My front struts are so bad.. I'm no mechanic and seeing the pictures in this thread scare me.

removing-oem-cartridge-from-front-strut-t584131.html

I've done the rear struts, timing belt, main seal, cam seals, power steering rack, power steering pump, alternator, water pump, thermostat, rotors, pads, belts, EGR pipe cleaning, spark plugs, and I also changed the passenger side front strut mount a year ago because the bb's came out. But this has me all stressed out.. Its my daily driver. I feel I'm going to run into an issue and not have a car for a few days. My plan is to do one side each day so I can use the car the next day.

I bought KYB's 365056 because I couldn't find Monroe 73948 anywhere.

Anyone know which boots I need? Amazon says KYB SB104's are frequently purchased with 365056's.
Anyone have a shim size I'll need on the top? I bought the copper shims mentioned in the other thread but those won't work on the 365056's. They fit but only leave like 3 threads showing. No good.

Any advice?

mac, it sounds like time is a real constraint for you , but I'll tell you briefly (more detail in my post several mo's ago). 93 J30 , front strut as one-piece,welded to spindle has at the top a silver ,threaded "spanner" type cap holding the piston/ seals in place.Yeah my front was soggy ,bouncing I used spring compressor(hook type with long allthread-bolts) after taking strut tower nuts off and tie-rod end thus hanging outwards @ about 45 degrees.When I twisted off the cap w/460 Channellocks - insides came out - the "Factory oil fill"was (after 20years) thick , coagulated, had small clumps. Cleaned up ALL w/Brakleen - blow-off any orifices with compressed-air , let dry ,then filled with Solder SEAL Jack oil,instructions said "suitable for struts,shocks,motorcycle tubes etc." I estimated fill depth w/wire and filled an additional 25cc's.I got stiffer than stock , nice tight fr. end and "flatter cornering" for 2 bottles @ $ 4.99 ea G 4/5/2018

macgiver wrote: ↑

Thu Apr 05, 2018 10:44 pm

mac, it sounds like time is a real constraint for you , but I'll tell you briefly (more detail in my post several mo's ago). 93 J30 , front strut as one-piece,welded to spindle has at the top a silver ,threaded "spanner" type cap holding the piston/ seals in place.Yeah my front was soggy ,bouncing I used spring compressor(hook type with long allthread-bolts) after taking strut tower nuts off and tie-rod end thus hanging outwards @ about 45 degrees.When I twisted off the cap w/460 Channellocks - insides came out - the "Factory oil fill"was (after 20years) thick , coagulated, had small clumps. Cleaned up ALL w/Brakleen - blow-off any orifices with compressed-air , let dry ,then filled with Solder SEAL Jack oil,instructions said "suitable for struts,shocks,motorcycle tubes etc." I estimated fill depth w/wire and filled an additional 25cc's.I got stiffer than stock , nice tight fr. end and "flatter cornering" for 2 bottles @ $ 4.99 ea G 4/5/2018

Interesting! Thanks!

Just read your post:
post6757301.html#p6757301

And found this one:
strut-rebuild-t597480.html

I think I'll give it a shot! 50/50 chance it works. Can't get any worse.

Alright I'm in it! And now confused. The other post said the whole cartridge came out. I can't get mine out.. Did yours come out? Or did you just fill yours via the little holes?

mac,that definately has to come out, and (was 13 years ago) I believe when I got that far I tried pulling out the tubes by tie wiring a weight on the pistons like a "dent-puller" , unless you want to try re-attaching the top threaded piston back onto strut tower w/spring cap and applying down-pressure or heavy hits to knuckle to get that big washer w/ two orifices past the inside threads.

macgiver wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 08, 2018 10:54 pm

mac,that definately has to come out, and (was 13 years ago) I believe when I got that far I tried pulling out the tubes by tie wiring a weight on the pistons like a "dent-puller" , unless you want to try re-attaching the top threaded piston back onto strut tower w/spring cap and applying down-pressure or heavy hits to knuckle to get that big washer w/ two orifices past the inside threads.

Thanks mac! From my research some were welded in and the only way to get them out is with a chisel..

Mine were toast tho.. not a drop of oil came out. The seals are bad. Gland nut also had a partially exposed spring. Don't think I'd be saving them.

Not sure what I'm going to do now. I put it all back together until I figure it out. I wrote Monroe about their 73948's but haven't heard back.

mac,hey man that's too bad , when I did mine (93 J ) I believe I exhausted ALL avenues for inserts like KYB etc. and we're NOW hearing these other posts' Parts #'s - hope that's a NEW option these days for you

I just finished replacing my ‘97 J30 struts with KYB 365056. I tried the $500+ OEM struts in Dec 2016 but in 8 months the seals blew and oil filled the chamber. I had a machine shop turn bearings to fit the KYB’s in the housing and mount, so for $250 total it rides so much better!
Dont remember how to post pictues