# 92 sentra XE -- need to change back struts



## KurtCocain (Jul 6, 2004)

Hi guys,

I am desparately writing to seek some help. I have a 92 NIssan sentra XE. I sense vibration/jumping from my rear tire. I went to a good year auto shop and they told me my back struts are leaking and I need to change them .They want 500 bucks for labor plus 40 a piece for the parts. Went to Mr .tire -- same price. I cant afford that so Iwas encouraged from some friends to try to change them myself. Ok.. too bad tho cuz Im the kinda guy that has only changed light bulbs in a lamp. I might have afriend of mine helping me out tho.
So my question is -- is it easy to change the rear struts? Is there a site or pics/graphs I use as reference. Or like a guide.. That would prbably help tremendously.

Thanks for any response , inadvance !!

Kurt.


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## gtlaw (Jun 24, 2005)

if it's going to save you $500 it is definetly worth the effort. first download the FSM pinned at the top of this forum for reference then you will need a spring compressor borrowed from advance or autozone. the back seat and rear parcel shelf needs to be removed then the wheel, brake line clip, sway bay endlink, and the 2 strut mounting bolts. then you go back inside the car and remove the 3 nuts for the upper strut mount then the assembly will come out then dissasemble the strut using the spring compressor, reassemble the strut assembly,and installation is reverse of removal or you can find a independent shop to do it for much less money than goodyear or mr tire


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## RBI*04 (Sep 10, 2004)

its incredibly simply. its just a matter of unbolting 5 bolts, taking the struts out, changing out the springs and putting the five bolts back. there should be three bolts at the top of the strut towers which are right behind the rear seats, and then two larger bolts at the bottom of the strut, just behind the brakes....


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## KurtCocain (Jul 6, 2004)

gtlaw said:


> if it's going to save you $500 it is definetly worth the effort. first download the FSM pinned at the top of this forum for reference then you will need a spring compressor borrowed from advance or autozone. the back seat and rear parcel shelf needs to be removed then the wheel, brake line clip, sway bay endlink, and the 2 strut mounting bolts. then you go back inside the car and remove the 3 nuts for the upper strut mount then the assembly will come out then dissasemble the strut using the spring compressor, reassemble the strut assembly,and installation is reverse of removal or you can find a independent shop to do it for much less money than goodyear or mr tire


So how much would they charge me to loan that spring compressor for a day in autozone ?

Is that ll i need to borrow from them?


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## nassin93 (Jul 5, 2005)

I need to do the same thing...except i need to do both front and rear on my car.

Will the front be any different? i mean besides the control arms...


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## RBI*04 (Sep 10, 2004)

nassin93 said:


> I need to do the same thing...except i need to do both front and rear on my car.
> 
> Will the front be any different? i mean besides the control arms...


its all the same :thumbup: 
i swapped out front struts in mine in my driveway by myself in about two hours (it was really two days, but thats because i broke 3 of the 6 top-mount bolts )

IMO struts on these cars are a real easy project...until you run into seized/frozen/broken bolts and nuts


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## gtlaw (Jun 24, 2005)

> So how much would they charge me to loan that spring compressor for a day in autozone


about $40 deposit that you get back when you return it



> IMO struts on these cars are a real easy project...until you run into seized/frozen/broken bolts and nuts


use some PB blaster or at least wd40 and you shouldn't have this problem



> Will the front be any different? i mean besides the control arms


front is easier being that you don't have to remove the seat, parcel shelf or swaybar endlinks if your car has a rear bar


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## KurtCocain (Jul 6, 2004)

Thanks alot guys!! you have been agreat help.iwill be replacing the struts this weekend. infact my friend that hasdone lots of things on cars will do it for me. All the tips u gaveme and instructions are very helpful!

cheers,
Kurt.


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## KurtCocain (Jul 6, 2004)

Hi guys, well I changed the my back struts during the last weekend. Actually a friend of mine, mechanic changed them for me and charged me 200 bucks ..

So this week im driving to work and feeling the car. Well, it feels like the car has become more sensitive. Evrytime I go over a bump, stone, regular highway uneven areas, bridges with the metal rods on the road the car jumps a lot. To a point that I feel that it was more stable before I changed the strits. It seems to me that the instability is coming from the front of the car. Could it be because lets say when I put the back struts (and the car lifted its back little thats what my friend sid) that some angles or nyathing changed, so the car is now so sensitive and you can feel each pebble on the road?


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## nassin93 (Jul 5, 2005)

You were charged $200 to replace the rear struts? Nice friend.

You feel everything in the road because your struts are working. Lol, you didn't use to feel them because your struts were blown and they weren't doing their job.


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## KurtCocain (Jul 6, 2004)

Well, he usually does cars to friends for free, cuz simply he enjoys doing it. So he's done million favors in the local community . But In the past few weeks he changed. I think his wife could not take it anymore -- him fixing cars for free and ppl coming repeatedly to him without giving him even a cent. So I think he started this "new policy" of charging half of the price u would pay in an auto shop ;( So I guess i did not have too much luck cuz I am a poor grad student, but what can I do ;( Still a bit cheaper so it a better deal for me.

So you are saying that feeling everything is normal. But It seems the car runs much harder on the bumps and it sort feels not balanced on the highway on bridges. It jumps so much that feel that I MUST hold it really steady with two hands, not to lose control over it. And on a bumpy area in the city -- man this thing is like u have 2 of those jackhammers in both ur hands and u r trying to drive.

The ride was much smoother before I changed the struts.

To me it would make sense to "feel everuthing" if struts arent working, and with the new struts on I should feel abetter smoother ride.


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## pete? (Jul 6, 2004)

nassin93 said:


> You were charged $200 to replace the rear struts? Nice friend.
> 
> You feel everything in the road because your struts are working. Lol, you didn't use to feel them because your struts were blown and they weren't doing their job.


huh? shocks are just that....shock absorbers.....

double check and make sure all the bolts are down tight. but it will feel alittle stiffer for sure....but un-stable? no this should not be. if anything it should feel much much better.

edit: you need to have the car re-alighned and the stablity should come a'rollin back.


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## KurtCocain (Jul 6, 2004)

pete? said:


> huh? shocks are just that....shock absorbers.....
> 
> double check and make sure all the bolts are down tight. but it will feel alittle stiffer for sure....but un-stable? no this should not be. if anything it should feel much much better.
> 
> edit: you need to have the car re-alighned and the stablity should come a'rollin back.


OK, The word you are using is appropriate -- stiffer. yes it feels much stiffer. And because its stiffer when I drive over bridges, e.g, I feel like I am flying off the road. And when i am driving in the city, slow speeds -- on the bumps its like i am paraking my car over a curb, thats how I would describe the stiffness. Bolts shoud be tight, i am sure he did a good job on it putting them on. As far as alignment, I asked him do I need to do one. he said no. He said alignment should be done if I change the front struts...


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## nassin93 (Jul 5, 2005)

With blown suspension there is no opposing force during absorption and rebound, except for the springs. So often, with blown suspension, little bumps will not be felt because there is no pressure inside the shock valve, and it just takes it. It feels stiffer because the struts are actually absorbing and rebounding. 

However, agreed, it shouldn't feel unstable... it should feel more taught. Get an allignment done and have them check the bolts while they're in there.


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## nassin93 (Jul 5, 2005)

KurtCocain said:
 

> Hi guys, well I changed the my back struts during the last weekend. Actually a friend of mine, mechanic changed them for me and charged me 200 bucks ..


nassin's girlfriend here. Sorry, but your friend ripped you off. I gave a friend 150 to do all four shocks, springs, and two sway bars in my car.


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## gtlaw (Jun 24, 2005)

the ride height shouldn't have changed if you reused the springs unless the strut was a little different say the spring perch or the mounting bracket was welded on the strut body little differently than the ones that were on the car.
it is recommended that an alignment be done when changing struts, but not always necessary unless the ride height did change 
having the rear toe out of adjustment can make a car feel unstable and when you hit bumps it will kind of dart around 
give it some time to make sure that your just not used your cars new found stiffness but if you find the car veers off to one side, your steering wheel is crooked, and you always have to correct your steering when you hit bumps then an alignment should help


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## pete? (Jul 6, 2004)

nassin93 said:


> nassin's girlfriend here. Sorry, but your friend ripped you off. I gave a friend 150 to do all four shocks, springs, and two sway bars in my car.


wtf? he didnt get ripped off. a deal is a deal.....this guy decided to do the job for half what pep boys wanted...........he's not "your friend"

and you do need a rear alignment. the suspension on the rear of a b13 is independant unlike the b14 that has a solid rear beam.

also how are your tires? there is this one bridge i pass over every day that is in a turn and it has a tar strip on it. when my rear hits it it bouces and i can feel it give out a few inches (i.e. sliding) but once the suspension settles again (matter of 1 second or less) it grips like hell.......you wont slide the car. you just need to get used to it because im thinking you bought the car with crapy shocks to begin with so you are used to the sloppy messy handling.


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## nassin93 (Jul 5, 2005)

pete? said:


> wtf? he didnt get ripped off. a deal is a deal.....this guy decided to do the job for half what pep boys wanted...........he's not "your friend"


You're right. My friend would have done it for 80. Just a difference in friends, I guess.


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## pete? (Jul 6, 2004)

nassin93 said:


> You're right. My friend would have done it for 80. Just a difference in friends, I guess.


jesus dude....stop trying to play the my friend is better game. the guy needed help, he got a hell of a deal as opposed to $500 leave it be.


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## nassin93 (Jul 5, 2005)

pete? said:


> jesus dude....stop trying to play the my friend is better game. the guy needed help, he got a hell of a deal as opposed to $500 leave it be.



I'm sorry, I didn't see the origional quote. How long does it take to change the struts? It can't be more than two hours tops. Assuming it is, 500 is CRAZY high for a quote. Especailly when parts only cost him 80.


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