1994-2002 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
Rebuilt the front suspension on my ’94 2.0 turbo.
Used this board and other websites to research the best deals and this is what I came up with:
1) KYB front struts cheapest at about US$45 each, so I went for these. They’re OK, but a bit soft and I have heard bad stories about longevity. I should have gone for Boges, but more expensive at about US$100 each.
2) Rather than mess around with bushings, given that I had to replace stanchion arms anyway (they had started to wear through by rubbing against the subframe), it worked out cheaper to by a full suspension upgrade kit for US$412. This included new stanchion arms, new control arms, and new sway bar. It upgrades the ’94 suspension to ’95-1/2 standard. As well as renewing most of the major components, it improves handling significantly.
3) Definitely replace strut mounts and thrust bearings when you change strut inserts. I used KYB strut mounts and SKF bearings. This worked out at about US$50 per side for mount and bearing. KYB strut mounts have gotten some bad press, but on balance most seem to think they are OK. Don’t use the KYB thrust bearings though.
4) Removing and tripping down the strut assemblies is a bit of pain, so I used the opportunity to renew the wheel bearings at US$45 per side (SKF bearings).
5) I had to buy a new coil spring (1 of mine had broken about 2” from end) and had to go with a Saab part, as couldn’t find elsewhere. This doesn’t seem to be a common failure, so probably I’m just unlucky. This cost about US$180.
6) All of this work was fairly easy DIY, except I had to get the old wheel bearings pressed out as they were wedged in solid and my press woudn’t budge them (no problems putting the new ones in myself).
7) While you’re at this, you may want to check your tie-rod ends as well seeing as you have to strip everything else down (US$25 per side).
Took me 5 weekends doing this work, but much of the slowness was due to old parts being seized and waiting on new parts.
posted by 142.176.134...
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