Pigeon Toe'd front tires

[scouttster]

Yesterday, I went to Wal-Mart to have the tires re- balanced and rotated. The technician commented on excessive inside wear on the front tires. Last March, I installed a new CV axle and a month later, I changed out the tie-rods. I was careful to cold chisel match-mark the position of the old tie-rods to accommodate the new. The car is in desperate need of new front shocks / struts and I'm wondering if this would cause un-even wear? And, how hard would shock / strut change out be for solo homeowner backyard mechanic? Will search to see if there is a write-up on strut change-out. Thanks in advance.

[dlb]

i would double check your alignment using keith's super easy guide, found here. adjust as necessary.

https://tercel4wd.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=2273

assuming you will still want to replace your struts, i don't think there is a write up on strut insert replacement but it's pretty easy. the only special tools you need are a bench-mounted vice and a set of spring compressors but be VERY CAREFUL when using the compressors. compressed springs are under a lot of tension and can do serious damage if the compressors suddenly fail.

the job basically entails removing the strut assembly from the car, which is easy. once the assembly is out you can check the mounts for play. if there is any wobble, replace them too. then mount the assembly in a vice. break the big nut in the strut mount but DO NOT undo it yet. compress the springs so there is no tension on the mount. undo the nut and remove the mount, spring hat, and spring. use a huge pipe wrench with a cheater bar on it and undo the big retaining nut that holds the insert in the assembly. remove the insert and throw your new stuff in. it can be a pain getting the insert to sit properly so that the flats on its upper end match the flats in the spring hat but if you compress the spring enough it should be fine.

[marlinh]

There has been discussion about what to do with the oil in the strut if it is factory. Some say to drain it out and some say to leave it in for cooling. I am not sure of the correct answer.

[Petros]

Bad struts would not cause wear on the inside edge of the tires unless your upper mount and strut tube was so mashed up it causes the position of the wheel to change (not likely it would be drivable).

If you need new shocks than that is reason enough to change them. If you need a front end alightment, than that should be done as well. I have replaced a number of struts, not that big of a job. I leave the steering knuckle/hub on the strut when I remove it from the car (it means you have to remove the big axle nut to get the axle out). Or you can remove the strut itself from the steering knuckle, mark the position of the eccentric so you can get it back into the same position.

You will need to buy, rent or borrow a spring compressor so you can remove the top nut. It often helps to have an impact wrench to get the top nut off, but you can also get an open end wrench onto a set of flats on the strut shaft up under the upper mount to hold it still to get the nut off. Since you are removing the strut to replace it, it is even possible to put a pipe wrench on the shaft to hold it from turning to remove the nut (you will damage the shaft that way, but if it is coming out anyway it does not matter).

It helps if you have a big vise to put the strut into to hold it while you are working on it. It is not too bad a job but if not done carefully it can cause very serious injury if the spring lets loose on you.

One thing you might consider is remove the struts yourself (not too bad a job) and than take them to a repair shop and just pay them to install the inserts only.

You can buy new inserts for your car cheaper on-line (unless you have a local sale going on). Rockauto and Just suspention have great prices on strut inserts. I recommend the KYB gas insert, there are other brands as well.

http://www.rockauto.com

http://www.justsuspension.com/

[keith]

Front struts

https://tercel4wd.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=4704