nancyc

I have a 91 euro sdn 3.1. Im in desperate need of new struts and was wondering if anyone can give some cost ideas and possibly doing it myself info. my car has 126K most are highway miles. my engine feels like it idles low when i come to a stop and i feel it may stall, a few times it did but started back up. i do put fuel inj cleaner in once in awhile too. any ideas on this? i get sick of hearing my mechanic say its old what do u expect. yes its old but i really love this car and love the way it drives and handles the road.... also i had some trouble awhile back , where when i was driving and needed to give it more speed it would kinda putt and choke up like it wasnt able to get any gas or whatever. my mechanic change some wires , stating that they get clogged up and dont allow anything to pass thru. maybe they were hoses i forget. but it did seem better afterwards, although from time to time it will still do it. so i just give it more gas until it gets out of gear and picks up speed.

nancy

dwalmop

struts will prob. cost 80-90 dollars for both, they are cartridges, and don't take long to put in, so may 1 - 2 hrs. labor time at a shop, too. Sounds like you may need O2 sensor from engine symptoms

jeffcoslacker

IAC dirty? Stalling on F.I. engines usually related to lean idle mixture.

Manny_boy

you can do it your self if you'd like... Your strut cartridges will cost between $20-$30 each depending on the brand. The three nuts on top of each strut tower plate come off revealing a 24mm nut, that you will either need the special tool to remove (most auto stores will rent you the kit), or an impact gun, because the strut shaft will spin without the tool in place to hold it while you release the top nut. The rental kit also comes with the tool to remove the nut that holds the catridge in the strut tower (no, you can't reach it without the tool). They refund your money when you bring the kit back. Good luck getting the top nut tight enough to keep the cartridge from rattling with the rental kit though. (that's the only drawback) mine rattled like a mofo... I ended up taking an impact gun to it. (nice and tight now!)

nancyc

thanks for replys. 1 guy says 80-90$ for both and another says 20-40- each. pep boys say 100+ a piece . why is that?? they arent shocks, which are cheaper, ill have to ck auto zone or advanced auto. ill probably see if my mechanic will install them. the car sounds horrible when i drive it due to the no shock absorbing. it bangs and all.

as for the sensor, what will that do if its replaced? and why wouldnt my mechanic know about this and tell me that it could be cause of stalling. they did put it on the diag testing cause the service eng soon lite came on a few times. but he said nothing showed up as to being wrong..

im wondering if it has anything to do with a radiator i had put in, cause other one broke. i replaced thermostat too.

car was always running hot most times, now with newer radiator it seems to stay in middle or below unless im sitting in traffic or stop and start and it goes up then.

i know its old and i try my best to keep up with it but i hate to dole out money all the time to see whats wrong . i cant afford a new car either, yet.

nancy

nancyc

wanted to add i was looking at 2 places to buy parts and they say shock/strut for front and or rear. it appears the rear needs to be replaced cause the banging is in back. monroe struts are more costly but other brands are less exp. maybe 35$ and up. thing is , is how do i know all what i need? like once all is apart and you can see what you need then you may have to buy other parts as well and not just the shock itself. true, right??

nancyc

can you elaborate on this???

jeffcoslacker

Lean= too much air in the mixture. Can occur because of a vacuum leak (check vacuum lines and hoses), sensor malfunction (Oxygen sensor, MAP, etc.), or incorrect metering of air allowed to bypass the closed throttle plate when idling. The Idle Air Control motor is attached near the throttle plate, and controls the air admitted to the motor with the throttle plate closed (idling). If it gets cruddy, it can stick and cause problems (like your unpredictable idle) Can be removed and cleaned up or replaced pretty easily. I'll let richtazz tell you how much for one, I don't remember.

jeffcoslacker

I would take the car to someplace like CarX or Mieneke or whatever the chain is there where you live, and get the free inspection and estimate, I dont understand why the rear would be banging unless something is broken. Worn out shocks and struts will let the car bounce more than it should, and occaisionally bottom out over a hard bump, but shouldn't produce any constant noises.

nancyc

thats what it does. its still noise to me and no its not all the time . yea i think i will do that and have meineke ck it out and tell me whats needed to be fixed.

thanks for your info.

dwalmop

My lumina has a bad bang in the rear too. I know in mine it's the rear strut mounts; the rubber bushings are shot on them. That could be your problem too

Kooterskkar

You would be better off to see about a "quick strut" kit from advance. Its the whole strut, mount, and spring, and a few other things i forget which. Allyou do it pull the old one out and drop the new one in. No renting a spring compressor, no cuttin the old cartridge out, no hassle really. Its just remove and install. Done in an hour tops. You might pay a little more for it but its alot easier.