Matrix Struts! Replacing Front Struts on Toyota Matrix/Pontiac Vibe
Вставка
- Опубліковано 16 вер 2024
- In this video, I show my journey in replacing the front struts on my daughter's "new" 2004 Toyota Matrix with 219,000 miles. For the prices that garages seem to want to charge for this, you would think it's a massive pain in the backside to do this or something, but it's actually a very easy process, especially on these cars. I chose to install a set of quick struts I got thru Rock Auto. Quick struts contain the entire strut assembly, spring, upper strut mount, etc. All you have to do is drop the old ones out, pop the new ones in, and you're done. No messing around with spring compressors that can be dangerous.
Thanks for the tutorial, you are very detail oriented, that helps a lot. 👍👍
Its a relief to see you don't have to remove the hub/spindle nuts....pheeew. Saved time..
Amen! These come out super easy without ever having to touch that nut. After having done it once, I had the passenger side strut go bad under warranty and I was able to get it replaced it about 45 minutes by myself, including getting the jacks out, and putting them away. Super easy job if all the nuts come off properly.
This is a great video. I am handy but a novice mechanic. I’ve watched about 20 of these different videos. This is a complicated procedure. Even under the best of circumstances, lots of problems can result. Parts areas that didn’t need to be repaired. I don’t understand why a lot of you guys who are gracious and talented act as if this is such a simple procedure. You need to have someone skilled helping you doing this if you’re not a mechanic
I used to be afraid to work on suspension components too, but economics and being a single dad made me try anyway. If you are mechanically inclined, you'll find out there isn't as much to it as you think. It's nowhere as difficult as it sounds. Some cars are harder than others but on this particular car, they are indeed very easy to replace and if you are handy with a wrench, you can do it, for certain. We all started like you so never be afraid to give it a try.
Great Video, Thanks for sharing. Doing them this weekend!
Thank you this is a great video helps a lot
Awesome job!!!
Awesome video, help me alot.🙏
Thanks for the video, have this job to do this week. Always makes it look easy after a video. Did you pull the inner wheel well liner on this car, as they are missing on this car too.
My wheel liners were missing totally so I actually had to buy replacement parts and install them
Did this do anything for the ride quality? These rigs have terrible bumpy ride. I have an '05 and it's really rough riding.
Yes actually it did. These still won't ever ride like a Cadillac but it does help when the strut works properly
Thanks Floyd. I'm glad to hear this.@@FloydNashFixItDad
Great video, I watched another one wear they took off the hub nut. Just wondering if you have any Torque specs?
The 3 upper nuts are something like 29 lbs and the big bolts holding the strut to the knuckle is about 110-115. Over time, you just develop a feel for it so you really don't pay attention to the numbers as much.
Nice video, thanks. What brand of strut/spring assembly did you go with?
I just purchased some KYB-brand struts for my 2005 Matrix, and when the weather warms up again I plan to install them.
Let me know if there is a noticeable difference in the ride.
I went with Ultra-Power quick struts which were an economy choice. I really like them . They were very well constructed and made a big difference in the ride. It's more of a beater/first car so I didn't need high end, just something that worked properly. So far, pretty impressed though.
Great video!! Made it look very manageable for someone who has never changed one. Question: I own a 2008 Pontiac Vibe and need to change the front struts. What are the torquing specs for the three top nuts and the two bottom nuts, which are attached to the wheel hub? Thanks.
Thanks! The 3 at the top are 29 ft-lbs, the bottom are 166. Or as I do it, moderately tight for the top, really tight for the bottom ;-)
Cool vid. How many miles on the car?
At the time of this video, 221,000. The body has a small bit of rust here or there, and has more than a small amount of dings, but the engine, from what I could tell removing the valve cover, is in outstanding condition still.
Question for you. I can't get the bottom two mount bolts at the knuckle to break loose. Even had shop try when I was having them replace my catalytic converter. They couldnt do it. So I guess air impact wrench? Already tried 1/2 in electric impact wrench I rented.
Yikes. Air impact, lots of penetrating oil, and maybe some heat.
How's the ride on those struts? Were you running stock before the replacement?
The ride is excellent. These aren't performance struts, just OE style replacements to replicate factory ride. The ones that were on there were the original with almost 220,000 miles on them, so the ride wasn't so great any more.
Hi Floyd Nash, thanks for this nice tutorial. I have a question for you. I installed 4 brand new quick struts on my 2005 Pontiac Vibe (same car as your daughter's) one year ago and now the car feel so harsh on any bump or crack that the comfort is actually worse than it was with previous original old struts. I had them inspected and they are in perfect shape. Now the dealer offered me to replace the 4 struts by four new one but I kind of feel that I'll do all the job once again for nothing. I was wondering how was the comfort on your Toyota after the replacement? Did you have a nice smooth ride or did it feel bumpy and harsh? Thanks a lot for your inputs!
Mine is pretty nice actually. For an older car with such high mileage, it's not bad at all. Check your tires too. If you have tires with hard sidewalls, especially if you have them aired up too much, that will create a harsh ride too. Drop the air in the tires back to maybe 30-32 pounds and see what happens.
Thanks for your reply, my tire are always around 30-32 psi and with both my winter and summer tire, the comfort is just terrible. Also, one thing I noticed is that for the rear struts, the Monroe Quick Struts are about one inch longer and raised the rear of the car by the same amount. I don't know if this can partly explain the discomfort. But event that, the front is at least as much harsh as the rear so... I will probably replace them again with four new struts and expect this to solve my problem. I'm trying to get experience from other matrix/vibe owners that used this product, so thanks for your feedback! :-)
@@genetixx01 I wonder if it's just the Monroe branded ones. It sounds like the spring may be too harsh. If you have the old struts with factory springs, you might be able to just move the springs over. RockAuto also has an FCS branded kit with all 4 struts for just over $200 also, and I've had decent luck using FCS.
@@FloydNashFixItDad You made a good point, I could try to install my old coil springs on the new Monroe Quick struts. I guess this will be my last option. Monroe sells these struts claiming original comfort, so I guess I could expect something close to the original comfort and now it's far from that. I will have them replace by four new one and if it doesn't make any difference, I may either ask for reimbursement to try KWB struts or try to install my old coil spring as you suggested.
About RockAuto, unfortunately, being a Canadian, I have to pay border fees to get them here and it makes it much less interesting than it is for Americans ;-).