Another KYB strut/shock & poly bushing success story.

[sonyslave]

For those considering doing the same:

Another happy camper. Installed Kyb struts, Kyb bellows, Moog strut mounts, Kyb shocks and split poly trailing arm bushings(I forget the brand since I ordered it 2.5 years ago when the death wobble started -yes I procrastinate) . -The split ones are easier to install.

 

I did the same as many others before me, installed KYB and they made the Pathy drive great. After installing only the new struts the death wobble was much less pronounced. A day later I did the shocks and split poly trailing arm bushings, now it drives fantastic. I wish the rear shocks had a little less dampening though. If I have about 200lbs in the back it's real comfortable, when empty the compression dampening in the rear is just a bit harsh but that may go away after the shocks bed in? Still happy I went with KYB since their shocks are known to be quality pieces.

 

I have never dealt with struts before. I bought a spring compressor off of Amazon for $40(it goes by the name "OEM 25550 Strut Spring Compressor"). It worked well, but kinda scary the 1st time you use it.

 

Mistake: I installed the strut bearing in the wrong spot on both assemblies. Fyi, you can still drive without strut bearings but the steering won't center on it's own and i'm sure the added stress and wear and tear is terrible. I took everything apart the 2nd day and reassembled it correctly. Surprisingly there was hardly any wear in the metal to metal contact points normally separated by the bearings.

 

I attempted to cut out the old trailing arm bushing sleeves on my own with a hack saw but said fiorget it after half an hour and took it to a shop to have them pressed out.

 

I'm so happy now with the way she drives that I'm going to fix the a/c. The old suspension had 160k on it and one strut was so worn that it would make a metallic loud 'whack' noise when going over mild potholes.

 

Note: I do not live in a place where the roads are salted. I did use PB Blaster thread penetrent on all the bolts/nuts about a month before and then again the day before I removed them. They all came off pretty easily with air tools.

[XPLORx4]

Here's a tip for anyone trying to remove the OEM bushings from trailing arms: Use an air chisel to knock out the collar. Faster than trying to hacksaw or sawzall through it, and cheaper than having a shop press it out.