STRUTS??????

[mjb457]

How amny miles till replacement time??? My PT seems to have a slightly hard thump up front-( I suspect a worn or weak strut?) is this correct diagnosis? COST? Tips etc? again thanks MJB

[CREWZIN]

There's no set mileage for the time to change struts. A lot depends on the type of roads you travel. Taking a wild guess, you should get about 75K out of both the front struts and rear shocks but as I said there's variables in that guess.

A good set of gas charged struts ans shocks (Tokico) will run about $250. You can go cheaper and more expensive.

I'm not gonna try and make a diagnosis on your explanation of a "thump" to say if you need them or not. If you up around that 75K mark and it's the original struts and shocks, your probably due for a change.

[luvmysxs]

the thrump you're hearing is more likely the control arm bushings reather than the struts, just jack up the front of the car and look at the rear bushings to comfirm this. i replaced my struts at 94000 miles, but after removing the old struts from the car and then removing the springs the old struts had same resistance pushing down on them as the new ones. i purchased Tokico off of e-bay, 2 struts with 2 rear shocks and also included shipping for $215.00, by the way the your OEM struts are also made by Tokico,

[mjb457]

OK.If its control arm bushings(ILL flip out) 2sets by Chrysler so far and only 65K miles,,It seems more noticable when its cold..Im in Pa & down to 25-35* now at night) Ill get it checked this week & post it,,again thankyou

[cleverklutz]

A strut that is shot will not dampen correctly. The dampening is what slows the suspension when cycling up and down, without it you would have a pogo stick! You'll notice the front of the car continue to bounce after going over bumps, or bottom easier than normal if your strut is shot. My struts are starting to die. At high speeds, well excessively high... the front end really bobs, it never used to.

I just redid an outer tierod end that was shot. It was making quite a racket up front. A shot balljoint also makes noise. Either shouldn't be hard to check with a pry bar. It could also be the links on the stabilizer bar or their bushings. I don't know if the strut mounts are prone to failing or not, they are on the top of the struts and I don't think you can check those without pulling the struts.

If it is indeed the control arm bushings that are shot, then replace it with a polyurethane bushing. I think that would fix your problems if they keep failing.

I know I didn't really narrow things down for you, but get the front checked out. If you can do the work yourself or know someone that can, then look around for parts. I just ordered both outer tierods and both balljoints for my car from Rockauto.com, and it was under $150 if I remember right. And that's for top of the line Spicer parts!

Hope that helps,
Ben