes

I think I have the answer. It appears that the folks that assembled the struts and mounts for me didn't tighten them down all the way. Remember, I brought them down to the shop "off the car". My guess is that I should have checked the tightness of the strut piston nuts AFTER LOWERING THE CAR so that the full weight of the front end was on the struts. (Note to self....)

If I look at the drivers side strut tower from inside the hood. And then I bounce the car up and down, I see about 3/8 to 1/2 an inch of up/down travel of the nut at the top/end of the strut piston rod. The passenger side is a little harder to see and push at the same time. So I am not that sure about that one.

You know what that means... Taking the wipers and all the associated stuff out again, just to tighten up a couple of nuts.

I trust that there should be NO PLAY in the strut piston rods at the mounts ? Does yours have any play?

Tnx...
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Old 02-09-2010, 06:24 PM   #25
kornjulio
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Re: 2000 venture suspension noises/woes

Just checked mine for you. I want to say I didn't notice much play when I jounced the driver's side. I do remember tightening that nut as much as I could after the vehicle was on the ground.

It's kinda hard to get much torque on it because you have to hold the the strut rod with an allen wrench while turning the nut with a socket; otherwise the rod will just spin. My impact sockets have a hole in the side. I put just the socket on the nut with no ratchet, jammed a punch into the hole, then put the allen wrench in through the opening in the back of the socket to hold the rod. With this setup I put as much torque on the nut as I could generate & called it good.

I have about four threads showing past the top of the nut...
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2000 Venture - repairs to date:
LIM gasket, water pump, wiper park position, front wheel bearings, rear wheel bearings, flickering lights, blower motor resistor, door speaker corroded, rear hatch handle, rear wiper motor, front struts, busted sway bar, LCA bushings, hard shifting tranny (new solenoids!)
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Old 02-16-2010, 01:28 PM   #26
pjw73nh
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Re: 2000 venture suspension noises/woes

Update:

Job completed. I had to take the wipers et al out again to tighten both strut shaft nuts again. The passenger one I could just about get all the way down without taking the wipers out, but for the last 2 threads I still had to remove them. The drivers side was a completely different story. I am not sure exactly what happened, but I could not move the nut one mm. It was as if it was crossed or stripped. I took the whole strut out and took it back to where they swapped the springs for me. They had a great deal of difficulty removing the nut. Finally after a little heat from a torch and an air impact gun, it came off. They had to chase the threads on bot the shat and the nut before it would go back together. Took it back home, installed it. Put the wipers back in. Messed up the timing (ruined a good wiper). Any way. All is well now. No bumps/clanks/noises. It rides very stiff over bumps though. More like a sports car. I hope it will soften out after a bit.

Also, a friend gave me a great tip for reinstalling the wipers.

1. Turn the ignition to run.
2. Turn on the wipers to the slowest intermittent delay.
3. When they stop, turn the ignition to off.
4. Use a 4 inch piece of electrical tape for each wiper and mark their position on the windshield. Be sure to use Electrical tape and not any other kind. Many tapes will react with the coating on the windshield and cause permanent scarring.

BTW, My Monroe's had a 21 mm nut and a 6mm Allen for the shaft.

P.../NH
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Old 02-28-2010, 06:43 PM   #27
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Re: 2000 venture suspension noises/woes

I think your ride quality (you describe as sport or somewhat harsh) is due to the new struts.

Since I replaced the stuts with KYB's on my old Toyota a fews years ago the ride has been harsh. I think the struts are stiffer than the stock units since they often spec the same strut for a number of applications.

What brand strut did you get - Monroe, Gabriell, KYB, etc. ?
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Old 02-28-2010, 08:01 PM   #28
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Re: 2000 venture suspension noises/woes

Monroe. 71661 and mount kits.
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