Struts or Active Suspension

[SHR XTC]

I recently acquired a 1993 Q45a.It has 150K on it and not sure if any suspension work was done.The Active Suspension still goes up and down.

How do I know if it is the Struts that need to replaced or if it's the Active Suspension??

Thanks~~

[maxnix]

I believe the struts are part of the active suspension and rarely, if ever, need replacement. The accumulators are what fail (there are 9, I think?). Search the post for active, or search on texasoil, as he is the authority (besides Q45tech) on active, and he is the best source of rebuilt accumulators.

[texasoil]

If the Active Sus warning light come on with all the others before starting, and is not ON when the engine is running, the system is working. That it 'goes up and down' also indicates it is working.

However, the hydraulic accumulators slowly lose their high pressure nitrogen charge, resulting in a harsh ride and diminished 'active' performance.

To find out what you have, with the car running, bounce hard on each corner--like checking the shocks. It should have 4-6 inches of smooth travel at each corner. Less means th estrut accumulators are low. If you have only a little stiff bounce--that is the rubber bushings in the suspension flexing--no strut travel left. The car will ride very harsh at low speeds and will pound over larger bumps.

Exchanging the strut accumulators with my recharged ones will solve that problem. New active struts cost about $800 EACH, and take 1-2 hours of shop time to install.

Drop me a line off board ([email protected]) and we will discuss your situation. Contrary to popular opinion, active cars need not be more expensive to maintain. With my recharged accumulators, more than 95% of the 'problems' are cured.

People need to remember that conventional struts need replacing every 40-60K miles, and that is a $1200-$1500 job at the Infiniti dealer.

[SHR XTC]

maxnix & texasoil,

Thanks for the info.I'm gonna check it out and see what it is.

Thanks~~