Bob Explorer 200
Active Member
- Joined
- October 20, 2010
- Messages
- 53
- Reaction score
- 3
- City, State
- Boston, MA
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 2002
Hi folks,
I'm a new member here. My '02 X got a rejection sticker because both rear coil springs are broken and my air bag light is on. Being retired and living alone, what that amounts to is sitting in my house until I get it fixed. To compound matters, my PC went down just before I had to take the truck off the road, so I've been coming to town library when I can get a ride or a bus (limited public transportation in this area) in order to go on line to search for some info on repairs. A real mess!
Fortunately I eventually found this site. With all the great info and suggestions I've found here in the past few days, I've been counting my blessings ever since. I plan to address the spring problem first and, when that's done, worry about the air bag light.
So, here are some of the particulars: I've got somewhat limited skills as a mechanic. I've done brake jobs and replaced rotors, along with all the lesser tasks, but I usually end up struggling and plugging my way through until I eventually get it done. So, the plan is to go ahead with this thing.
The truck has 120,000 mi on it and is a 2WD. I want to get a pair of Monroe Quick Struts rather than fooling around with a spring compressor and all the extra work entailed in just replacing the springs alone. Will probably be ordering them on line through Rockauto.com or some other vendor. Any suggestions on which one would get me the best price?
Will be buying some PB Blaster and a 13 mm ratcheting box wrench for the 3 top bolts on strut assembly. What other metric wrench sizes will I needd? And what other tools should I be getting?
Is it a good idea to drop the spare in order to get enough room to manage the 3 top bolts?
I don't have a torque wrench right now and would like to know how critical it is to get the torques just right--i.e., is it possible/advisible to "eyeball" them by guesstimating torque? If not, will NAPA or some other store rent me a TW?
From what I've read here, getting replacement fasteners, etc (bolts, grommets, jounce bumpers and nuts) seems like a good idea. Will Autozone or some other store carry these specific items or are they all OEM? Also, are the 3 top bolts and single bottom bolt included with the Quick Strut?
I'll be using jack stands. Is there anything I should know about or precautions I should take regarding difficulties getting the parts properly aligned or having the wheels on the floor before tightening bolts/nuts (i.e., which bolts or nuts should I leave untightened until the wheels are on ground?)?
I'll probably be working alone, so is getting the lower arm down with a 2x4/pry bar while removing the broken unit going to be that much of a problem? I ask because I noticed that some of you guys got it done working solo.
It should go without saying that any other suggestions or info that you guys want to offer will be very much appreciated.
Bob
I'm a new member here. My '02 X got a rejection sticker because both rear coil springs are broken and my air bag light is on. Being retired and living alone, what that amounts to is sitting in my house until I get it fixed. To compound matters, my PC went down just before I had to take the truck off the road, so I've been coming to town library when I can get a ride or a bus (limited public transportation in this area) in order to go on line to search for some info on repairs. A real mess!
Fortunately I eventually found this site. With all the great info and suggestions I've found here in the past few days, I've been counting my blessings ever since. I plan to address the spring problem first and, when that's done, worry about the air bag light.
So, here are some of the particulars: I've got somewhat limited skills as a mechanic. I've done brake jobs and replaced rotors, along with all the lesser tasks, but I usually end up struggling and plugging my way through until I eventually get it done. So, the plan is to go ahead with this thing.
The truck has 120,000 mi on it and is a 2WD. I want to get a pair of Monroe Quick Struts rather than fooling around with a spring compressor and all the extra work entailed in just replacing the springs alone. Will probably be ordering them on line through Rockauto.com or some other vendor. Any suggestions on which one would get me the best price?
Will be buying some PB Blaster and a 13 mm ratcheting box wrench for the 3 top bolts on strut assembly. What other metric wrench sizes will I needd? And what other tools should I be getting?
Is it a good idea to drop the spare in order to get enough room to manage the 3 top bolts?
I don't have a torque wrench right now and would like to know how critical it is to get the torques just right--i.e., is it possible/advisible to "eyeball" them by guesstimating torque? If not, will NAPA or some other store rent me a TW?
From what I've read here, getting replacement fasteners, etc (bolts, grommets, jounce bumpers and nuts) seems like a good idea. Will Autozone or some other store carry these specific items or are they all OEM? Also, are the 3 top bolts and single bottom bolt included with the Quick Strut?
I'll be using jack stands. Is there anything I should know about or precautions I should take regarding difficulties getting the parts properly aligned or having the wheels on the floor before tightening bolts/nuts (i.e., which bolts or nuts should I leave untightened until the wheels are on ground?)?
I'll probably be working alone, so is getting the lower arm down with a 2x4/pry bar while removing the broken unit going to be that much of a problem? I ask because I noticed that some of you guys got it done working solo.
It should go without saying that any other suggestions or info that you guys want to offer will be very much appreciated.
Bob
