I have a 93 Subaru Loyale, with 150,000 miles.

 

Someone pointed out the the rubber on top of the struts has hairline cracks and that's a signal to replace them.

 

Honestly I put on 50,000 miles on this car (thanks to Paul...) and i have not changed the struts, and as far as I can tell, they probabely have never been changed.

 

Is this a signal that I should worry about? What is the reccommended maintainance for replacing struts?

 

Thanks!

The cracked rubber part you see sounds like the upper strut mount, and should be replaced. It's just what the strut mounts to. To check if your struts need to be replaced, do the bounce test. Simply push down on your car and if it bounces up and down more than once, they're shot. Also check for residue build-up on the shock bodies themselves. It's signs of a leak and that they need to be replaced.

What's the regular maintainance schedule for struts and shocks?

hehe you don't wanna know how many miles my struts have (288K) prolly not original but regardless they are blown , back drivers is teh worst, it just bounces and bounces.. but i picked up 4 brand new struts offa good ole ebay for $110 shipped to my door...

 

when they get here i'm gonn aput'em on, to keep the spring compressed when i take it apart i am gonna use 10 or so of those 1" wide zip ties on each spring... pretty sure those will hold it down long enough for me to get the strut replaced and spring back on..

I bought a pair of strut spring compressors from harborfreight.com for only $10. Check out: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=3980

 

The 1" zip ties are almost a buck each and you throw them away when you are done. Also they may not hold.

 

SubSandRail

already had a bag of 300 of those zip ties figure i might as well use'em for somethin.. will check out that spring compressor tho might go that route if they won't hold.. to test i'm gonna put'em on with the car on the ground, then jack it up.. if they break nothin is lost..

I am not really worried about the bouncing. I am worried that that strut is going to pop through the rubber mount and pop through the hood.

 

Is that likely? Something to worry about? Or can I just go on driving...

Originally posted by moishier

I am not really worried about the bouncing. I am worried that that strut is going to pop through the rubber mount and pop through the hood.

 

Is that likely? Something to worry about? Or can I just go on driving... [/quote

 

It can happen.

Originally posted by dsmracer It can happen.

Really? You've seen this happen on a street Soob?

Ever see a spring let go and hit someone? I have. Buy/rent the spring compressors.

Originally posted by TIMINTEXAS I have. Buy/rent the spring compressors.

I completely agree. Springs are 'way too dangerous to fool around with.

get those shocks replaced I've seen cars bunny hop off the road and fish tail out of control because of bad shocks..

 

also seen cars brake the rubber strust tower mounts and drive home..but damn drive slow and don't let the car leave the ground or even let that spring extend 2 much...

 

get those compressors a coil spring releasing all it's energy at you can kill u violently..

Originally posted by asavage

Really? You've seen this happen on a street Soob?

 

Not on a Suby, but another car. The hood didn't look like it appreciated it too much.

Zip ties?!? You are crazy, and I won't send flowers to your funeral. They will not hold, and more than that, you will never get the spring compressed with them - which means you will NEVER get the spring back on again. It's not just a matter of keeping the spring at it's current compression, it's a matter of compressing it MORE than it is compressed (a whole lot more) so you can get the damn nut on the top. I've done it, and let me tell you it was a pain in the arse and the set of cheap spring compressors I bought will never be used again - there was so much force that it all but stripped the bolts out on them, and I wouldn't feel safe about using them again. Even tho they worked, my arm was tired for several days after, and they almost slipped off a couple times. Let me tell you, I was actually scared of them. Those strut springs on the subaru's are REALLY strong, and are easily compressed 50% or their actual size when installed, and need to be compressed about 75% to remove and install them. Don't be stupid - use the right tool for this job - PLEASE!

 

GD