suspension part questions

como · 06-05-2009, 06:51 PM

Alright, so my new mr2 entirely fails to get an inspection sticker, so I need some parts- but firstly, I need more information.

I was told that the things that fail are:
Rear struts (both)
Front inner tie rod ends (both)
right-front sway bar link

Now looking at two's are us I can find the rear struts easily enough, as well as the tie rod ends- but I don't know the first thing about a sway bar- What exactly is a sway bar link? It doesnt appear to be a sway bar, so I'm just confused. The car has zero rust, so its not like some joint is just rusted out...

Also, I presume that the struts don't include coils- what kind of rigging do I need to replace the struts? I'd imagine I'd have to compress the coils to disassemble this thing...

Sh0ty · 06-05-2009, 06:58 PM

Righto, I just replaced my suspension, so here it goes.

Struts are an assembly of several parts that form the main part of your suspension. Most significantly, they are the springs and dampers. Springs are what absorb bumps and push the tires back onto the road, and dampers absorb energy from the springs. To rebuild the struts, you remove them from the car, compress the spring, remove the top mount, remove what's left of the strut boot and bump stop, remove the gland nut, remove the insert and reassemble in reverse order.

Sway bars are torsion bars that run under the car and connect the two wheels on each side of the car, basically to prevent body roll. The sway bar links are ball joints that connect to the strut housing, and are also known as droplinks.

06-05-2009, 06:51 PM	#1 (permalink)
como Road Warrior Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Southern Maine Posts: 652 Thanks: 13 Thanked 10 Times in 9 Posts iTrader Rating: (2/100% )	suspension part questions Alright, so my new mr2 entirely fails to get an inspection sticker, so I need some parts- but firstly, I need more information. I was told that the things that fail are: Rear struts (both) Front inner tie rod ends (both) right-front sway bar link Now looking at two's are us I can find the rear struts easily enough, as well as the tie rod ends- but I don't know the first thing about a sway bar- What exactly is a sway bar link? It doesnt appear to be a sway bar, so I'm just confused. The car has zero rust, so its not like some joint is just rusted out... Also, I presume that the struts don't include coils- what kind of rigging do I need to replace the struts? I'd imagine I'd have to compress the coils to disassemble this thing...

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06-05-2009, 06:58 PM	#2 (permalink)
Sh0ty Armchair Racer Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Novi, MI Posts: 1,273 Thanks: 22 Thanked 57 Times in 54 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (3/100% )	Righto, I just replaced my suspension, so here it goes. Struts are an assembly of several parts that form the main part of your suspension. Most significantly, they are the springs and dampers. Springs are what absorb bumps and push the tires back onto the road, and dampers absorb energy from the springs. To rebuild the struts, you remove them from the car, compress the spring, remove the top mount, remove what's left of the strut boot and bump stop, remove the gland nut, remove the insert and reassemble in reverse order. Sway bars are torsion bars that run under the car and connect the two wheels on each side of the car, basically to prevent body roll. The sway bar links are ball joints that connect to the strut housing, and are also known as droplinks.