Ok,

After 13 years and 206K on the original suspension, my innards can no longer tolerate the intense "connection with the road" associated with the way my car rides.

I have purchased

1)new KYBs all around
2)rear sway bar end links
3)front lower control arms

The car has ABS.

In reading manuals explaining the overhaul process (not Saturn FSM I do not have it), it mentions using a special tool to separate the knuckle and warns against damaging the speed ring associated with the ABS speed sensor.

A) Where do I find this tool (aside from the bay of a Saturn Tech though this is not out of the question as I have many friends there)?

B) What is safe to use if I cannot get my hands on one of these tools?

I have never done suspension work but am mechanically inclined and looking to expand my horizons.

No, I don''''t have a rig for compressing the spring to get the struts out either.... I will get one or access to one.....

Thanks for any input- don''''t want to start something I can''''t finish......

DerfEdited by: derf

 

Well, I cannot help you with the methods for the mechanical portion, other than to suggest contacting your local ORileys, AdVance Autoor AutoZone store. They normally will rent/loan the tool(s) you need to accomplish your desired repairs. Good luck

 

bump

 

Well,

I finally started this project last night. After multiple doses of PB Blaster, I finally got the nuts and bolts loose on one of the control arms.

The "whack the flat of the knuckle with a hammer" approach suggested by Saturn Tech buddies to free the ball joint end of the control arm from the knuckle did not work. I successfully used a ball joint separator tool to separate the ball joint end from the knuckle.
Writeups suggest you may damage the seal by using such a tool. And you will. And I did. So what? You''''re REPLACING it....
_____

Control Arm Installation Issue

I noticed that when I took the control arm one out, the end which attaches to the cradle sprung upwards after the cradle to control arm bolt was removed, as it is under tension from the rest of the suspension pushing down.

Writeups state that the ball joint end should go into the knuckle last, but that seems physically impossible to me given the angles and limited play of the suspension. (The strut is still attached)
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Status

I have the new control arm on the sway bar end (bolt on loosely), with the ball joint end installed in the knuckle (no bolt) and the cradle end resting in its mounting bracket but the cradle end is sitting about 1 inch high and 1 inch out away from having the thru hole aligned with the bracket to allow me to put the cradle bolt back in.

Suggestions on getting this lined back up?

The other front wheel is on a ramp. Will having the entire front on jackstands instead of just the side I''''m working on help relieve the tension and alignment issues? Will loosening the top strut mounting bolts create enough lateral play? I''''m thinking this will solve the height alignment issue.....but not sure about the lateral alignment.

Your assistance is greatly appreciated, as my car is taking up the garage and the wife is getting pissy.

Derf

Edited by: derf

 

Derf


My condolences go out to you with respect to the wifely ire you are experiencing. Also, my thoughts seems to run similar to yours in that placing your vehicle on ramps would help alleviate some of the torque/twist/stress in the steering linkages. I am also hoping that you had your wheels squared up straight before you started to tear into it ...

 

Wheels were squared up as much as they could be (as I drove the car up on the ramps). Then raised one side with a floor jack enough to get the wheel clear of the ramp so I could remove it then put a jackstand in place on that side and began working on the control arm.

I''m thinking I may need to support the knuckle with the floor jack and then remove the strut (which I am replacing anyway) to allow for the needed positioning adjustment of the control arm end.

Anyone? Anyone?

Low Saturn?

Anyone?

 

Or apparently I can do both front control arms at once and remove the sway bar, but that seems like extra work I''d like to avoid....

 

Wow, this is unintentionally becoming a 95SC2 suspension blog.....I would have thought someone had attempted some part of this before and could give me some pointers, but....whatever....

If nothing else it can serve to chronicle what happens when a suspension newbie is left unchecked with air tools, metric wrenches, sockets, and wedge tools near an unsuspecting suspension.
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Update on lack of real progress

Removed other front wheel, front now completely on jackstands. Seemed to help take some stress off the sway bar, but still no dice with getting the cradle bolt hole aligned.

Ended up removing the ball joint stud from the knuckle, putting the cradle end back in pseudo-position, supporting the base of the knuckle with a floor jack, and raising the knuckle high enough such that the angle of the cradle bolt through hole on the control arm allowed me to start the cradle bolt through the cradle and through the end of the arm.

As no reasonable amount of force, cursing, or sorcery (Wiccan or otherwise) could get the cradle end of the control arm fully aligned with the cradle holes to allow the bolt to go all the way through, I surrendered and removed the strut.

Doing so provided enough wobble play of the knuckle, its movement no longer constrained by the strut, to align the cradle bolt hole (took additional jack height adjustment of the knuckle and tightening of the control arm to sway bar nut to get this JUST right).

With the cradle bolt and nut installed, I then lifted the knuckle up and inserted the ball joint stud through the knuckle and started the castle nut to secure.

Tonight I will compress the spring and swap out the strut and the top bearing pack. (Running a compressor at 11:30 pm on workdays pisses off your neighbors)
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Will I be able to get the new strut and spring back into the vehicle?

$%#^ I sure hope so. What comes off must go back on. Without duct tape or spackle (I live by these rules)
___
Stay tuned.... hopefully those who have tackled this task are getting some entertainment out of reading my 27 step process for completing a 4 step job.....

Peace

Derf

Edited by: derf

 

Well, I can honestly say that loosening the fasteners on the control arm. then removing the strut, then removing the control arm sure is a hell of alot easier than trying to do the control arm with the strut on...

Update
____
Both front control arms installed and both front struts replaced. Springs were ok and re-installed.

Bearing packs puked ball bearings all over my garage floor....good thing I ordered the Saturn replacement strut mount parts (pricey but handy).

Original struts totally wasted (13 years/206K mi no surprise there.... Guess that explains the "exceptional road feel".

Test drove quickly to ensure all is reasonably well.

The camber is off but I''ll get it aligned after I finish the rear.

Now I only hear the bumps instead of feeling them through the steering wheel...
______________

On to the rear sway bar end links and rear struts....

Stay tuned I''m sure I''ll find a way to complicate what looks rather straightforward.......

I always do......

Later

Derf

 

As usual, a seemingly easy task became difficult.

Although multiply soaked w/ PB Blaster, only one of the two nuts would budge on the sway bar end link. Ended up cutting one post with a bolt cutter.

The one that didn''t move at all was fun to cut off, since I actually had to cut through the nut itself, including the lip, right up against the sway bar.

My compressor is only a 4.4 CFM @ 90 psi, which is fine for most stuff but is conveniently underpowered enough to make using a pneumatic cut off tool incredibly annoying, as it needs more than my compressor can keep up with. I knew this before I went out and bought one (compliments of this project) so I found one I could get a good 15 seconds out of before the pressure got too low.

Rear strut #1 came out in a jiffy.

Once the strut had been swapped out, a wrestling match ensued which ended with the rear knuckle finally finding a home in the bottom end of the strut.

Still haven''t put the sway bar end link (new) in, as I need to get some better quality tools to avoid damaging the nuts..

The other rear strut later this week. (only a few hours a night plus I sometimes do other things.

And I am really trying not to totally #$$% this up as I learn my way through elementary suspension freshening.