rkw77080

Thanks for the kind words. The car had 105K miles when I replaced the shocks - they were the originals that came with the car. With the old shocks, the front of the car dipped noticeably when I slam on the brake. The new shocks fixed that problem. I also noticed improvement on the steering wheel vibrations. I think the old shocks definitely had more "play" which allow the tires to have the mini-bounce off of the road surface (vibration). BTW, the car was never bouncy even with the old shocks.

Here are the pages from the repair manual on front strut replacement...

KawiLex

Any ideas on the best shock/struts to look at and where? I saw some Bilstein's and was interested.

I used to put the best monroe struts on my vehicles and I'd like to know if there's something better.

Thanks!

doodoo

iTrader: (8)

If you want stock ride, kyb is the oem manufacturer made in japan. Kyb gr2

KawiLex

Thanks Doodoo..
I found the GR2's, now labeled Excel-G. They run about $100 on the site I'm looking at.

I have 155K on my 430. I wonder if I even need to change the coils or just do the struts? I didn't find any packages that were springs with the KYB strut together. My ride is rather bouncy and I need to do something asap. What about the mounts?

Thanks guys

Brewmyown

Iif you want a stock ride get stock struts. Buy them from Sewells and with the club discount they are less expensive than Monroes, etc. Although right now I f you do want aftermarket till the end of October monroe is running a buy 4 get a rebate for the cost of one. (4 for the price of 3). They are about $100 each at rockauro.com. I really like the stock ride. My car has about 189,000 on it and although none are leaking, they need to be replaced. The dampening is not very good any more.

Has anyone used monroes on their LS430? If so is the ride like OEM? If so I can save about $200 over OEM struts with the rebate.

bmore430

Subscribing. Deciding whether to tackle this myself or pay someone. Doesn't look that bad.

Longmire

Using these instructions, I replaced my front struts on my 2001 LS430 yesterday. I replaced the original OEM stuts with Monroe struts (kept original springs). From start to finish, working by myself, it took me about 8 hours! Of course, this was my first time replacing struts and using a spring compressor, so I'm sure others could get it done faster. The only thing I wished for was a helper (and a lift). I don't notice a big change in handling yet, but I did notice a big difference in the braking. It doesn't pitch forward and just feels a lot safer now. To anyone else considering this project, I would say that it is very doable, but it's more tedious and frustrating than I thought it would be. If you can get a good price and have a shop that you trust, you might want to consider just having someone else do the job (keep in mind my whole body is hurting right now...LOL).

Notes/Observations:
1. I used a HF spring compressor like the one in the instructions, and I found it to be more difficult than I had imagined. I was surprised how tedious the process was, and how many rotations of the screw are necessary. Also, I had to re position the compressor several times in order to get the spring compressed enough to remove it. Also, if you don't get it compressed enough, and you replace the strut mounts like I did, you will find it difficult to install the lock nut. For the first spring, I only used a ratchet, but for the second spring I got frustrated and careful used an electric impact wrench, which saved time.

2. If you replace the strut mount, pay extra attention to the location of the spring end at the top and the bottom. Be as accurate as possible when you mark the new strut mount. This will come into play when you try and reinstall the new strut assembly on the car. I didn't realize this when I read the instructions. Also, it wouldn't hurt to notate the orientation of the spring to the car before you remove the assembly from the car. On one spring the bottom end of the spring didn't end up sitting exactly correct on the strut, but I don't think it will make much difference...I hope not.

3. When I moved the steering knuckle aside, I used a large zip tie to keep it from falling over too much. This is probably not necessary, but I was trying to avoid stressing out any of the wires or brake lines. The process ended up making things more difficult for me, since the zip tie either got in the way or prevented the upper control arms from swinging up high enough. You'll have to use your own judgement on this one, just be aware.

4. I was only able to use an impact wrench on the bottom strut mount bolt, since I had clearance issues. The good part is that the rest of the bolts aren't too difficult to remove.

Edit:
5. I had never used a ball joint separator before, so when I looked at the OP's instructions I had assumed that the tool would just slip into the ball joint, but this was not the case. Right or wrong (didn't see an option), I lightly hammered the tool onto the ball joint so that the tool could be properly positioned.

FYI, I've had the car for about a month, and it has 211,000 miles. It has factory ML navigation, and I'm getting used to it's size and loving it more every day. It was a one owner dealer maintained car up until 2017, and then the dealer used it for about a year until I bought it from him. The only thing it needs now is a new clear coat on the hood and the trunk. This TX sun has not been kind.

BCT

A few years ago I replaced struts in our Sequoia. I did not want to deal with spring compressor knowing that Sequoia has a bigger and taller springs than regular car springs (more work to compress). I found a local mechanic who would install the new struts into the springs for very cheap, iirc $20 per spring. imo that was money well spent. They did this swap really quick with their big spring compressor while I wait and watch. I think less than 1 hr for all 4 springs.

Just something to consider if you do not want to mess with spring compressor.

Hardwear

I had some difficulty making the top and bottom align properly. After reading the cautions and then visualizing the reason, I marked well the new strut mount along with the lower spring support notch. Once I got the spring compressors off however, the alignment was off. I had to compress the springs again since there is no way the shock body tube will allow you to twist the assembly, too much force. My recommendation is to put some dish soap on the rubber portion of the strut mount that presses into the spring. Then you don't have to use so much force to twist into alignment. I only had to compress the spring half of what was needed to remove the strut and could then rotate the shock bottom in relation to the upper mount. Also, I used a level to match top and bottom. Set the assembly horizontal on your bench and secure it so the short tube (the lower mounting sleeve at the shock bottom) is level. Then level any two bolts on the upper mount -- that is perfect alignment. Just be sure the spring doesn't rotate out of it's notch on the shock; I used a pair of vise grips to hold it in place.

kimsey

How do you gain clearance to remove the strut from the lower control arm. Does the middle nut on the strut make it easier to compress or decompress once loosened, thanks.

bradland

When you Jack up the front end the wheels, as well as the lower control arm, will drop. This provides enough slack in the suspension to easily remove the lower strut bolt from the control arm.
Not sure what you mean by”middle nut” but if you’re referring to the upper nut, which is exposed atop the strut tower in the engine compartment, don’t even THINK about touching it until the strut/spring assembly is removed from the car AND the spring is safely compressed with proper tools. Coil springs under pressure are potentially very dangerous.

kimsey

I can remove the lower strut bolt, I'm having trouble lowering the control arm several inches needed to pull down the strut. I'm assuming slightly loosening the middle nut on top of the strut mount is to help removing the strut easier. I probably forgot to remove the stabilizer links which probably caused the lca to no move.

bradland

If you’re still in a pinch just detach the carrier assembly from the UCA or down below from the lower ball joint. Just choose one as it will allow the LCA to drop completely 👍

ls430w140

For 2006 LS430 the torque setting for 3 front strut bolts is not 43 but 61 ft lbf (taken from TIS)

Striker223

The middle nut I think you are describing is the one that can kill you if you remove it without a spring compressor on the spring