Questions and Answers
Springing And Strutting
Q. I have a 1996 Ford Escort LX, 46,185 miles, automatic. I had a routine oil change only at one of the Franchise Tire Chains recently. Evidently, as courtesy they look around your car, and then tell you whether you need any other repairs. So they told me I need rear suspension, which would include springs and struts. Evidently one spring is twisted.
Through further conversation, it sounded as if they were really not sure if the struts actually needed replacing. Since finances are a big issue for me, I am wondering if it would be acceptable to just have the springs replaced at this time. Are the struts something that can be done at another time? The reason I am concerned is that my car just weeks before passed Massachusetts State Inspection at a different repair station. One of the inspection components is listed as Ball Joints/Steering/Suspension, and I know the State Inspection Station did have the car on the lift. I do not think the Franchise Tire Chain where I had the oil change had the car on the lift.
Please advise. Thanks so much for answering car questions!
A. Answering car questions? Is that what I'm supposed to be doing here? I thought this was the place where I pick up my $145,000,000.00 lottery winnings. Oh well, that's the story of my life, a day late and a dollar short.
You have a MacPherson strut suspension on the rear of your car. The spring is incorporated in with the shock. To replace either the spring or the shock, you have to disassemble the whole unit. So if you were to replace the spring, you might as well replace the strut with it and vice versa.
I find it kind of hard to believe that a spring itself is twisted. It may be that the spring is not sitting in the strut housing properly. That's just a matter of taking the assembly apart and seating it properly. If the struts themselves are not leaking, they don't need to be replaced. And if the spring is twisted a little bit in the mount, I really wouldn't worry about it until the struts do start to leak.
Since you do have a conflict of opinions in this situation, I would take it to a third place and let them look at it and show you the strut assemblies so you can see for yourself.
Additional Information provided courtesy of ALLDATA
