spdfrk1990

I bought a lumina to daily drive not long ago and it runs great for 100k miles on the motor but the suspension could use some work. When I go over quick sharp bumps i can feel like slack in what feels to be the struts. Almost like a sound you would get with a car that has a broken end link but i think I checked those alrdy. Any way how is the struts replaced in this car? Does it always have to be a cartridge or can i replace the whole thing. Also is there a way I can test the mounts I had the car jacked up b4 and tryed to wiggle the wheel and see if I could feel slack but i got nothin.

Thanks

richtazz

are we talking front or rear?

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spdfrk1990

Front

kevinb70

do you think he's talking about that problem with the strut mount? a popping sound from near the strut... fixed by a TSB a years back by putting a bushing on top of the strut ? Not sure if any aftermarket would have a similiar bushing already there(?) Last time I had struts replaced I brought in the bushings, but they said the bushing wouldnt fit with aftermarket (?) but either way, the dont pop anymore. (had wondered if they just forgot to put them in there)

spdfrk1990

Yeh I dunno its hard to describe other then when I go over sharp bumps it seems like there is play in the strut mount or somethin.

frank6060

I recently had struts put on my 90 Lumina. When I made turns I was getting a spring popping sound. Also at times the car would pull left even though alignment was good. Turns out there's a lower bearing on left strut assembly worn out that was causing noise and wheel shift. New mounts,bearings along with struts was what I needed. They were originals. Take it to a suspension mechanic you can trust to inspect your strut assemblies.

spdfrk1990

Im afraid I need all that too I know the left wheel bearing is toast.

spdfrk1990

Im going to be takling this job soon. I did recenlty get hit in the right front tire not too bad though and I did not see anything bent but it did knock the alignment off a little. Should I take the whole assembly out what else might I need to replace up top besides the mount is there a bearing that goes bad also? Im just not sure if I should just replace the mounts and struts from up top then the wheel bearing and go on or take everything out to inspect other bad parts possibly. How much of a pain is it to get the wheel bearing off I got a new 1 for the driver side. I think I might have to take the whole assembly out cause the bolts are rusted pretty bad and not sure I can get the impact in there.

dwalmop

At 100K, you're due for struts anyway, so I'd replace them. It's a great idea to also replace the mounts, as they're not known for their factory quality. I'm pretty sure that the mount is integral with the bearing you're talking about. You don't have to remove the struts just to replace the cartridges, but if you replace the mounts, you will have to. Other possibilities for your noise could be bad control arm bushings or a bad ball joint. If you didn't have the car jacked up in the correct spot (I.E. if you jacked the car up using the control arm), you wouldn't feel ball joint play by shaking the wheel with your arms. You also need to check movement in 2 planes: Vertical and lateral.

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spdfrk1990

Im taking it to tire discounters today to check it out and make sure it will line up properly b4 I put the new parts on it. I ordered some kyb struts and mounts but in the picture at advance the mounts just looked like a rubber peice.

john51md

On top of least early lumina's the top mount is just rubber, unlike most cars, a lumina coil spring does not turn with the strut, the bearing is under the coil spring on the spring seat, strut housing 'turns' on the strut inner rod and that bearing and spring sits still.
Mine rattled and bumped hard and it was inner strut shaft worn bad, so bad there was no fluid left in the cartridge. Also the top rubber mount does get loose a lot, but it can be replaced by removing the top strut plate under the hood , take off plate nuts and center nut, leave weight of car on the strut if you replace rubber top mount, and if you replace a cartridge as well, the car weight keeps the coil spring in place.
These are not put together like most car struts.
Only jack car up if you are removing whole strut assembly, then only remove the small nuts around the center top strut nut, and NOT the center big one on the shaft, this holds whole thing together when you take strut off.

spdfrk1990

Yup thanks for the reply I found out where the bearing was last night i took the whole assembly out and put in new ball joints and a new hub. Tonight im doing the struts and mount bushings and the tie rod ends.

john51md

Just a side note i guess, if you still have bumping noises after all is repaired, check your inner sway bar bushings, there isnt much rubber between the bottom of the bar and the farme, and the A arm going up and down, will cause the inner bushing if worn thru on the bottom to bang against frame.

spdfrk1990

Thanks... I got a new strut and bushing in last night and that shit was more of a pain then taking the whole damn strut assembly out. One of the problems was the kyb seemed to have different threads and the rod in the wbody strut install kit wouldnt fit. Also instead of a t50 on the shaft it used a allen that was metric and I did not have that allen in a socket which made torqing it down about impossible.

dwalmop

Yes, the KYB's do that. Those jerks should provide that tool!!!

But I've always been really happy with KYB struts, so I'll let it go.

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Great quote: "I am noticing a loud fuel odor"