car problem, need advice

[Punjistick]

I believe the front left strut is broken in my car. When I push down on the body it doesn't return to the normal position and stays down. Also it feels like it is bottoming out on bumps/pot holes (very harsh ride).

Assuming it is the strut, how big of a pain in the ass is it to replace? I'm saving for VIR and don't feel like taking it to a mechanic. I'm pretty competent and could probably do it myself if I rent the tool that compresses the spring.

Or is this some thing that's just worth having some one else do?

The car is a '92 mitsubishi eclipse and not worth anything. I really just need it to last another 4 months. If I fix it by myself, should I replace the right side also?

[dhuze]

If you have a spring compresser and an impact driver then you can do it yourself. It is a pain in the ass and you might want to buy a shop manual. Yes you have to replace both sides. The same holds true for shocks.

[capt1014]

Like dhuze said it can be a pain in the ass, but if already have the spring compressor you are half way there.

[SSearchVT]

It sounds like you might have a broken spring or bad support bearing. Did the front end have a nasty rattle before this happened? New struts are cheap from places like NAPA or Advance Auto. They also have the bearings.

It's not too bad, and there's a few ways to tackle it...
You'll need a place to work on it, a jack, jack stands, and a good set of hand tools (6 point box wrenches, 1/2 inch drive six point sockets, and 3/8 inch drive sockets, and spring compressors)

Jack the car up, support it, and take the wheels off. Use penetrating oil on all the stuff you're going to take off. You'll need to take the brake line mount off the strut housing (sometimes a bolt, sometimes a spring clip). Take out the two big bolts at the bottom of the strut housing, pry it off the spindle assembly, then take off the small nuts at the top of the housing in the engine compartment (reach under and hold onto the housing while taking the last nut off). The strut housing and spring assembly should come right out.

If you haven't done them before be careful - springs on strut housings hold a lot of energy and can be dangerous. Never put your body in the line of fire... Always work from the side. If you don't want to mess with the spring compressors call up a local shop and have them change out the housing. They shouldn't charge more then $20 each to do them if you bring them in off the car.

Putting it back in is the reverse of taking it out. The top nuts should be tourqed to about 15 foot pounds, and about 75 to 80 for the lower mounts... You'll want to consider an alignment soon... Good luck...

[Punjistick]

It's the wierdest thing. It seems to be fine now. Well it's not that fine since I think they are the original struts and it has 202k miles.

All I did was jack the car up and take off the wheel. Then I put the wheel back on and lowered the car. It also sat overnight in a heated garage and my dad seems to think that it might have been frozen.

I guess I'll watch it for now and see what happens. Thanks for info though. I have a service manual but all the bolts are rusted to hell so if it does need work I think I'll take it in.

[virtualbong]

Here's a diagram of a common strut design:



Most likely the shock is blown and you need to replace it or it may have a leak. It doesn't look too difficult, but the problem here is that your car is old and most likely the bolts that hold everything together may be rusted together. You would probably have to use a hand saw (forgot the name of it) and cut the bolt in half and bang out the bolts.

This was an issue for me when I was changing the springs in my 98 Integra. I had no problem changing my shocks and springs in my TSX though because the car was new.

Just some things to think about before going forward with this project. It may be easier to have a shop change the shock for you.

[virtualbong]

I just read your recent post and I'm wondering if a bolt is loose somewhere and it had shifted back into place when you lifted the car up and removed the tire. Just a thought.

[Punjistick]

I didn't see any missing or loose bolts when I had the wheel off. I think the valve in the shock is blown and there may be some pieces of metal floating around. If a piece got wedged in somewhere it might explain why it was acting like it did. Maybe by lifting the car and allowing the spring to extend all th way it cleared the problem for the time being.

[Stoneman]

Seems obvious to me: Get a few guys to lift it...

[Punjistick]

I think you're right. It's a compact car so a few guys should be able to lift it. No need for a crane.

[RandyO]

when seals in shocks go, it not only lets oil leak out, it lets moisture leak in you would be surprised at the amount

water & oil is bad enuf, when it goes below freezing there is potential to turn it into a solid suspension

[RandyO]

btw: best way to solve your car problem is get a different car

[Punjistick]

Originally posted by RandyO
when seals in shocks go, it not only lets oil leak out, it lets moisture leak in you would be surprised at the amount

water & oil is bad enuf, when it goes below freezing there is potential to turn it into a solid suspension

I think that is exactly what happened. Water got in and then with the cold temps it froze. By keeping it in the garage overnight it must have thawed out.

I'd like a new car very much (even a used one) but I decided to buy a new bike instead. I suppose I could use the money for new shocks on heated gear. I'm sick of dumping money into a car that is worth maybe $500.

If I can just get the car to last until May, I'll be out of school and hopefully find a job.