BAD STRUTS ??? Hit small Bump and Rear End Fishtails or sways

[KING4ADAY]

when driving straight i can hit a pebble and its like the rear end hops a bit and sways to the left almost like your going to loose control. the rear struts are pretty bouncy would this cause this? do you know if autozone rents/borrows the tool to compress the spring to change them if so? it handles fine around corners for the most part. but bad in gravel roads or if i hit very small bumps etc.... need to fix to feel safe driving.

 

[1gengsxz3]

sounds like your inner tie rods are bad. there probably loose. could be many things too though maybe even balljoint or the bearing in the top mount section. just buy some spring compressors because if you really get into these cars you'll be doing new suspension all the time just because you get bored of one thing or another.

 

[allthrottle]

Sounds like struts to me. It's possible you have other problems, but you should be able to jack it up and look underneath to tell if you need tie rods and/or other bushings.

Alot of auto parts stores do rent out the spring compressor. The Autozone near me rents spring compressor's, but not all of them rent tools. It would be a good investment if you plan to buy/own used cars for awhile. They range from $40-$90 usually.

 

[KING4ADAY]

yea the back struts are really bouncy and its only wearing the rear tires on the inside of both tires. so im wondering if the play in the struts is thowing the camber off and causing this?????

 

[GofaST4life]

yea the back struts are really bouncy and its only wearing the rear tires on the inside of both tires. so im wondering if the play in the struts is thowing the camber off and causing this?????

That would be a correct assumption. When the struts on my first DSM went i had almost this same problem.

 

[KING4ADAY]

Great Thanks , let you know when i get these struts swapped out. going to do both rear struts as i heard its best to do them in pairs.

 

[97gsxturbo97]

Autozone has the spring compressor for around $50 bucks and then you get the $50 back when you return it. I dont know how safe the tool is though.

 

[KING4ADAY]

^^ on my way to pick it up now

 

[GofaST4life]

Just be very VERY careful with it, ive heard that even with the spring compressor sometimes there is still some pressure and the LAST thing you want is to take a metal to the face or something. Just take your time with it.

Once you get the struts off you should be able to tell if they are bad or not. When i took mine off i could compress them...by hand!

Good luck.

 

[KING4ADAY]

yea believe me i will be very carefull when removing them, the way i was really able to tell was that i have a 97 eclipse and this strut issue is on my talon and they are the same setup obviously, well when i push down on the rear of the talon and let go they are bouncy i push down on the eclipse and it barely budgable nice and stiff still.

 

[d2james88]

Yep sounds like a strut issue to me but if you can afford it id suggest you replace your tie rod ends and ball joints and get it realigned because once those parts start to go they can wear out the others.

 

[KING4ADAY]

yea struts are first and i will see how it responds on the road then, it was so bad that it wore the inside of the tires down to thread *(no rubber left on inside) on the rear tires did it in like 30 miles, they werent new tires anyhow really its not funny but now i can find some humor in it.. all a learning experience but yea struts first and we will go from there. thanks for all the replies. glad we all going through this together

 

[Cs4g63]

I can honestly say I have never used a spring compressor when removing struts on any of the DSMs I have worked on. Its a lot easier to just use a jack under the strut.

 

[KING4ADAY]

yea i have never replaced a strut before, is it safe with a jack under the strut? looking up the step by step removal and replacement right now.

 

[cerberus95tsi]

Easy way is to pull the whole strut and spring out as one unit then use the spring compressor and pull it all apart that way you can check the top mount and all the bushings.


BUT YES BE CAREFUL I HAVE SEEN A STRUT SPRING COME OFF AND STICK INTO A CINDER BLOCK WALL WTF

 

[Splitpi]

Harbor Freight has spring compressors for cheap.
- Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

$12.99

I used these when I replace my struts. Also, I do notice on my car that I get the same sensation you are describing when hitting bumps. I thought it was possibly from a mismatch of spring to shock matching. But I should probably check my tie rods and what not.

 

[KING4ADAY]

#
Step 1

Pop the trunk, and remove the access panels over the rear wheel wells. Use a ratchet to remove the upper mounting nuts from the frame holding the strut assembly.
#
Step 2

Raise the rear end of the Eclipse, and support it by the frame with jack stands. Disconnect the bolt holding the bottom of the strut to the steering knuckle.
#
Step 3

Repeat Steps 1 and 2 on the other side of the rear of the car.
#
Step 4

Compress the coil spring, and hold the stem with a wrench while you use a ratchet to remove the upper self-locking nut from the strut assembly. Lay the parts of the strut out in order so you know how to reassemble it: upper bracket, spring pad, collar, upper bushing, cup, bump rubber, dust cover and coil spring. Replace any of the worn parts and the shocks. Reassemble the struts, and torque the new self-locking nut to 16 ft-lb. Remove the spring compressor.
#
Step 5

Position the strut assembly in the suspension system, and attach the upper mounting nuts on the studs through the upper bracket. Torque them to 32 ft-lb. Insert the lower mounting bolt, and torque it to 71 ft-lb. Lower the rear end of the Eclipse, and pop the access panel back in the trunk. Close the trunk and have a professional align the rear end.

 

[my dreamt dsm]

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/newbie-forum/336023-lightly-sliding-sideways.html

yeah sounds like my problem also... im just planning to replace the whole suspension! Better safe then sorry. Two days ago my friend with the spyder went off the circle type merge freeway entrance. I guess his girlfriend was driving and she hit a bump. Back of the car fish tailed and ended up in a ditch. My brothers were behind them. Helped push the car out. Car got away with cracked bumper and miss located intercooler.
SO YEAH OP, BE CAREFUL HOW YOU DRIVE THE SUCKER!

 

[KING4ADAY]

yea when its that bad that you loose control from a small bump , it shouldnt be driven until fixed especially not on the expressway or high speeds. Scary stuff glad she is alright , and atleast it was just bumper and intercooler, could have been way worse

 

[lacroixdp]

Harbor Freight has spring compressors for cheap.
- Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

$12.99

I'm a huge Harbor Freight fan, but I would strongly vote against this compressor in particular. I have a nice size scar on my thigh from where my HF compressor broke (welded bolt broke off) and shot the spring into my leg. The rental from Auto Zone is much more safe.

 

[gstryyder]

I'm a huge Harbor Freight fan, but I would strongly vote against this compressor in particular. I have a nice size scar on my thigh from where my HF compressor broke (welded bolt broke off) and shot the spring into my leg. The rental from Auto Zone is much more safe.

how much did you make off that lawsuit? at least you were lucky enough that is all it hit. sorry to hear about the bad luck though. i try to stay away from HF..

 

[lacroixdp]

how much did you make off that lawsuit? at least you were lucky enough that is all it hit. sorry to hear about the bad luck though. i try to stay away from HF..

They happily accepted the product for a full refund I'm not really a sue-happy guy so I called it even when they apologized. HF is great for big, simple things like engine hoists, jack stands, heck even their impact sockets are fantastic. I've had great luck with just about everything I've bought there. I don't know if I'd ever buy an engine, or an air compressor, or anything with complex moving parts there though. They are absolutely fantastic if you can catch things on sale AND you get their 20% coupon in the mail - I bought my latest engine stand for a little over $90 and it's been great so far! I just don't lay under it while my motors on it