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Beer_Suitcase posted:Road trip is at the top of the year, but I also have to get my struts replaced according to the nice man at Les Schwab. This is just a good excuse to make sure all the other car parts are looking good. I need a project honestly I wouldn't do this just because a guy said to do it. Completely worn out struts can definitely be dangerous because they don't dampen the suspension movement but it's more than likely yours are just leaking some oil and it's something that can wait. Drive your car over some speedbumps - does it keep oscillating up and down after going over the bump? Then absolutely replace it.
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Dec 5, 2022 21:06
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I would probably replace the struts after the road trip, not right before you're about to put 3,000 miles on the car, unless they're just totally clapped out
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Dec 5, 2022 21:25
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Hadlock posted:I would probably replace the struts after the road trip, not right before you're about to put 3,000 miles on the car, unless they're just totally clapped out What kind of logic is this? The whole point to have new struts is to ride in the car with the nice struts? They have no other purpose.
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Dec 5, 2022 21:29
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Also high speed emergency handling is vastly improved with good condition struts vs worn out struts. And a road trip is where high speed is the majority of driving vs regular driving.
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Dec 5, 2022 21:43
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Unless it's a safety issue and you're not doing a ton of highway miles, I'd rather just do 2500 interstate highwaymiles on worn shocks, and then when I get home and start doing city miles go get the shocks replaced. IMO cars with lovely shocks are pretty comfortable on the highway, if slightly floaty. You're buying a product with like six years worth of life in them and then putting 6 months worth of wear on them in 2-3 weeks precisely when you don't notice the shocks the most (USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)
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Dec 5, 2022 21:46
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Hadlock posted:I would probably replace the struts after the road trip, not right before you're about to put 3,000 miles on the car, unless they're just totally clapped out lol poo poo take. Worn suspension components will induce uneven wear in the tires at the very least and induce high frequency vibrations into the rest of the car. These parts are literally expendable maintenance items designed to be used. Also no, a car with blown out suspension does not ride or handle better even if it is a Citroen.
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Dec 5, 2022 21:49
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Hadlock posted:Unless it's a safety issue and you're not doing a ton of highway miles, I'd rather just do 2500 interstate highwaymiles on worn shocks, and then when I get home and start doing city miles go get the shocks replaced. IMO cars with lovely shocks are pretty comfortable on the highway, if slightly floaty. You're buying a product with like six years worth of life in them and then putting 6 months worth of wear on them in 2-3 weeks precisely when you don't notice the shocks the most This is backwards as all hell, why are you trying to optimize your strut wear cycle or whatever it is you are doing? If they are worn, they should be replaced. Driving the car at all would be improved with good struts, there is no universe where you are going to somehow out-run things wearing out. If the car is being driven you are wearing your parts, entropy is a bitch, etc etc.
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Dec 5, 2022 21:49
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New struts will be a huge positive in reducing wear on the rest of the car. Depending on the car they're pretty easy, too! Just not on a Mk2 Prius where you have to remove the entire rear interior.
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Dec 5, 2022 21:53
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Hadlock posted:Unless it's a safety issue and you're not doing a ton of highway miles, I'd rather just do 2500 interstate highwaymiles on worn shocks, and then when I get home and start doing city miles go get the shocks replaced. IMO cars with lovely shocks are pretty comfortable on the highway, if slightly floaty. You're buying a product with like six years worth of life in them and then putting 6 months worth of wear on them in 2-3 weeks precisely when you don't notice the shocks the most You should not be giving automotive advice.
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Dec 5, 2022 22:09
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It's a 1999 Accord, replace the struts if they need to be replaced. I mean the drat thing is 24 years old at this point.
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Dec 5, 2022 22:11
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Hadlock posted:Unless it's a safety issue and you're not doing a ton of highway miles, I'd rather just do 2500 interstate highwaymiles on worn shocks, and then when I get home and start doing city miles go get the shocks replaced. IMO cars with lovely shocks are pretty comfortable on the highway, if slightly floaty. You're buying a product with like six years worth of life in them and then putting 6 months worth of wear on them in 2-3 weeks precisely when you don't notice the shocks the most Just ignore the additional wear on the car, unpredictable emergency handling, increased stopping distance, etc. Holy hell. Just replace the shocks if they're worn. Riding on them for any extended amount of time if you know they're bad is just not a good idea.
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Dec 5, 2022 22:35
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I looked it up, struts for a 1999 Accord can be had for a little over $100 per pair. I have seen people destroy a set of tires in under 1,000 miles because of a bad alignment, which you are basically guaranteed to have with worn-out suspension components. Whats more expensive - a set of tires and possibly an accident from poor handling, or a pair of struts?
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Dec 5, 2022 22:47
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If your shocks last 5 years, losing 4 months due to extra wear means you lose 7% of their life, leaving you with a piddly 93%.
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Dec 5, 2022 22:55
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Advent Horizon posted:I looked it up, struts for a 1999 Accord can be had for a little over $100 per pair. Amen, when we bought our used Outback last year, it had pretty new tires on it. The rear suspension was worn TF out. As a result? Those new rear tires were ruined within 500-1,000 miles.
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Dec 5, 2022 22:56
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skipdogg posted:It's a 1999 Accord, replace the struts if they need to be replaced. This is kind of my thinking, ive never really been given bad advice from Les Schwab and i want to keep this car going as long as its feasible to do so. but the "road trip" is just from Eugene to Portland and i always get a pre trip check out from the guys too, air and a good inspection. they got me a new tire put on before the last one because it had a secret pair of tittys on the back side
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Dec 5, 2022 23:30
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Hadlock posted:Unless it's a safety issue and you're not doing a ton of highway miles, I'd rather just do 2500 interstate highwaymiles on worn shocks, and then when I get home and start doing city miles go get the shocks replaced. IMO cars with lovely shocks are pretty comfortable on the highway, if slightly floaty. You're buying a product with like six years worth of life in them and then putting 6 months worth of wear on them in 2-3 weeks precisely when you don't notice the shocks the most Which Just Rolled In video are you in?
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Dec 5, 2022 23:37
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spankmeister posted:Check your power steering fluid level. I checked and it could probably do with being changed but its level was good. Steering in general feels OK.
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Dec 6, 2022 00:17
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therunningman posted:I checked and it could probably do with being changed but its level was good. Steering in general feels OK. A lot of cars make that sound when they're at the end of the steering, it's not really a problem, try not to hold your wheel against the stop in either direction unless you have to. I've had that sound happen with many vehicles with pulley driven pumps, my guess is you're hearing the fluid being routed through a bypass or something since the steering rack/pinion is all the way to one end. If anyone here knows what that sound actually is I'd love to know.
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Dec 6, 2022 00:51
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Hadlock posted:Unless it's a safety issue and you're not doing a ton of highway miles, I'd rather just do 2500 interstate highwaymiles on worn shocks, and then when I get home and start doing city miles go get the shocks replaced. IMO cars with lovely shocks are pretty comfortable on the highway, if slightly floaty. You're buying a product with like six years worth of life in them and then putting 6 months worth of wear on them in 2-3 weeks precisely when you don't notice the shocks the most Stay the hell out of this thread until Jan 1, 2023. Dont even think about dealing this kind of lovely advice again. CAT INTERCEPTOR fucked around with this message at 00:57 on Dec 6, 2022 |
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Dec 6, 2022 00:55
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I've heard people say "don't do major service/repair the day (or two) before a trip" many times in the past, I guess the reason being that if something crops up it'll probably happen in the first day or two and then your trip gets hosed while you wait to get it fixed again. That being said, like weeks before the trip? gently caress that poo poo. OP, if they need to be done, do them shocks and enjoy your road trip that will be way more comfortable, tolerable and quite possibly infinitely safer having new suspension bits. Also get an alignment done as soon as possible after the work is done to keep them tires good.
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Dec 6, 2022 01:09
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Is there an easy way to figure out the OE for parts? I know it's usually a good idea to buy OE from the OEM instead of buying the part from a dealer (for example buying NGK spark plugs instead of MOPAR) but it's difficult sometimes to figure out who made the OE.
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Dec 6, 2022 01:31
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DildenAnders posted:Is there an easy way to figure out the OE for parts? I know it's usually a good idea to buy OE from the OEM instead of buying the part from a dealer (for example buying NGK spark plugs instead of MOPAR) but it's difficult sometimes to figure out who made the OE. Whenever I want to find info on original parts I find the replacement on rockauto and look in the "info" button which usually has the OEM part number. You can google that and see who makes it. With VAG cars it becomes a bit more of a headache with all the various revisions but it's a good place to start.
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Dec 6, 2022 01:32
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DildenAnders posted:Is there an easy way to figure out the OE for parts? I know it's usually a good idea to buy OE from the OEM instead of buying the part from a dealer (for example buying NGK spark plugs instead of MOPAR) but it's difficult sometimes to figure out who made the OE. Mopar doesn't make their own plugs and unless it's really, really old, the Mopar supplier is almost definitely the OEM supplier. Just as an example.
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Dec 6, 2022 01:38
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Car specific forums will often have discussions about OEs for various parts.
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Dec 6, 2022 01:40
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The only possible reason to not replace blown out struts just before a trip is for bathtub failure curve and loose nut behind the wrench reasons, not strut lifetime reasons. Replace them ASAP so you get a few days or weeks of short daily trips, inspect to make sure they aren't leaking horribly or anything and that you tightened all the nuts and bolts, take your trip. Back before I realized how important struts are to IFS/IRS handling I drat near bounced two different Subarus off washboarded exit ramps sideways by not realizing just how worn out they'd gotten and taking a corner as quickly as I had months before when it was smooth. I replace blown shocks and struts ASAP now.
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Dec 6, 2022 02:28
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Hadlock posted:I'd rather just do 2500 interstate highway miles on worn shocks, and then when I get home and start doing city miles go get the shocks replaced Everyone already dogpiled on this but I just want you to imagine making the same post but replacing "struts" with "tires" or "brakes"
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Dec 6, 2022 06:18
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Please excuse me if there is a better place for this question. Funny that it's suspension chat already. I own a first-generation BRZ and I take it on rough roads, and lately cold mountain passes. I've asked advice on how to prepare for this in a few different places before, and have taken the major bits of advice - correct tires for conditions, collapsible shovel. Still need some recovery boards and textile or cable traction devices. One suggestion given was to beef up the suspension - the stock one is really meant for driving on quality roads at speed, so something stronger might be of use. I've never been much of a car modifier but I'm not concerned about 'ruining' this one and I could afford a certain level of modification. Do you agree with this advice, or should I stay stock? If you were going to mess with the suspension on a BRZ for lovely road purposes, what would you do? Ohtori Akio fucked around with this message at 09:23 on Dec 6, 2022 |
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Dec 6, 2022 09:19
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How rough are we talking? The answer is almost certainly no but there are some edge cases where it could make sense.
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Dec 6, 2022 12:03
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Ohtori Akio posted:Please excuse me if there is a better place for this question. Funny that it's suspension chat already. Doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Do you need more ground clearance and 4WD? Get a truck. I just don't get what "beef up" means in this context. Are you stock struts blowing? Are you running out of ride height? I wouldn't spend a bunch of money making a 2 door sports car worse at being a sports car. If you're getting through stuff just fine I'd save your money for very good snow tires.
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Dec 6, 2022 12:37
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DildenAnders posted:Is there an easy way to figure out the OE for parts? I know it's usually a good idea to buy OE from the OEM instead of buying the part from a dealer (for example buying NGK spark plugs instead of MOPAR) but it's difficult sometimes to figure out who made the OE. Rockauto sometimes lists the OEM. i.e. they show Hitachi made the mass air flow sensor for my Ford; I ordered a Hitachi for something like $35 (vs $150+ for Motorcraft), and it was absolutely identical to the original Ford part I removed, except it looked like someone took a dremel to the long Ford part number on the new one (but you could make out enough to know it was a Ford part number that got scratched out). What part are you looking for, and for what car? Someone here can probably figure out the OEM. There's only a handful of them for, say, sensors and electrical stuff in general. A different handful for suspension components. randomidiot fucked around with this message at 14:16 on Dec 6, 2022 |
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Dec 6, 2022 14:12
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Ohtori Akio posted:One suggestion given was to beef up the suspension - the stock one is really meant for driving on quality roads at speed, so something stronger might be of use. I've never been much of a car modifier but I'm not concerned about 'ruining' this one and I could afford a certain level of modification. The stock suspension took lovely American roads into account during the design phase. Also, its a Subaru - rough roads are their thing. If it doesnt already have them, the only mod I might suggest would be strut tower braces. Im sure the next comment will be explaining why those would be a bad idea, and you should probably take that advice over mine.
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Dec 6, 2022 17:51
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VelociBacon posted:Doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Do you need more ground clearance and 4WD? Get a truck. Yeah to be clear I'm already on Blizzaks and my PSAS4s are bagged in the closet. Maybe putting on particular coilovers in place of the stock struts sounds about right but waiting for it to become an actual problem sounds even righter.
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Dec 6, 2022 19:11
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Ohtori Akio posted:Yeah to be clear I'm already on Blizzaks and my PSAS4s are bagged in the closet. Maybe putting on particular coilovers in place of the stock struts sounds about right but waiting for it to become an actual problem sounds even righter. You didn't really answer the question about how rough but in my experience people who are used to driving on pavement vastly overestimate the roughness of roads. You'll almost certainly be fine.
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Dec 6, 2022 19:25
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The clutch on my E91 has failed in a new and exciting way! The clutch pedal feels separated from the transmission -- pushing it down doesn't disengage the clutch at all. There's still some resistance when I push the pedal down, and it returns back up when I take my foot off, so some of the hydraulics are still working at least. This happened suddenly while I was driving with no warning, clutch has felt totally fine for the couple years I've had this car. I've never diagnosed a sudden clutch failure, and most of the google hits about E90s have the clutch going limp. Making things worse, all the competent shops I know around here are booking a month out. Any ideas what this could be? Trying to figure out if it's something I can possibly DIY with some help or get done at a random shop.
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Dec 6, 2022 20:13
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There may be an assist spring in the pedal assembly to aid in returning the pedal to its natural position. Get someone to push the pedal while you observe the release mechanism. Pedal pressure and no release can be a number of things ranging from damaged clutch disk to a cracked clutch fork to a damaged pressure plate or throwout bearing. Hydraulic clutch systems are typically self adjusting. In other extreme cases like one I'm currently dealing with, a damaged transmission.
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Dec 6, 2022 20:17
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STR posted:Rockauto sometimes lists the OEM. i.e. they show Hitachi made the mass air flow sensor for my Ford; I ordered a Hitachi for something like $35 (vs $150+ for Motorcraft), and it was absolutely identical to the original Ford part I removed, except it looked like someone took a dremel to the long Ford part number on the new one (but you could make out enough to know it was a Ford part number that got scratched out). I was going to try and get an alternator for a 2002 Honda Civic, but I ended up letting my mechanic order it instead. Appreciate the help, I usually use Rock Auto so I'll try to snoop through there.
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Dec 7, 2022 01:56
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I screwed up. I'm trying to put a front license plate on my mother-in-law's 2012 Honda Crosstour. I bought some nylon inserts like this: I started drilling a hole in the bumper cover before I realized the inserts expect a square hole. I figure my options are: - Get a triangle file and file the holes square - Find round nylon inserts (I've been looking) - Find a square drill - Just use self-tapping screws and hide the hole behind the license plate. It looks like a lot of the cheaper Amazon license plate brackets do this. Am I missing anything obvious? What's the right way to proceed?
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Dec 7, 2022 07:39
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Safety Dance posted:Am I missing anything obvious? What's the right way to proceed? - Get a If there's room enough behind the holes to accept an inch or two of file without bumping into something hard or sensitive (like a radiator), filing a couple of square holes in sheet metal or plastic is no big deal. You can get very precise holes too.
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Dec 7, 2022 07:47
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You could use rivnuts and an appropriately threaded fastener rather than a self tapper.
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Dec 7, 2022 09:15
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Ohtori Akio posted:Please excuse me if there is a better place for this question. Funny that it's suspension chat already. I have no personal experience with this, but these guys did something similar to a BRZ https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=p_fIwBWZhVw
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Dec 7, 2022 13:53
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