ok got my struts/mounts ordered so now need install advice and tips

[kms1990]

ok as many of you here know from my last thread i was looking for struts and mounts, i ordered kyb set and monroe mounts i went and got a sh!t load of pb blaster to soak the parts in before i take them off and was advised to look out for swaybar end links getting stuck and over tightening strut mount on fronts.

my questions are has anyone else had these issues?
and anyone have anymore tips or advice on things i need to look for or be warned about when doing this job? (i know it will need an alignment)

any common broken parts?
any common worn parts at about 150,000 miles? everything on my car seems tight turns great and has great feel (other than maybe struts goin weak)other than the struts recently seem noisy and it seems to nose dive just slightly more than i think it should under moderate braking.

im doing this job with a friend that has more tools for it and more suspension work experience then i do, im more engine performance oriented in my knowledge, not suspension/

and any other tips advice you feel i need to know before these monsters that ate my wallet get here!

 

[ZedStyle]

when doing the rears go ahead and remove all the plastic cr@p in the trunk around the strut towers. one of the DIY's i'm sure you've read suggests you can do it through the top. it's not worth the hassle, just remove all the plastic bits.
are you changing the springs out as well or just the struts?

 

[kms1990]

just struts and mounts my springs look great and so do the bellows and bump stops on all 4. and my car doesnt sag at all, in fact sits higher than the 2 other mp5s in my area that seem stock suspension setups

can you elaborate on that plastic? are you talking about the fender molding under the panels?

 

[i12drivemyMP5]

The plastic panels inside the car on both sides. Is PIA but worth it to do strut install. Remove flooring, then the panel in center bottom of hatch opening, the tops where seat belt comes out just pop off & then panels have the pushpin fasteners holding them in place. There is a fastener in front down by bottom of rear seat on each side too so flip up the rear seat bottoms to get to those.

 

[kms1990]

ok, so i will have to remove my sub/amp from the back then i wasnt sure if i could get away with leaving it in

 

[Hank3]

This is what I used:

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123674157-HOW-TO-Protege-5-Strut-and-Sway-Bar-install

When I did mine, the rear driver's side seatbelt kept locking up. If that happens, you have to pull straight up on the seatbelt while holding the assembly perfectly level. Any other angle and it will not release. It is for safety in case of an accident or a rollover.

 

[Nocturin]

I would recommend replacing the end links with ford escape endlinks (info's been collected in one of my threads and around the forum) and checking the bushings on your sway bars (with 160k miles on mine, they're shot and it's the "clunking" coupled with the bad end-links on my car) they may need to be replaced.

I know I've got to go replace every component, and I'm just hoping I can find some tokios rather than go with the staggs, monroe, or kyb, and the rest of the suspension components.

Good luck on your install!

 

[kms1990]

i picked up 3 cans of pb blaster the day before i go to dive into this i will get under and pb blast the hell out of it using probably 1 of those cans up, then save 2 for when were in there taking it off. everything but my struts seem tight and still handles great i dont think it needs much of anything else unless i break something. from feel the struts have just started to fail and just very recently started making noise so suspension shouldnt have much wear and tear to it from loose or worn parts making things worse. last time i was doing an oil change a few months back i looked at everything in there no bad rubber or rust (car has been in texas whole life) nothing seems bent or loose. the strut boots and bump stops are dirty but seem like they are in great shape, with no evidence of tears or fluid leakage onto them. i cant afford tokico struts or i would have gone that route kyb is a brand i know and have experience with plus at $209 for all 4 you cant beat that! at autozone they were $83 a pop and at rock auto 65ish at autopartswarehouse would have been 250 total for all 4.cheapest tokico i could find was $100 each i am in college and need my car to last and be reliable for at least 2 more years until i graduate college and can find a decent paying entry level job in my field and get a newer used car, maybe a sentra ser or a mazda speed 3!

 

[hornsfan10609]

If it's a TX car you will be fine, nothing to worry about. Definitely want to look into replacing the sway bar endlinks and bushings and if needed the lower control arms/ball joints.

For a future car I recommend the speed3 over a sentra. My MSP is slow and I sh*t on SERs

 

[blkaznmartin]

I just did about the same thing. I have KYBs with Monroe mounts with stock springs in the back and MSP in the front. I originally had S-Techs but I have to keep my back right from mysteriously scraping.

One annoying thing you need to look out for is aligning the strut mounts properly so that your hub assembly goes back in easily. For the front, there are five holes in the spring seat plate and the two circular ones face outwards. The back is something like this one here. http://www.2carpros.com/forum/automotive_pictures/62217_protegeb_1.jpg

Also the nuts that go on the mounts are a pain. Feels like you're stripping them but they're on correctly apparently.

 

[kms1990]

I just did about the same thing. I have KYBs with Monroe mounts with stock springs in the back and MSP in the front. I originally had S-Techs but I have to keep my back right from mysteriously scraping.

One annoying thing you need to look out for is aligning the strut mounts properly so that your hub assembly goes back in easily. For the front, there are five holes in the spring seat plate and the two circular ones face outwards. The back is something like this one here. http://www.2carpros.com/forum/automotive_pictures/62217_protegeb_1.jpg

Also the nuts that go on the mounts are a pain. Feels like you're stripping them but they're on correctly apparently.

thanks, ill keep my eye on that

 

[kms1990]

If it's a TX car you will be fine, nothing to worry about. Definitely want to look into replacing the sway bar endlinks and bushings and if needed the lower control arms/ball joints.

For a future car I recommend the speed3 over a sentra. My MSP is slow and I sh*t on SERs

well spec v since they are 6 speed manual the regular ser is slow because its a automatic that kills any sporty car and will never own a sporty or sports car with an automatic, but im not looking for speed, im lookn for a decently fast but mainly reliable ride after college, may go altima coupe with a 3.5 or 2.5 with a stick if i can find one and yes been in texas its whole life, the end links i have to order and dont want to replace unless badly worn or stuck, just dont want to spend more money right now, the struts and my college books killed and buried my bank account for a little bit