96 Wagon Rides Bad!

[badpoor]

That is not the end of the spring. It is that rubber bushing/I don't really know, that comes with the new springs. The part of the spring you are referring to is located and properly seated as you mentioned.

[badpoor]

Actually after the 6th time I took those struts apart and back together that bolt snapped while installing the top of the strut. Is this something I need to be worried about?

[12Ounce]

OK, it does look like the rubber pad now that you mention it.

I would not worry about the broken bolt ... just so you understand what happened.

Could be you now have a much stiffer set-up than you are accostomed to .... There may be nothing really "wrong".

[badpoor]

So...heres the final word on My wagon rides bad story.
I was checking things out the other day and shaking wheels up,down and side to side. the rear passenger side seemed to be lose. I though it was deffinitly a bad wheel bearing hub but that was not the case.
I put the tire back on and lowered it and I could push in on the top of the wheel where I could hear a noise that sounded like a bad bearing lol....so I got a friend over and he puched in on the wheel at the top while I looked with a light at all of the supension parts.
Nothing looked like it moved.
I noticed when I put my hand under the tire I could push up and the strut seemed like it was moving very easily. then I looked again while he moved the top of the tire in and low and behold the strut was moving forward and backward.
So i call the local dealer service department and tell them I have a technical question about this hole ordeal ive been going through for the past 2 1/2- 3 months. he asked where i got the struts and what kind they where and said they stopped getting them from AZ or AAP because the MONROE GAS MATIC strut was having blown seal issues.
this has been my problem and I kept thinking i was installing these componants wrong being that I am somewhat novice with this particular vehicle.
Anyone got any ideas on what struts I should upgrade to?

[12Ounce]

Make sure that the correct upper bearing blocks are in place. For the year models that I've worked on ... the wagons and sedans had different shaped components (IIRC).

[Intuit]

Originally Posted by badpoor

.............. i have not goten it aligned yet ............

That could be the issue. Awhile back I had someone replace my tie-rod ends and got the replacements on there pretty off. Made the ride seem like I had bad suspension. Got it realigned the next morning, all was normal again.

[zzyzzx2]

If those are the regular blue Monroes, they should be just fine. I've got them in my car, and they are warrantied for life too. Just take it back where you bought it from.

[Intuit]

Adjustment of camber, caster and toe helps place the tires SQUARELY on the pavement. Getting an alignment will help ensure that shock from the road is properly transferred to your suspension as opposed to your joints and mounts. I would imagine that you can probably do damage by driving it normally while severly out of alignment.

The particular shop that I had mine done at awhile ago, would perform another aligment at no charge, for ANY reason within the next 30 days. This meant that I could perform any additional maintenance needed and simply go back. Since Zyzzx2 mentioned it, I think that was a Monroe service center.