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Rear Struts


Z15
01-07-2008, 06:01 PM
My car been riding harsh lately. Had new front struts installed in the spring but the rear seems to be banging. Someone mentioned to me today that these early 90's GM cars were notorious for a problem with the rear struts. 83,000 miles on the car on originals. When its cold, the it bangs a lot on rough roads kind of gives a jerky bounch as if the strut is tightening up? Kind of hard to explain. Sometimes when I park the car the rear end seems to be up in the air more than normal.

Anyone have any insight on the supposedly well known rear strut problem?:screwy:

gw84
01-07-2008, 09:07 PM
I've had problems with the rear struts on mine...and brakes. I dealt with the annoyance of the struts for quite awhile before gettting them replaced. My right rear strut went up thru the top into the trunk, while the drivers rear strut actually fell down out of it's mount. Take a look under the wheel wells to see if either of them is hanging. If so, it will likely won't be connected to the top at all...mine was just lying at an angle...seems like it could've been dangerous!! Also, look in the trunk...if it's come thru there you will see a gap between the nut on the top and the vehicle (mine was sticking up about 2 inches above the metal in the trunk...hope that makes sense).

As far as noises go, mine would creak, moan and groan. Especially when I got in and out of the car. Whenever I got out, the rear struts would slowly go back up making an annoying groan.

Only real problem I had in replacing the strut was a piece of rubber in a figure-8 shape (not sure what it's called). I didn't clamp it and it made the job 100X harder than it should've been. I had a very hard time compressing it back to the way it's supposed to be.

Blue Bowtie
01-07-2008, 10:14 PM
Your description sounds like it may be the strut mounts. If the knocking sound occurs on very small bumps, and the strut still has damping action, I'd suspect the strut upper mounts.

http://72.19.213.157/files/W-BodyRearStrutMount.jpg

Z15
01-10-2008, 11:28 AM
Well I could not see anything loose etc so I took it to a undercar specialty shop for just an inspection. They say I need new rear struts and they recommend a complete assembly as shown above rather than just a simple strut. Talking with the tech, he said these cars were thier bread and butter for many years but its sad to see them disappering from the roads. Made lot of money off the struts on the 90's Lumina/Cutlass/Century Platform. The quoted was approx. $400-$500 (with 4 wheel alignment) to R&R using the best Monroe strut asm. I did not feel too bad, there was a 90's era FWD Cadillac in the shop and the struts were going to cost $2,500 they said. They were waiting for the customer to come back from lunch to tell him the good news.

Says I can drive this a long time like it is so I may wait a few months till spring. The shops around hear normaly charge an additional 1 hr of labor in the winter to allow car to melt and dry.

THANKS for the Info........:)

16th hippy
01-11-2008, 02:02 AM
The shops around hear normany charge an additional 1 hr of labor in the winter to allow car to melt and dry.

wish the shop i was at did that during that least freeze we had...i shot my eye out with an icycle...rofl.

Tinman238
01-11-2008, 08:17 PM
What year Lumina?

Z15
01-12-2008, 08:49 AM
1993 4 dr sedan 3.1L

john51md
01-12-2008, 09:17 AM
1993 4 dr sedan 3.1L
Excuse me if i am wrong, but a 93 does not have springs on the strut., I had less than 200.00 in my 91 replacing both rear struts and top mounts myself, that included KYB boots as well.

Z15
01-12-2008, 09:57 AM
No springs in the rear. I am not into doing it myself as I have other things to do with my time.

I called for prices locally and the complete assembly (not just strut) cost anywhere from about $90 for Monroe to about $150 for AC Delco and.

I asked the shop if I supply the parts, what would they charge me to install? Sorry, we don't install parts that we don't supply. Thier prices for the same Monroe I can by for about $90 is much higher, they sell at MSRP.

Blue Bowtie
01-12-2008, 01:31 PM
What year Lumina?

Excellent question. I shouldn't have presumed it was a '95+. The UCP shows it listed as a '93, which, as you know, is completely different.

I'd still get in the trunk and watch the upper strut rod while someone jounces the car to see it the mounts are moving.

Tinman238
01-12-2008, 04:25 PM
There is another common problem with Luminas with the transverse, composite rear spring, like yours (and mine). The ends of the spring have rubber insulators from the factory where they contact the rear knuckle. One of mine is missing ('94 3.1) and the other is quite deformed and about ready to fall out. These are very easy to see if you look under the car from the rear - no need to jack it up. I also have some banging noise occasionally and I believe the missing rubber is the culprit. The aftermarket makes nylon or teflon end-pieces to replace the factory rubber ones. They are about $25 each and are supposed to be much better than the rubber ones. I ordered them and am going to replace mine as soon as I get some time.

Z15
01-14-2008, 12:39 PM
I had a brake line start leaking lat Friday, brake light came on and no fluid in MC, good ole rust. Its going in shop to be fixed tomorrow. I will have them check the rear spring.

Back in October I was driving down road one day and started to hear a squealing noise and then it suddenly stopped and I heard something hit under car. When I looked in mirror saw something rubbery and small bounching in the road. Went back and looked but could find nothing. Hmmmmmmmm, might be the spring rubber? I don't recall any noise prior to this.

Tinman238
01-18-2008, 07:30 AM
Did you solve the banging noise? If so, what was it?

Z15
01-18-2008, 09:14 AM
No not yet. I have been very busy with my business (Amsoil) and hardly used the car since last week. They did fix the brake fluid leak, Master cylinder to front LH wheel steel line with rust pin hole. But I forgot to tell them to look for the rear end noise when I dropped of the car the day before. Just as well, roads have been bad lately and car is all full of snow and ice underneath. I am going to to have to let it go till spring.

But I did look under there yesterday and it looks like there are no insulators at the spring ends but like I said, lots of snow and ice and salt crud all over the car. 8 inches of snow yesterday and still snowing.

Blue Bowtie
01-18-2008, 09:03 PM
Good. That means Big Powderhorn should be in good shape this weekend. :thumbsup:

I'd still look at the upper shock mounts.

jeffcoslacker
01-19-2008, 07:32 AM
When its cold, the it bangs a lot on rough roads kind of gives a jerky bounch as if the strut is tightening up? Kind of hard to explain. Sometimes when I park the car the rear end seems to be up in the air more than normal.

Anyone have any insight on the supposedly well known rear strut problem?:screwy:

I know exactly what you mean...seen it several times, always on transverse spring models...

The rear end gets so stiff it feels like a wagon without a suspension, may be on one side or both in the rear, usually one side, and probably follows being driven in rain/wet snow and then being parked and and the temperature gets very cold...it freezes the rear suspension in one position and you feel like it's gonna knock you out of the seat on every bump...if you park on an uphill angle using the e-brake (which makes the body roll back and hike the rear end) it may get stuck in an absurd, "ass-high" attitude and the harshness is REALLY bad....

It seems this spring/suspension design is prone to getting ice jammed or freezing so that it can't move up and down, I had several come to the shop for this, and it was always during our midwest ice storms when things had been wet and then we got a real hard freeze in the span of a couple of hours and the car had been parked outside after a drive in the wet and froze up...like driven to work and it was like this when they tried to drive home...

I really feel that the problem is with the spring, since I've only seen it happen on those models. Somehow the spring gets jammed or frozen in a way that it resists bending or sliding like it needs to. Check for ice/snow buildup on the spring that could interfere with motion, particularly upwards toward the body, as well as radius bushings on the lower arms that could be missing a bushing and freezing solid...

Always seemed like when I'd get one of these in the shop, as soon as I'd lift it on the rack a bunch of ice/snow clunks would break off the rear suspension, and then it was fine, so I never got to see exactly where it was causing the problem...

Blue Bowtie
01-19-2008, 09:36 AM
I'll defer to The Slacker on this, since he's seen a lot more of these cars than I have. If he says its the spring first, it's probably the spring.

Jeff - Perhaps you need to perform the diagnostic work outside more often. It's only -10ºF here today...;)

The quick/dirty way to solve that may be to drive the car to a self-service car wash wash down the underside of the rear suspension. Drive the car immediately, before the water can refreeze. Even the "cold" water from the supply is usually about 50º or higher, and heated water in most of these car washes should be significantly warmer, so it should solve any ice accumulation problems easily. Concentrate on the ends of the springs and pivots/radius arms.

Just keep any water away from the body (especially door seals and glass) so you don't get frozen out of your car like this:

http://72.19.213.157/files/IcyTruck%20.jpg

Z15
01-19-2008, 09:51 AM
Good. That means Big Powderhorn should be in good shape this weekend. :thumbsup:

I'd still look at the upper shock mounts.
They have been getting hammered.:thumbsup: I am about 100 miles North in the Houghton-Hancock vicinity.

I don't need the car to get me any place important. The 2008 GMC ext cab Z71 is my main transportation. I keep this car for winter use when the roads get bad (salt). This was my Mother's, bought it new and she gave it to me after she quit driving at 85. I promised her I would keep it, she loved this car and she had no problems with it although she only put about 70,000 miles on it in 10 yrs, Sunday go to church and to store.

Thanks for all the info, I now know what to look for and when spring comes (May) I will get to fixing the problem.

john51md
01-19-2008, 07:41 PM
Same thing happend to mine till i replaced rear struts and boots, worn struts were sucking road spray into strut thru worn top seal, then they would freeze up on me. New KYB boots were made to slip down over the upper strut body, and be secured with a zip tie, never had the problem after.
I think if its the spring, maybe the end is so worn it is catching, maybe on ice build up?, when these springs wear, they do get shorter, when i got rid of my 91, wehn you raised the rear end up, spring almost came off the end perch. Yes i know it moves that direction anyway, but from owning it for years, i saw it getting shorter, and yea the rubber pads were gone too.
I made nylon "seats" for it to ride on at one time, put graphite grease in between, and spring still wore more than the nylon. I think too the grease just held in all the grit and acted like sandpaper.
But all the time i owned it, i never had a spring "freeze'

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