Strut Replacement Options.

D

deafanddiabetic

Member
:
2002 Mazda Protege5
I've been following several threads on here, there was an awesome write up about sway bar replacement and strut replacement that I'm excited to follow.

My question is more about options. I've replaced complete strut assemblies on other vehicles because it's easy as hell, 6 bolts and you're done.

I'm scared to death of spring compressors, worked with a guy who died when it hit him in the chest when a retaining arm broke. Shop labor charges are 500+ alone not including parts that THEY have to order because you can't bring in your own.

So, I prefer ready-mounts. There really isn't a lot of options, I know Moog can make them, maybe Maaco or KYB. I spoke to the Mazda dealer in my town and they said that any suspension parts including shocks are interchangeable between the Protege and 626 and Protege5 as long as there is a 4 disc brake option. Is this true?

Buying a ready mount strut for a Protege is way cheaper than for a P5 by my research.

The reason for replacement is just lots of noise, I already did my sway bar bushings and end links which helped but all the clunking needs to stop and I bottom out in the back going over the slightest bumps. (Stock tire sizes, too)

Anyway, where can I buy some ready mount struts for less than $200 a piece? Because that's highway robbery.

Thanks for any help!
 
RockAuto has two different brands for front strut assemblies. One is like $98 each and the other is Monroe for around $145 each. I bought the cheap ones and I am satisfied with them.
 
You won't even need a spring compressor tool for the P5.

Just have a friend compress the spring with their hands while you unthread the nut form the damper shaft. It really is that simple unlike some other vehicles. This is how I removed the stock struts to then install the Tokico HP (blues) a while back.

You can expect to pay between $140-160 a piece for those. However, I purchased a package deal of Espelir Springs and Tokico HP struts from AutoRnD a long time ago. You'll want to cut the bump stops down or you can order some short ones from RacingBeat.
 
booom said:
You won't even need a spring compressor tool for the P5.

Just have a friend compress the spring with their hands while you unthread the nut form the damper shaft. It really is that simple unlike some other vehicles. This is how I removed the stock struts to then install the Tokico HP (blues) a while back.

You can expect to pay between $140-160 a piece for those. However, I purchased a package deal of Espelir Springs and Tokico HP struts from AutoRnD a long time ago. You'll want to cut the bump stops down or you can order some short ones from RacingBeat.
Click to expand...


no offense, I am not sure if i would follow that recommendation. this is how you make a "fail" video on youtube

use the proper tool for your safety and the safety of others, use a spring compressor. dont rely on a "friend" to hold something that can kill you or someone.
 
No offense taken. But i was able to squeeze the spring with my hands. When you put the car up on jack stands the springs become uncompressed. You can actually spin the spring around the strut. That's how loose it is. That's not going to kill you. But I agree, you can rent the tool for your safety and that of others.

hotcracker69 said:
no offense, I am not sure if i would follow that recommendation. this is how you make a "fail" video on youtube

use the proper tool for your safety and the safety of others, use a spring compressor. dont rely on a "friend" to hold something that can kill you or someone.
Click to expand...
 
booom said:
.... But i was able to squeeze the spring with my hands....
Click to expand...

Perhaps your springs had sagged ??

He could probably just reach into the strut tower with the car up and check for any movement on the coil ???

Some designs/manufacturers may have preload on the coil spring ???
 
get name brand dont go with unknown brands (kyb,monroe,tokio, moog, gabriel, however i am not a big fan of gabriel) i would go kyb if you want oe like ride and feel as kyb came on them factory i got some kyb struts and monroe mounts on rockauto for a great price all the way around and me and a friend did them all in a few hours with one of those loaner tool spring compressors (which make things take longer)
 
I don't think the springs had sagged because I own a 2002.5 and did this work back in 2005; and I never hauled anything heavy. The stock springs aren't very strong. You really can grab a couple coils in your hands and squeeze them a little. I think I was able to squeeze the Espelir lowering springs a little, too–but not as much. Anyway...

pcb said:
Perhaps your springs had sagged ??

He could probably just reach into the strut tower with the car up and check for any movement on the coil ???

Some designs/manufacturers may have preload on the coil spring ???
Click to expand...
 
hey could you loosen the big nut like 2/3 of the way while the strut is still on the car and jacked up - maybe get the spring so it's actually fully unloaded. Or even remove the nut entirely and jack it till unloaded. Might be nasty compressing for the new strut - tho maybe you could do the same thing and put the nut on after compressing it with the weight of the car. I'm mainly only wanting to do it this way if the load is indeed very small, as stated.

Also, is it standard procedure to do the strut mounts too?

And anybody know about the Sensen struts for 30 bucks at Rock? My inclination is KYB, but the car is ever nearer its end.
 
Last edited:
deafanddiabetic said:
I've been following several threads on here, there was an awesome write up about sway bar replacement and strut replacement that I'm excited to follow.

My question is more about options. I've replaced complete strut assemblies on other vehicles because it's easy as hell, 6 bolts and you're done.

I'm scared to death of spring compressors, worked with a guy who died when it hit him in the chest when a retaining arm broke. Shop labor charges are 500+ alone not including parts that THEY have to order because you can't bring in your own.

So, I prefer ready-mounts. There really isn't a lot of options, I know Moog can make them, maybe Maaco or KYB. I spoke to the Mazda dealer in my town and they said that any suspension parts including shocks are interchangeable between the Protege and 626 and Protege5 as long as there is a 4 disc brake option. Is this true?

Buying a ready mount strut for a Protege is way cheaper than for a P5 by my research.

The reason for replacement is just lots of noise, I already did my sway bar bushings and end links which helped but all the clunking needs to stop and I bottom out in the back going over the slightest bumps. (Stock tire sizes, too)

Anyway, where can I buy some ready mount struts for less than $200 a piece? Because that's highway robbery.

Thanks for any help!
Click to expand...


Oh yes, I hate the spring compressors also... I have tried many different types, and have seen a spring lodge itself into a garage wall once...


Instead of buying a ready made spring/strut set, here is an alternative...

Remove your strut and spring as an assembly, and along with your new replacement strut, bring to a friendly neighborhood shop. Pay the shop to swap springs over to the new strut assembly. Any shop that does a lot of struts like a tire and alignment shop will have a wall mounted strut / spring compressor tool that turns the job into a quick and easy, E.R. free swap.

This way, you steer clear of the suicide sticks, and you get the struts in a brand that you want. The only downfall is that you will need another vehicle to drive struts around town while yours is being repaired.
 
Natey said:
A set of cheap spring compressors cost 15 bucks and if used properly will never slip off of the spring. Just be careful, use the retainer clips and don't aim the thing at yourself while you compress the spring. It'll open up a lot more choices for you when it comes to struts/springs. If the mounts aren't torn up or damaged, just reuse em. :)

http://www.harborfreight.com/macpherson-strut-spring-compressor-set-61654.html
Click to expand...
always replace the mounts when you take the struts out theyre cheap nad you might as well while you have them off 1. so if they are bad they get replaced 2. so that you dont have to remove struts again to just replace mounts and 3. so that you get a better feel from your new struts
 
You might like to check out this thread on ft86club <- I did something like this. If you rent the spring compressor tool just use it to squeeze the spring a little bit. Just enough to do the work. You don't have to squeeze it way down to a point where it's storing a lethal amount of energy.

RABID_MP5 said:
hey could you loosen the big nut like 2/3 of the way while the strut is still on the car and jacked up - maybe get the spring so it's actually fully unloaded. Or even remove the nut entirely and jack it till unloaded. Might be nasty compressing for the new strut - tho maybe you could do the same thing and put the nut on after compressing it with the weight of the car. I'm mainly only wanting to do it this way if the load is indeed very small, as stated.

Also, is it standard procedure to do the strut mounts too?

And anybody know about the Sensen struts for 30 bucks at Rock? My inclination is KYB, but the car is ever nearer its end.
Click to expand...
 
Cool. If you use a compressor, do you still need the hollow ratchet, or is there another way to hold the rod from turning? I didn't know the torque spec for the big nut - could I just use a box wrench? I really like the concept of just leaving the strut mount in place - tho I might pull it just to inspect if I don't replace the mounts. I'm pushing 240K miles on original struts, so the project is imminent LOL.
 
if you have 240k on originals your mounts need replacing! they are rubber and bushings and they wear with the struts i had 150k on my car when i replaced original struts last year and the mounts were shot.
 
kms1990 said:
if you have 240k on originals your mounts need replacing! they are rubber and bushings and they wear with the struts i had 150k on my car when i replaced original struts last year and the mounts were shot.
Click to expand...

LOL, just reminded me of a HIGH-Mileage Honda Prelude Si I once had...

Driving along I noticed the hood was moving upward and there was a funny noise over bumps... The rubber strut bushing had torn completely from the fender mount and the strut rod pushed through and was now using the hood as a stopper. Gave the hood a few pimples from the rod. UGH! (boom03)
 
pcb said:
Perhaps your springs had sagged ??

He could probably just reach into the strut tower with the car up and check for any movement on the coil ???

Some designs/manufacturers may have preload on the coil spring ???
Click to expand...



Just did this a while back on my son's P5. There really is not hardly any preload on these at all as stated above. If it wasn't for having to hold the old shaft with pliers from spinning I think I could have compressed with one hand and removed the nut with the other. Other vehicles have lots of preload like on a third gen camaro. A simple strut spring compressor used properly makes very safe and fast work of the ones on the Protege. Don't sweat it! Most horror stories are from morons that shouldn't own tools in the first place!
 
Lots of good advice in here.

I did jack up my back end and found that the springs could be turned by hand, that's insane to me knowing how little preload is on these.

As long as my coils are still good, I think that $200 KYB package that a member got on Amazon is my go-to for this. I could just do the rears in an afternoon. It sounds like I'll need to replace the
 
Please log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

J
Anyone know of a more durable strut mount bearing?
Replies
0
Views
782
Josh Britton
J
C
Help! Trying to turbo my Protege5
Replies
1
Views
577
jadycr
jadycr
Y
    • Like
Need clarification on Protege5 manual swaps *Please Help*
Replies
8
Views
2K
NCrustfreeP5
N

Latest posts

Back