Reccomendation for rear struts

[Tyleryac]

I use and recommend the Monroe Quick Struts.

 

[LMHmedchem]

Well I went with the KYB from rockauto.

KYB Strut-Plus SR4051 ($108)

It totals $225 with shipping which isn't too bad. The Munroe part actually cost a few dollars more at RockAuto, which seems to be the exception to the other sites. I think that the KYB were $267 each at AutoZone. Hard to figure. If I'm not happy with the KYB, I will try Munroe next time.

I will likely have a few more questions when it comes time to install. Does anyone happen to know the torque settings for the different bolts?

Also, does anyone happen to know the Ford part number for the bolt and wing nut that holds the strut to the lower control arm? I never have much luck navigating the Ford part site. I would like to pick up a pair of bolts and wing nuts before I start. Worst case, I can take the bolt off and take it down to get the replacements, but I don't like leaving in the middle of a repair if I don't have to and having the part in hand isn't a guarantee that the parts counter will know what it is.

LMHmedchem

 

[Number4]

Last I saw, Ford wanted something like $200 for the lower bolt and but. If yours is shot due to rust, I'd hit up a wrecking yard.

 

[LMHmedchem]

Last I saw, Ford wanted something like $200 for the lower bolt and but. If yours is shot due to rust, I'd hit up a wrecking yard.

Hopefully the old ones will come off and can be re-used. It's so typical for a dealer to charge 100 times what a part should cost.

Any suggestions about where to get the torque settings for the bolts? I hate to get that wrong on a suspension part.

The video from A1 auto says 20-25lbs for the 3 top bolts. It says 110lbs for the bolt from the LCA to the wheel knuckle and the two bolts that hold the LCA to the frame. It doesn't say anything about the torque for the bolt that holds the bottom of the strut to the LCA. I hope I don't have to loosen the LCA from the frame since I think it would be hard to get it back in the right place without a lift.

LMHmedchem

 

[lincolnshibuya]

Hopefully the old ones will come off and can be re-used. It's so typical for a dealer to charge 100 times what a part should cost.

Any suggestions about where to get the torque settings for the bolts? I hate to get that wrong on a suspension part.

The video from A1 auto says 20-25lbs for the 3 top bolts. It says 110lbs for the bolt from the LCA to the wheel knuckle and the two bolts that hold the LCA to the frame. It doesn't say anything about the torque for the bolt that holds the bottom of the strut to the LCA. I hope I don't have to loosen the LCA from the frame since I think it would be hard to get it back in the right place without a lift.

LMHmedchem

top 3 bolts - 22 ft lbs
lca to knucke bolt - 111 ft lbs
shock absorber bolt - 184 ft lbs

depending on how rusted the wing nuts, it could separate from the bolt. i think it was around $5-15 for the bolts and nuts (each piece)

 

[LMHmedchem]

top 3 bolts - 22 ft lbs
lca to knucke bolt - 111 ft lbs
shock absorber bolt - 184 ft lbs

Thanks for the data, that will be very helpful to know.

depending on how rusted the wing nuts, it could separate from the bolt. i think it was around $5-15 for the bolts and nuts (each piece)

Do you know off hand where to get them and what the part number is?

LMHmedchem

 

[lincolnshibuya]

Thanks for the data, that will be very helpful to know.

Do you know off hand where to get them and what the part number is?

LMHmedchem

only stealership item, their parts guy will be able to help you along with the parts diagram. you can even ask a copy of it with torque specs.

 

[LMHmedchem]

only stealership item, their parts guy will be able to help you along with the parts diagram. you can even ask a copy of it with torque specs.

I checked today and they want $26.30 each for the bolts and another $3 for the wing nuts. Almost $60 for the pair is a bit more than I would like to pay, plus they didn't have them in stock anyway.

These are the Ford part numbers if anyone is interested.
Bolt: W707516-S426
Nut: W707573-S436

I searched on these part numbers and came up with some sites with lower prices.

fordparts2u.com
BOLT-Ford W707516-S426 ($19)
NUT AND WASHER ASY-HEX.-Ford W707573-S436 ($2.67)

silverstatefordparts.com
BOLT Ford OEM Part Number W707516-S426 ($14)
NUT AND WASHER ASY HEX. Ford OEM Part Number W707573-S436 ($2.11)

Similar at:
www.fordpartssuperstore.com
www.parksparts.com
www.fordpartsgiant.com
www.group1autoparts.com

Does anyone know if these sites are legit? Some of the above look like the same site from how the site is set up under the hood. The domain and prices are different, so it's hard to know what is going on here. It would be nice to know if anyone here has actually ordered from one of these sites.

I will try to re-use the existing bolts. If I can't get them off I will have to make a bit of a drive to pick up the replacements or wait for several days to have them sent to the local store.

LMHmedchem

 

[LMHmedchem]

accidental double post, don't see how to delete

 

[springwater]

Hello,

While doing my rear brakes a while back, I noticed that the coil spring on one of my rear struts was broken. It is the very top coil that is broken, so that side is not down very far at all. I guess that is why I didn't notice.

I am looking at replacing the rear struts but I'm not sure what to get.

This is the first thing I looked at,
Monroe Quick-Strut Complete Strut Assembly ($196)

I presume that I need two of these, one for each side.

I am not married to buying at advance auto. I am surprised that these are not sold as a pair. I tend to use a bit better grade of part when I am doing the work myself, but I'm not opposed to saving a bit if there is something reasonable available that costs less.

I have never done the struts before. The last time I tried, I couldn't get the old ones off. I am also a bit worried about getting the lower controller arm back in the right place if I have to loosen it during replacement. I would probably have a 4 wheel alignment after doing something like this, but I don't know if that is an adjustment that they would normally make.

Any information or suggestions would be appreciated.

LMHmedchem

Not sure if you already bought the struts but call Advanced Auto's 800 # and they will price match RockAuto. At-least they did for me when I just bought my Moog hubs.

 

[ROBinGa]

Wow Spring Water, tell us more about the Advance Auto office match. That's very interesting to me

 

[LMHmedchem]

Not sure if you already bought the struts but call Advanced Auto's 800 # and they will price match RockAuto. At-least they did for me when I just bought my Moog hubs.

I already received them from RockAuto. They came yesterday.

In this case, the parts were $177 more expensive (each) at Advance Auto.
KYB Strut/Coil Spring Assembly ($285) advance auto
KYB SR4051 Strut-Plus ($108) rockauto

Advance Auto doesn't seem to give the KYB manufacturer part number SR4051 on their website, so it's hard to know that it's exactly the same part. The KYB online parts catalog only lists the one part number "SR4051" for a rear strut-plus part for the XLT, so I guess that means that the advance auto part is the same as the rockauto part. I do wish that all sites would include the manufacturer part number in their listings.

Not only was the advance auto part $285 each, there is the following message on the advance auto part page,

"Please Note: This item is not eligible for further promotional discounts, coupons or special offers. "

so you can't even use one of their coupons. I would be pretty ripped if I paid $570 for a pair of these only to find out that I could have got the same pair from rockauto for $225 including shipping.

I buy stuff from AdvanceAuto all the time and have generally been happy with them, so this is not a slam on AA. It just underscores how important it can be to shop around and get good advice from other folks who have experience with the same issues. Amazon had a similar price to rockauto for these as well. AutoZone was almost as expensive as Advance but not quite.

Now, I still have to put these on and test them a bit. It may be that the parts aren't in good shape, or there is some other problem and I will post if that is the case.

Do folks generally had to loosen the two bolts that connect the LCA to the frame to get the old strut out? I have seen methods where the bolts were loosened and others where a pry bar was used.

LMHmedchem

 

[LMHmedchem]

Well I got the first one done, replacing the side with the broken spring.

It took all of 4 hours by the time I got everything cleaned up and put away. Almost half of that was getting the three nuts off of the top. They loosened up pretty quickly, but it took forever to get them off with a box wrench. Any engineer who creates a design with 2" long bolts and insufficient head room for a socket should be sentenced to doing nothing but change the part 18 hours a day for 10 years. I didn't happen to have a 13mm ratcheting box wrench, so that was a real problem. I was too far into the job before I realized that. I will pick up a few more tools before I do the other side.

I was going to post a picture, but for some reason I can't do that.

LMHmedchem

 

[TechGuru]

I was going to post a picture, but for some reason I can't do that.

LMHmedchem

http://tinypic.com

http://imagevenue.com

 

[Number4]

Best thing, pay $20 and become an Elite member. That way your pictures stay with the thread 'forever.' Pictures posted via links disappear when deleted from their source.

 

[LMHmedchem]

Well I crashed and burned on the second strut.

By no means could I get the thing off. I used about half a can of PB and ended up splitting my 18mm socket on the wheel knuckle bolt. I then tried the nut end and broke my breaker bar, which is a pun but not very funny. The 13mm top nuts were so corroded that even a 1/2" box wrench just spun around. I was able to loosen the shock absorber bolt, but that was it. I never got around to trying the sway bar link. I have bolt extractor sockets, but there is no way I can get a socket wrench up above the strut. At this point I would have to go after the top nuts with an angle grinder. Even so, I don't see how I am going to get the wheel knuckle bolt out.

On the first side, I had the tire off to check things out and make sure I had all of the wrenches I would need so I put allot of PB on the day before I actually did the work. The next day, I put even more on. I guess it's possible that I just didn't let it sit long enough. I can try again on Saturday.

Any suggestions? I could torch the wheel knuckle bolt but I have no idea if that kind of heating and cooling would compromise the strength of the bolt.

Otherwise, it will go to my mechanic on Monday to see what he can do with it.

LMHmedchem

 

[LMHmedchem]

Well just to put a bow on this, I had my mechanic install the passengers rear strut today. He had to cut off the top nuts and bolts. I thought about trying that, but since I couldn't get the wheel knuckle off either, it was time to go for help.

I had a few other things done while I was there, so the labor cost is an estimate. It was ~$100 to have the strut and sway bar link put on.

This is my final list,
KYB Strut-Plus SR4051 (2x $ 107.89, plus $26 shipping) rockauto
Duralast Sway Bar Link Rear (2x $15) autozone
Labor from Garage $100
2x cans of PB Blaster ($10)

Total of $381.78 for both rear struts.

I found the 13mm, 14mm and 1/2" box ratchets to be very invaluable in getting off the top nuts and sway bar link. Also, a 21mm box wrench to hold the wheel knuckle nut when loosening the bolt. I also didn't find it necessary to loosen the bolts that hold the LCA to the frame.

For anyone else doing this, I would recommend taking off both tires and making sure you have all the proper size wrenches before you start. I don't think you can assume that everything will be the size it's supposed to be. If the top nuts have rusted significantly, you may need a 1/2" box ratchet instead of the 13mm. It could even be a 12mm. Apply allot of PB to all nuts on both sides the day before you are going to do the job. Apply more PB on the day of the job at least 30 minutes before starting. My philosophy is to loosen all of the nuts I am working on at least a bit before going all in with the repair. If there is something that isn't going to come off, it it better to know that straight away.

I will have an alignment on Friday to finish up but it's all done for now, at least until the front struts go.

Thanks for all the help here, buying online seems to get more and more risky and it's nice to have folks to let you know where reliable vendors are and the difference between the different grades of parts. My mechanic said that the struts would have cost $300 each from the shop he gets his parts from, so it would have been ~$850 to have this done by my mechanic. I don't even want to think about what a Midas or Meineke would have charged.

Fortunately, I don't have to.

LMHmedchem