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Quick Struts not so Quick – Comments and Question

1K views 2 replies 3 participants last post by  MERCrunner 
#1 ·
I just installed Monroe Quick Struts on my 2004 Taurus with 190K. The old struts were “clonking” although springs and dampers seemed to be OK. I needed new ball joints anyway and the price for the Quick Struts from RockAuto wasn’t bad so I weighed up my time and cost of alternatives and decided on the Quick Struts. The car is aligned and back on the road and I’m pleased with the way it drives so I’m OK with my decision and if I had to do it again I would choose the Monroe Quick Struts.
Having said that, I did run into some “bumps in the road” so here’s my $0.02 for anyone planning to install Monroe Quick Struts:

1. Since I work alone and I’m not so young anymore, I installed the struts loosely without the steering knuckles, they’re not too heavy and it’s easy to do. The Monroe video says to install the three mounting nuts loosely, I got the best results by installing the two outer ones loosely, just a few threads and left the inner one off temporarily, this allows you to swing the strut out when installing the tapered ball joint bolt to the control arm.

2. Sidebar: My left and right struts were not quite the same. On the right side the 3 – mounting studs and nuts were black oxide finish, on the left side, bright plated. I installed the right first with no problem then couldn’t insert the studs on the left side . . . . Until I noticed these ones had clear plastic protection sleeves on them. Like I said, I’m not so young anymore!

3. Trap for young players. This slowed me down a little. The tab for the pinch bolt has a small hole near the top where the support clip for the brake hose attaches with an 8mm bolt. On the factory strut this hole is threaded, the 8mm bolt has a nice taper to start it and bingo! It’s installed. The hole in the Quick Strut has no thread. So I had to find my metric taps and dies and thread the hole. (It’s 8 x 1.25). I only had a plug tap and the strut was installed on the car, and the tab is on the inside of the strut! So it took some finagling and mumbling about the person at the Monroe factory who went to lunch and forgot to tap the hole. At least the hole was the right diameter. The other strut wasn’t as bad as I could do it on the bench.
Apparently Monroe doesn’t tap the holes so you will need an 8 x 1.25 tapered tap and do it before you start the install. This seems to be a good product, pity they don’t take care of this detail.

4. Finally, nothing to do with the Monroe struts but frustrating just the same: installing the tapered ball joint bolt to the control arm.
Monroe recommends lowering the sub frame a little to get clearance for the bolt, one side at a time. This might be the best way but I didn’t do it this way.

A. Take the brake disc off the knuckle, it doesn’t take long and makes the knuckle much lighter. (I installed the knuckle on the strut on the car with no problems) Also, I found the disc got in the way later when trying to install the ball joint bolt.

B. Wrap the ball joint boot with duct tape and push the end of the bolt as far as you can so it’s angled in towards the sub frame.

C. Put a long (4’ or more) strong bar in the round hole in the control arm and lever it down to clear the bottom of the bolt. Release it when it’s lined up with the tapered hole.

Sounds easy, it isn’t. Three hands would be helpful or a helper.
Although I got it done, there has to be a better way.

Seems to me a spring compressor wouldn’t take long to install with just enough tension to get some clearance to install the control arm bolt?

Has anyone tried it this way or am I missing something?

I hope this post is useful if you’re planning a Monroe Quick Strut install. Good luck and work safely! John Kenneth
 
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#2 · (Edited)
That brake line bolt is self tapping and will install just fine with a ratchet. Spring compressors are designed to be used off the car and threaded rod usually points up and if you flip them I believe they will hit the knuckle or bottom strut spring cup. I tried this method with compressor that I modified to use upside down. I found that I couldn't get enough coils compressed to help. Just my experience. Six foot bar works better and my wife and daughter sitting on the bar worked better. I did see a tool used to install the struts with all that work.

Strut Removal Set 6584
OTC Tools & Equipment 6584 Ford Strut Removal Tool
 

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#3 ·
What I did on my '04 Sable was to remove the control arm and knuckle completely. But, on my car, the forward control arm bolt will come out without lowering the subframe. I understand that's not the case with earlier models (Taurus or Sable). Made it much easier to separate the old ball joint and wheel hub brg. on the workbench. Then, installed the new ball joint into the control arm and slide it back into place as an assembly; thus, eliminating all that prying with a long bar. I agree, though...having a third hand would sure help make things easier to put back together when trying to do this job by yourself.
 
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