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Strut boots torn


vanuatoo
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Hello everyone

 

Today I've noticed that driver side strut boot (called Bumper on parts.com) is torn. Passenger side is also cracked at the same place.

 

I'm going to buy those boots (they cost 12.43) on parts.com. Should I buy any additional parts or is it enough to replace?

 

Thanks.

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I don't even have the boots on mine. They just trap the dirt and rocks. Save your money!

I'm sure they serve some purpose. :)

Are not they protecting the strut from dirt and water?

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It's catch 22 REALLY....

1. WITHOUT boots- dirt/rocks/mud can get caught on top of seals. When the strut/shock gets compressed the dirt/rocks can "scar" the stantion tubes. Then the dirt/rocks/mud will get into seals (cutting the seals and causing leaks). Also, "scarring" of stantion tubes will also cause seals to leak (typically DEEP scars though)

2. WITH boots- dirt/rocks/mud aren't directly exposed to the flying debris so "scarring" the stantion tubes is dang near impossible. HOWEVER, dirt/mud/rocks WILL get inside of the boots and WILL cause seals to leak just like in #1 when the stantions compress into the strut with the debris.

 

Now with that being said-

I do NOT use shock boots because they cause more damage than without them (IMO). As long as you clean your vehicle after it gets muddy/when your done wheeling just make sure to clean off the naked stantions and you'll be good!!! :aok: Just look at all the baja trucks and rock crawlers... they don't use them for a reason :D

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Thanks everyone for helpful comments.

 

I'm not going to do any offroading, it's just a family car.

Money is not a problem for me, mechanics in my country are not charging to much.

For instance for one side boot replacement I'll be charged about 14$.

 

My questions are:

 

1. Based on the fact that I'm not going to offroad and mud and snow is not common in my area, but it's definitely more dust in here than in an average USA town, what is the risk that strut or any other component will be damaged in foreseeble future?

2. Should I fear that after the whole strut is disassembled and assembled again it will make noticeable effect on suspension? This question might seem odd. If there was a certified Nissan dealer I would bring the car to sleep in relative comfort compared to local mechanic. To reformulate the question, what difficulty you would assign to this job on a scale from 1 to 10? I looked in the FSM and know what parts should be disassembled and wich order, what nuts should not be reused, so I will watch mechanic to do his job well and provide him with the original parts from www.parts.com.

 

Thanks again

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Thanks everyone for helpful comments.

 

I'm not going to do any offroading, it's just a family car.

Money is not a problem for me, mechanics in my country are not charging to much.

For instance for one side boot replacement I'll be charged about 14$.

 

My questions are:

 

1. Based on the fact that I'm not going to offroad and mud and snow is not common in my area, but it's definitely more dust in here than in an average USA town, what is the risk that strut or any other component will be damaged in foreseeble future?

2. Should I fear that after the whole strut is disassembled and assembled again it will make noticeable effect on suspension? This question might seem odd. If there was a certified Nissan dealer I would bring the car to sleep in relative comfort compared to local mechanic. To reformulate the question, what difficulty you would assign to this job on a scale from 1 to 10? I looked in the FSM and know what parts should be disassembled and wich order, what nuts should not be reused, so I will watch mechanic to do his job well and provide him with the original parts from www.parts.com.

 

Thanks again

To answer your questions:

1. it's called a catch 22 for a reason... do you know of this term??? Dust partiments can cause leaking seals with OR without boots. Seriously, you're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't. If you're not "wheeling" through mud and junk then DON'T worry about boots for your struts. The boots will just trap in MORE dust and not allow it out. Leaking struts will happen reguardless of how clean they are because over time the heat generated from the friction of the stantion going in and out will cause the seals to expand/crack.... are you following???

 

2. having a boot or not having a boot WILL NOT change the effect of suspension performance. You will NOT notice a difference having them or not having them. Adding boot is NOT difficult just VERY time consuming and the mechanic will NEED a spring compressor tool.

 

Seriously, unless you're needing to replace your struts DON'T mess with them. Have you ever heard of the term "don't fix something that's not broken"?! We don't use boots on our dirt bikes either FYI. We cut them off immediately upon getting a new bike or new fork....

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