99 GTP strut replacement

[DrRadar]

I've got a 99 GTP that just turned 190k miles. It's in good shape and I hope to keep it a while, but it does need some maintenance, including new struts. The fact that the car bottoms out more often than I think it should indicates to me that the struts are worn out. The existing struts (Monroe I think) have 82k on them and were installed by a tire chain. They will "honor" the lifetime warranty, and only charge for labor and alignment - for which they want $535...seems a bit steep.

I've tried to do my homework, including scouring the AF GP archives. It appears that KYB GR2s are highly recommended by owners, and are available at reasonable prices online and even AutoZone. The front strut mounts are original and I'm inclined to replace those as well, based on AF post recommendations. I don't know if they're bad, but the upper strut bolt is not directly centered in the mount. When I bounce the front end, a gap opens/closes between the mount and the strut bolt...that's more evidence of a worn strut, no?

An independent shop told me they charge double labor to install parts that I bring in because they don't want to get into a p!$$ing match with the parts dealer when the customer is not happy. Fair enough... Then they said they would install Monroe (Sensa-Trac or other) if I bought parts from them. I expressed concern about that brand based on my research, and the guy responded by saying those opinions probably came from someone who didn't install them properly and probably wasn't a professional mechanic...wow.

So I'm inclined to replace the struts and front upper mounts as well. But have some questions before I dive in.

How difficult and how dangerous is the spring compression?

Should I consider replacing the rear mounts?

I read somewhere about installing a kit that provides a camber adjustment. How much do I need to know about that, or will it be taken care of, if necessary, by an alignment shop? I am not familiar with the alignment adjustments.

I've done a fair amount of DIY work and understand basic engineering principles, but I certainly am not a professional mechanic. Is this job appropriate from a shade-tree guy?

I appreciate any help or feedback,

[rkvons]

Originally Posted by DrRadar

I've got a 99 GTP that just turned 190k miles. It's in good shape and I hope to keep it a while, but it does need some maintenance, including new struts. The fact that the car bottoms out more often than I think it should indicates to me that the struts are worn out. The existing struts (Monroe I think) have 82k on them and were installed by a tire chain. They will "honor" the lifetime warranty, and only charge for labor and alignment - for which they want $535...seems a bit steep.

I've tried to do my homework, including scouring the AF GP archives. It appears that KYB GR2s are highly recommended by owners, and are available at reasonable prices online and even AutoZone. The front strut mounts are original and I'm inclined to replace those as well, based on AF post recommendations. I don't know if they're bad, but the upper strut bolt is not directly centered in the mount. When I bounce the front end, a gap opens/closes between the mount and the strut bolt...that's more evidence of a worn strut, no?

An independent shop told me they charge double labor to install parts that I bring in because they don't want to get into a p!$$ing match with the parts dealer when the customer is not happy. Fair enough... Then they said they would install Monroe (Sensa-Trac or other) if I bought parts from them. I expressed concern about that brand based on my research, and the guy responded by saying those opinions probably came from someone who didn't install them properly and probably wasn't a professional mechanic...wow.

So I'm inclined to replace the struts and front upper mounts as well. But have some questions before I dive in.

How difficult and how dangerous is the spring compression?

Should I consider replacing the rear mounts?

I read somewhere about installing a kit that provides a camber adjustment. How much do I need to know about that, or will it be taken care of, if necessary, by an alignment shop? I am not familiar with the alignment adjustments.

I've done a fair amount of DIY work and understand basic engineering principles, but I certainly am not a professional mechanic. Is this job appropriate from a shade-tree guy?

I appreciate any help or feedback,

I am like you. Not a professional, but I DIY everything. You can watch strut changeouts on YouTube to get a feel for it. I have a '98 Grand Prix and changed mine myself. The spring compression is probably really dangerous, and it is scary while you are doing it, but worked out well. You just have to note the location of the beginning of the spring on the old strut and make sure you orient the beginning of the spring on the new strut at the same place. Also, change your strut bearing and your upper and lower insulators. I did not use any camber adjustment stuff.

[DrRadar]

Thanks for the info on the spring position. I will change the upper mounts (bearings) on the front, but wasn't aware of changing the insulators...are these purchased separate from the struts?

[olopezm]

If you're getting KYB's you could try getting KYB Strut-plus SR4002 (both front sides) and SR4003 (rear right) SR4004 (rear left). It's a ready to install replacement and needs no spring compressor. Since you're replacing strut, mount and insulators, it could be well worth it.

Oscar.

[rkvons]

Originally Posted by DrRadar

Thanks for the info on the spring position. I will change the upper mounts (bearings) on the front, but wasn't aware of changing the insulators...are these purchased separate from the struts?

Yes they are separate. They cushion the metal of the spring with the metal of the shock. After many miles, they will be smashed pretty thin. Follow olopezm's advice and do a cost comparison between getting the seperate parts and getting a quick-strut assembly.

[DrRadar]

That's a great idea, Oscar. So I went looking for the KYB Strut Plus parts. I found that the part numbers that you provided are specified for the SE and GT. It appears that the following part numbers are for the GTP: W0133-1830285 (LR) and -1830284 (RR), but I can't find the associated part number for the front - might be -1830379 but I've been unable to confirm that.

I also found that these parts are more scarce and more expensive - from maybe $60 to as much as $130 more each. It's worth $60 a wheel for the strut plus, but not $130.

I remember reading that the GTP has a different spring than the GT. Has anyone put the GT Strut Plus on the GTP? Was it satisfactory? I drive the car around town (commuting, to the golf course, etc) and on cross-country vacations (interstate). I like the zip the car has, but I wouldn't say I'm demanding race car performance.

[olopezm]

You might want to try contacting KYB and ask for correct part numbers. The ones I posted, I got them from this page:

http://showmetheparts.com/kyb/

Oscar.

[DrRadar]

I decided to go with the KYB struts plus. Apparently the springs are not "recommended" for the GTP since they are "constant rate" vs. "variable rate." I'm not sure how the vehicle will handle differently between these two types of springs. But I figured that if the struts plus are good enough for the GT, with the kind of driving I do, they're good enough for my ride.

The installation was generally simple. I did have some trouble getting the bolts in at the strut-to-knuckle connection. I found that if my son slowly turned the wheel as I worked the bolt in, I would eventually find a position where the bolt slipped in. Note that I had a small jack under either the ball joint or the rotor and I adjusted the height as needed.

For the back, I put in the lower strut-to-knuckle (?) bolt first. Then using the jack, I once was able to get the upper bolts through the body and get the nuts started. Then I worked on getting the second strut-to-knuckle bolt in.

Significantly improved the ride. Even before the alignment, the car's steering was good, not pulling. But I did get the alignment a few days later.

The ease of installation made the extra cost of the struts plus well worth it. Plus the mounts got replaced. I'm hanging on to the old springs in case there's ever a reason to put those on.

[Tech II]

Over $500 for labor and alignment?
they are nuts....

Take them off yourself......go to a shop with a compressor and just hand them the parts......should be less than an hour of labor time......then shop for an alignment....

Hopefully you can get struts that have elongated holes to make the camber adjustment easy...