01LEXPL

iTrader: (10)

Get whatever's cheapest....

Too bad, as you *just* missed out on the monroes'.... 4x for price of 3 struts. I just had the full set done on my dad's RX.

KYB was a big premium for, not something that will be on the road [in this family] within 3yrs, unless I keep it as a super winter beater.
It's an 04 awd with 140k mi and it's a sub 6000$ suv... where does that put your 97?

I'd honestly chance it with some Sensen bull***** struts and call it a day.

I learned my lesson in my '01... I put WAY too much money into that thing unecessarily... by the end I ended up using whitebox ***** just because the New-old stock premium on OE parts what NOT worth it, on something more than 10yrs old.

There's some real food for thought... as I was in the same position, and sold it ~2years after I dumped like 1500$ into suspension work...then a transmission... then.... ughhhh

jaredmac11

That's exactly where Im at. The clear coat failed on the hood, roof and trunk. The car wouldnt fetch $2000, likely $1500 on a good day. I was thinking, hey maybe a good ride feel will get me to stop looking for a new car all the time when I really need to keep saving... but then again, part of me fears putting 1/3 of the car's value in a front end just for something else to go.

I'll try my luck with Quick-Strut. If they are complete ****, I have the 90 day warranty.

artbuc

I always reused bumpers. They are not a wear item - be very surprised if you need to replace them.

surgeon0

Reading through, I went through the same "how much to put into this old car" when I did the 00 corolla. At the time it was KYB vs Monroe vs generic. We use our cars a lot because of long SoCal daily drives. If I had gotten the cheap ones, I would be re-doing right now. Since I did the work myself KYB Excel-G was great replacement for OEM KYBs that came off. So far the ride has not changed much in 5 yrs. I went with KYB Strut Plus on the 01 honda thinking the same (old car, go cheap). In little over a year the right side was already bad but we sold the car 3 months ago and got another used newer model (99 was my last brand new dealer car).

If you needed new bump stops, that means either absorbers were really shot and possibly springs started getting weak. This newer honda we bought, the driver side bump stop was cracked (these bump stops are not solid rubber as you may know).

Edit: If getting monroes or parts at rockauto, don't forget the discount code.
As with any part on the car, esp suspension, its always a hard decision based on how long and what to replace with. Our cars (toyota, honda, lexus) are keepers so certain parts we go with oems. Others, whatever works is fine. Usually that decision is also based on how easy or laborious is it to replace. Struts which require alignment most of the time, we try to go above average if we want more than 2 yrs on a high miles daily driver.... My strut work per car we own has never crossed 400-450 with mix of oem and aftermarket parts. We also do not get best or oem just because. Because of our long drives, other "normal" wear items were end links, tie rod ends, LCA.

Transmission work also was the same. We replaced tranny once in our honda because over time it was cheaper than getting a new car. Engine and suspension was great. We figured if we can get more than 2 yrs out of it, pays for itself.

If everything on the car was crappy, yeah, go cheap and drive it till it chokes. No point putting money into it.

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

I replied to your PM. Willing to donate my Tokico struts/Tanabe springs for a good cause.

80es300

MrBooby,
Did you remove your Tokico struts/Tanable springs on your ES? What did you replace it with?

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

Yeah I removed them almost three years ago. I switched to Lexus struts and original springs.

speedkar9

Before dropping money on expensive OEM strut mounts, it might be worth doing some diagnostics.
Disconnect the CV axle from the steering knuckle, put the wheel back on and lower the vehicle on its own weight. Turn the wheel side to side and see if you hear the clunking. That rules out the CV axle.
Check all the other components in the steering system for play - generally worn tie rods and ball joints don't cause clunking, they just have free play and may cause the car to wander when driving straight.
Stabilizer linkages are notorious for clunking and rattling when they get worn out. Sometimes just shaking them you can feel the play. Disconnect them from the strut and drive the car around the block to see if the sound goes away.

As for spending money on an old car, it really depends on your situation. If its a low mileage car and you see yourself keeping it for more than 3 years, then investing in decent quality parts is a good idea. If its an older car (a 97 is 20 years old now!) it might not be worth spending money on top dollar or OEM components.
However, that doesn't mean the vehicle should be neglected! Replace what needs to be replaced with aftermarket components, it'll do the job for now and won't cost a good chunk of what the car can be replaced for. You may never know in the future if your car will have to be replaced (expensive transmission failure, a new baby that needs more space, or a collision) and you won't get back the money you spent on it since its not worth much.

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

+1 on bad sway bar links, that's the most likely cause of clunking on these cars.

Or it could be as weird as a loose hood latch, like it was on mine. However, my car was in a collision.

artbuc

My experience says end links rattle and sway bar bushings clunk.

jaredmac11

This is all really helpful information. Ill remove the wheels and start looking at specific components. I have stabilizer bar bushings ready to go in... they were extremely difficult to get to at the time, so I decided to wait til struts came out. Speekkar9, thats helpful information.

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

I recommend leaving the suspension compressed with the wheels on the ground, when checking for free play in the Stabilizer(Sway) Bar connections. Turn the steering wheel all the way to one side and then go in through the wheel well on the side that's closer to the door. This will give you enough clearance for your arms and the Sway Bar connections will not be under load, which can potentially mask the problem.

Mattstermh

How do you know when it's time to replace suspension parts? I never know when I buy a used car.

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

It's usually evident during driving. Badly worn out shock/struts will make the body move around excessively during braking, acceleration, and turning. It's tough to explain if you don't have a reference, such as a relatively new car. Another reason is noise.