Getting "spanked" on DIY Front Suspension

Replaced strut shocks with kyb's from tirerack, and both inner tie rods (which, mind you, I figured out how to replace using only TWO adjustable wrenches). Two shops have said tie rod ends and ball joints are good.

STILL getting the "clunk", and steering wheel STILL feels like crap. The only thing I can think of are the strut mounts. Should have replaced them when the struts were in my office... lol

In the event the strut mounts aren't it, is it really likely it could be the control/"A" arm bushings??? I mean, I've never heard of control arm bushings wearing out at 120K miles... Of course, there's always a first time.

BTW, never leave your car up on front jack stands for a week. I think I've messed up my rear springs, kept them compressed to a degree for so long, they're not going back to where they were (or my rear shocks are so crappy THEY are to blame). I've got to solve the front problem first.

 

smaller bumps, or road imperfections/cracks that are relatively close together... I'd say the clunk is muffled more than metallic...

 

To an extent I may agree. However, the jackstands are about a foot high, and they were placed on the frame rails just behind the cross member. The resultant was the bottom of the rear bumper was probably 6 inches from the ground. In addition, I kept approximately 75lbs of tools in the rear compartment (I don't have a garage, and didn't want to keep lugging my tools in and out).

Although, I do wonder if new rear shocks will, effectively, "push" up the spring since it's "downward resistance" will likely be much better.

The front struts were worn so much, I could manually move the shock rod up and down without too much trouble (maybe, what 5lbs-10lbs of resistance?). By contract, I could BARELY move the rod up and down on the new struts (maybe 40-50 lbs of resistance).

 

This is what kills me, I should have replaced it when I had the chance. However, they actually felt fine, and spun with, presumably, the right resistance (it didn't spin freely, nor was it rough or hesitant as I spun it).

Yeah, I agree, no component lasts forever...

CV joint boots ok, no noise.

It's one of those things that you really need to take your time with. Thankfully, the wifey has a Prius, and we live within walking distance of our work location, so there's no real urgency. Yeah, compressing the springs was a little hair raising, but if you take your time, compress each side evenly, it's ok.

I'm just looking for a decent ride. It's very hard to judge at this point, because everything still feels relatively loose. I can tell the ride is a bit stiffer than it was, but until that looseness goes away, it sort of obscures the "new" ride feel...

Yeah, I'm kicking myself for that, should have done it while I had them off...

I'll give that a try, thanks!

 

Oh, and to add to the fun, my tires were shot to heck. Had toe-in wear on the front, and one of the rear tires actually developed an easy to notice flat spot causing a "whoooom whooom whoooom" from the back on the highway.

This is why I've sworn I'm never going to buy no name $40 tires again. Second set I've had, within 40K miles they're trash. Wifey's tires are BFG's with about 25K and still look NEW with ample thread.

 

The ones that connect to the strut body?

 

Well, I threw in the new end links...

It's strange, they definitely helped, but the underlying issue is still there.

It's like, it happens less often now, but it's still there. I'd say it reduced the knocking by like 75%.

...but the wifey's steering wheel still feels "tighter" than mine.

It's almost like I've replaced everything AROUND the problem! lol

 

Actually, you only "need" to remove the cowling on the passenger side. Not that it matters, as you're right, it is relatively labor intensive. However, one of the things I like about DIY is finding new creative ways to do thing that seem impossible to get to. For example, I think I mentioned it earlier on in this thread; you can actually replace the inner tie rods using only two adjustable wrenches. Dealership told me I needed a special tool that's really an obscenely large socket. To their credit though, that would have made the job easier, but I didn't feel like searching for it, or paying $50 for it (came across it some months later at some auto shop).

Anyway, in order to avoid removing the cowling, I had wifey remove the nut "in the back", as her hands are small and slender, and it worked out!

 

I have replaced the tires, haven't gotten around to the strut mounts YET. Thanks for the specs, I'm going to check it out when I have a moment.