imp
Explorer Addict
- Joined
- November 12, 2009
- Messages
- 4,798
- Reaction score
- 779
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 59 Ranchero F250 D'Line
3rd gens do have struts and they are your suspension...hence a strut is a shock absorber but the spring sits inside the strut...its 1 piece...where as other trucks and cars have shocks and springs where theyre seperate from eachother...
a better definition would be appreciaited thanks
Basically, a "strut", called properly, a "Macpherson Strut", replaces a ball joint, and allows use of a very small and not too strong control arm. The coil spring is not always surrounding the strut, but can be mounted elsewhere; the strut just seems to be a good place for the spring.
The strut incorporates a shock absorber as part of it's construction, but, the bearing where the piston rod rides must be much beefier, the piston rod much larger in diameter, as is the piston and large tube, since this bearing must absorb side loads which a regular "shock" never "sees".
Thus, on the 3rd. gen. Explorer, the independent rear suspension has a very strong, wide-set inboard, lower control arm, but a very puny and narrow upper control arm, to which the upper end of the strut is fastened using large rubber bushings, inboard of the top of the "knuckle" to which the wheel hub is fastened. The lower, stronger control arm supports the knuckle through a ball joint, the bottom end of the strut, the rod end, is fastened inboard of the ball joint by a rubber bushing, to the lower arm. The spring supporting the vehicle's weight surrounds the outside of the strut.
Because of the difference in distance of the top and bottom of the strut from the inner pivot points of the control arms, the spring gets compressed as the 2 control arms move upwards, and hold up the vehicle. The top of the knuckle is fastened to the outer end of the upper control arm by a bushing, which allows rotational movement of the end of the arm, as the knuckle and arm move up and down.
The knuckle thus is held in the correct position for the wheel to align properly with the vehicle frame, but is allowed to move up and down as any suspended wheel must. A "toe rod" is fastened to the knuckle at one end, the frame at it's other; this rod ensures that flexing in the knuckle-upper arm bushing, and the rotational ability of the lower ball joint, cannot cause any "steering" effect from the wheel.
This description is as best I can do, as I have no pic to follow; it's from memory. Small details wrong, let us know. imp