Struts.

Howdy All!! I live up in Ontario,Canada. And I'm looking to replace the struts on my 97 Plymouth Voyager,and was wondering if I could get some feedback on the best struts to replace them with? Any feedback would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

I used Monroe Sensa -Track on my '96 Caravan and they really feel great, also not going to cost a lot of Loonies.

I've heard good things about those sensa-track's as well and just put a pair on my van - but still finishing up some other work, so haven't had a chance to test them out just yet.

If you DIY and will be using coil spring compressors to remove the springs, I'd recommend having 2 sets of coil spring compressors - you could probably do it with 1 set, but having 2 makes life a lot easier. I had my first set bottomed out and it still hadn't loosened the top mount all the way, but the second set finished the job (actually the 3rd one, but I don't think you can buy just 1)

Also, I took the advice of others on the forums and purchased replacement strut mount bearings at the same time -- good thing too, because when I removed the old ones, they were very rough. Finally, if these are factory struts, then the replacement struts (not sure if this applies to factory replacement or not, but definitely aftermarket) will have a slot in the lower strut-to-steering-knuckle attachment point intended to allow for some camber adjustment. You'll need to replace that existing bolt with some kind of cam bolt to allow the strut to be adjusted for camber - see "Monroe Adapter Kit" (http://www.partsamerica.com/productdetail.aspx?MfrCode=MON&MfrPartNumber=AK71&PartType=1388&PTSet=A)
Read the manual about how to orient the spring on the strut and the top mount. Not hard, but it does look kind of goofy when you're re-assembling it.

Once you've compressed the spring, getting the nut off the top mount can be tricky. You have to use a 10 mm socket on the shaft to keep it from rotating and I think a 21mm on the nut to loosen it. Problem is, all this is in a recessed cavity, so you can't have a 10mm socket on the shaft and a 21 mm socket on the nut at the same time. Even a crows foot takes up too much space. The way I did it was to take a 3/8" drive 13/16" spark plug socket (very snug fit, no slop in my case, so no concern about rounding the nut), which happens to have a hex on the *outside* of the socket, and then used a 1/4" drive 10mm socket that was inserted through the 3/8" drive hole of the spark plug socket. I had to pop out the rubber boot in the spark plug socket (thing that typically holds the spark plug insulator) for everything to have clearance. When re-assembling, in order to torque the nut, you'll need a crows foot of I think 7/8" to go on the hex on the spark plug socket. Otherwise, just tighten it up good and snug. As an alternative, you can buy a tool (http://www.amazon.com/Wilmar-Piece-Universal-Strut-Remover/dp/B0002KO3QK/ref=sr_1_1/102-0137329-2868946?ie=UTF8&s=automotive&qid=1179415538&sr=8-1) to do the job. I will say that using a 1/4" 10mm was right on the hairy edge of my comfort level when applying necessary torque.

Finally, having a bench-mounted vise will come in very handy. I always use auto repairs to buy new tools w/o any fussing by the wife - and for the amount of money I saved by doing this job myself, I bought a 6" bench vise, which would've come in handy a lot in the past anyway for other things.

You can take the struts down to a shop that has a spring compressor,they charge probally $10 to $20 dollars a strut.Brannick makes the best spring compressor for the struts.I do not trust them small spring compressors for safety reasons.Get an alighnment right away too after replacing the struts.

AutoZone has the Loan-A-Tool program which allows you to loan a strut compression tool for free (for a refundable deposit...)

http://www.autozone.com/in_our_stores/loan_a_tool/steering_suspension/strut_spring_tool.htm

The spring compressor in the link is the one I have, and is the one I bottomed out before needing/desiring a second set to finish the job. For the safety minded, you could argue that having 4 spring compressors attached to the spring is safer than just 2, because if one of them let go, the remaining 3 would easily hold the spring.

Also, an autozone is quite out of the way for me, so 2 trips to it to pick it up and return it would be a PITA. I normally get my parts from NAPA as they're much closer, but don't have a tool loan program either. Besides, I prefer to own the tool anyway.

I've heard a lot of good things about Monroe "Quick Struts". You get the strut, coil spring, upper mount and bearing as a single package. You don't have to compress the strut to install it. Makes it a cinch to install. Don't know if they make them for Voyagers but, worth looking into. You can read up on them at the Monroe website or go to the Camry forum.

That's true - you can get them. But they're about $200 each compared to about $100 if you replace the strut and strut mount bearing. I feel the labor involved warrants me saving $200 on the job (in parts only). Perhaps it's more of a toss up if you're having a shop do it, but I think you'd still come out ahead to have the shop R&R the new strut with existing spring, even including labor.

That's true - you can get them. But they're about $200 each compared to about $100 if you replace the strut and strut mount bearing. I feel the labor involved warrants me saving $200 on the job (in parts only). Perhaps it's more of a toss up if you're having a shop do it, but I think you'd still come out ahead to have the shop R&R the new strut with existing spring, even including labor. Much appreciate the info and I will probably be installing the Sensa-Trac struts and shocks as the are very readily available up here the north country. Again thanks for the input.