Shocks/Stuts suggestions for a 95

[Alibi]

Hello. I feel like I'm in foreign territory as I usually roam GM forums...

Anyway, my little brother has a 95 non-wagon Taurus with a 3.8, at about 130k miles with a very bouncy rear end. We've come to the conclusion that he needs new struts and/or shocks/ and or springs. Exacly what is needed, I dont know as I'm not familiar with his car (and its currently 3 hours away in Kansas City).

I believe he has struts and springs in front and rear, is this correct? Or were there different suspension packages? Would new struts suffice or should I look into getting springs too? My family and I are wanting to get this done for him for x-mas as his are really bad, especially in the rear. Part of the problem may be that the car was rear-ended about a year before my brother got the car...

More specifically, I was just wondering what brands/part numbers/type of shocks to look into getting him. Also, what other parts should be replaced while the shocks/struts are being swapped out (such as an upper bearing, any sway bar bushings, etc)? Should I go with Ebay or stick to retail stores like Autozone and O'Reily?

I'm wanting a decent set of shocks, but they don't have to be super quality as the car is just a college car that he bought for $400 (and now has about a grand in it from fixing it up thus far) so nothing super fancy.

Thanks for any input

[shorod]

Thank you for visiting our forum!

You are correct, the Taurus sedan will have struts front and rear.

I've been pleased with Monroe SensaTrac struts for general purpose. Springs have been known to break on the Taurus, but if the ride height is fine, then the springs probably are not broken and not likely to break any time soon.

Does he notice any noises over bumps or on turns that sound like something is about to fall off the car? If so, it could be upper strut mounts (somewhat likely, but not really different than any other car out there), sway bar end links (these are vinyl and fairly common to get noisy), or subframe bushings (also fairly likely). None of these are likely to be a safety hazard though.

It would be nice if you could find out if the front suspension is tight before starting the strut project (assuming you are doing the labor rather than taking it to a shop). Lower ball joints, inner, and outer tie rod ends would be convenient to replace while you're doing the struts. Again, these are not more prone to failure on the Taurus than any other typical car of similar vintage. However, Ford ball joints and outer tie rod ends do seem more prone to squeak than other brands.

-Rod

[wrightz28]

Darn Buick owners, git outta here


Neh, welcome to the dark side Alibi



As usual Rod has it covered pretty well. The springs on these are very failure prone. When I did my wife's '92 the spring was pretty rusty, but was actually a vicitm of the fact theat the upper strut bearing plate failed (2 little dinky tabs that hold the nylon bearing case) and tore the bearing up and locked it, which in turn caused the spring to twist and finally snapped a 1/2 coil off the base.

I replaced all the components with Napa parts and the car rides really nice, a bit better than my PA BUT there is a rattle from the rear sway bushings if it sits for a while.

[Alibi]

Why thank you for the warm welcome to the dark side

I don't think there is any significant noise in the front end, but the rear does squeak when bounced (which could just be the rear sway bushings). As for ride height, I believe it is correct so the springs are probably fine but I'll steal his car the next time hes in town (after finals) for a test drive and I'll jack it up and take a peek at the condition of the tie rods and springs.

Other than the rear-end damage, the car is in decent shape for its age and I don't believe its been abused too badly (I knew the guy my brother bought it from and he bought it from a dealer who got as a trade in from an older man). I'm hoping when we (my dad, my brother, and myself) start tearing into it, we don't find too many broken parts. Plus, here in the midwest rust isn't too big of a problem . At this point, I'll probably be the one doing most of the part purchase choices...

So I'll need look into at least checking the following:

Struts
Springs
Lower ball joints
inner, and outer tie rod ends

Am I missing anything thus far? Looks like I'll start pricing Monroe shocks, and then the rest of the parts ought to be fine if I get them from Autozone or Napa. And I'll need to rent some spring compressors whilst at Autozone...

Thanks for the info so far guys

[shorod]

While at Autozone, don't forget to pick up a can of Rust Eater or Blaster PB.

-Rod

[wrightz28]

Originally Posted by shorod

While at Autozone, don't forget to pick up a can of Rust Eater or Blaster PB.

-Rod

And a propaine torch. You know it ttok me an hour to walk out the pinch bolt!

[Alibi]

Ah yes, I already have a MAPP torch and a can of PB from working on my brakes on my T a few months back.

Anyway, I've been looking around on the internet (mainly ebay) and I haven't found too much in the form of Monroe shocks labeled for the 95. Anybody know of a specific part number?

[shorod]

http://catalog.tenneco.com/monroe/eCatalog.do

-Rod