hey guys i have a problem.my daughter has an 02 town and country she came over today complaining about the tire bouncing and i notice the strut piston in completely down. i was going to replace it with a pre assembled strut but was wondering if i take the bolts off would the spring fire out. i was thinking the nut on top of the strut was what holds it all together but i wanted to double check. do i need to compress the spring before i remove it from the vehicle? thanks in advance guys!!!!1
broken strut
- Thread starter macdole99
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Strut piston pulled through the strut mount. We've had two Caravans of the same vintage with the same problem come through our shop in the last month or so.
I replaced both struts on my 02 caravan. There are the three nuts to remove from the top (under the hood) and 2 large bolts at the bottom of the strut, and the sway bar link that goes from the sway bar to the strut. The sway bar links were a pain to remove on mine, and luckily I had planned on replacing them anyway. I had to cut them off with a sawz all. Other than that its a pretty easy job, and no you don't have to compress the spring. You will want to get an alignment when you are done.
Originally Posted By: macdole99
so when you guys where doing the removal did you have to compress the spring?
the big center top nut should hold it all together . You should be able to pull it out as an assembly and then replace it withna quick strut.mif you are doing one. You really should do both fronts. And an alignment when done.
so when you guys where doing the removal did you have to compress the spring?
the big center top nut should hold it all together . You should be able to pull it out as an assembly and then replace it withna quick strut.mif you are doing one. You really should do both fronts. And an alignment when done.
You do not need to compress any springs when using quick struts. In fact, that's the whole purpose of quick struts!
Monroe and Gabriel are having rebates until the end of the month when you buy four shocks and/or struts.
KYB is better, if they make quick struts for your van, but they do cost more and there is no rebate.
Also, DO NOT buy cheap non-name quick struts like FCS, Leacree, Dura Intl, Unity, etc. They are junk and don't last more than 10k and might not even outlast the transmission.
Also, avoid Monroe's "Econo-Matic" quick strut. They're only slightly better than the Chinese junk listed above. The economy struts are colored blue and contain the Monro-Matic strut which is garbage.
ONLY use Monroe's premium quick strut, Gabriel, or KYB. Raybestos and Moog are also OK since they are just rebranded Monroe quick struts.
Napa's house brand is Monroe. Napa Response is the economy strut you want to avoid. The good one is just called Napa quick strut.
Also, since you'll need new sway bar links, get Deeza brand. They are great.
Monroe and Gabriel are having rebates until the end of the month when you buy four shocks and/or struts.
KYB is better, if they make quick struts for your van, but they do cost more and there is no rebate.
Also, DO NOT buy cheap non-name quick struts like FCS, Leacree, Dura Intl, Unity, etc. They are junk and don't last more than 10k and might not even outlast the transmission.
Also, avoid Monroe's "Econo-Matic" quick strut. They're only slightly better than the Chinese junk listed above. The economy struts are colored blue and contain the Monro-Matic strut which is garbage.
ONLY use Monroe's premium quick strut, Gabriel, or KYB. Raybestos and Moog are also OK since they are just rebranded Monroe quick struts.
Napa's house brand is Monroe. Napa Response is the economy strut you want to avoid. The good one is just called Napa quick strut.
Also, since you'll need new sway bar links, get Deeza brand. They are great.
JHZR2
Staff member
Does Bilstein offer one? Seems that a bilstein HD would be a god choice for a heavy van.
Nice post from Tommygun above^^^^
He lined it all up pretty well. I am no fan of KYB on real trucks but they work well for many here. We use Gabriel Ultras now as they represent a great balance for cheap and working good on a HEAVY vehicle.
Buy the whole assembly, it is ten times easier to replace.
He lined it all up pretty well. I am no fan of KYB on real trucks but they work well for many here. We use Gabriel Ultras now as they represent a great balance for cheap and working good on a HEAVY vehicle.
Buy the whole assembly, it is ten times easier to replace.
Originally Posted By: macdole99
hey guys i have a problem.my daughter has an 02 town and country she came over today complaining about the tire bouncing and i notice the strut piston in completely down. i was going to replace it with a pre assembled strut but was wondering if i take the bolts off would the spring fire out. i was thinking the nut on top of the strut was what holds it all together but i wanted to double check. do i need to compress the spring before i remove it from the vehicle? thanks in advance guys!!!!1
So the strut rod is no longer attached to the bearing plate; it and the nut is just sitting down on top of the strut body?
If so then the only thing retaining the spring is the weight of the van. When disassembling you will have contend with the spring.
Also if this is the case, the van is not safe to drive.
hey guys i have a problem.my daughter has an 02 town and country she came over today complaining about the tire bouncing and i notice the strut piston in completely down. i was going to replace it with a pre assembled strut but was wondering if i take the bolts off would the spring fire out. i was thinking the nut on top of the strut was what holds it all together but i wanted to double check. do i need to compress the spring before i remove it from the vehicle? thanks in advance guys!!!!1
So the strut rod is no longer attached to the bearing plate; it and the nut is just sitting down on top of the strut body?
If so then the only thing retaining the spring is the weight of the van. When disassembling you will have contend with the spring.
Also if this is the case, the van is not safe to drive.
thats what i was thinking also. the strut rod is all the way down just laying next to the link.i went and rented a spring compressor this morning to use and hopefully i can get this thing off safely. thanks for the reply!!
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