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Suspension Replacement; Front and Rear
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Topic Started: Nov 24 2015, 05:19 PM (1,391 Views)
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Mythstae
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Nov 24 2015, 05:19 PM
Post #1
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When I tried to find part numbers for the parts I needed for my '96, I noticed that the online catalogs of KYB (and perhaps others) claim that there are no struts available for 1995-2001 Metros/Swifts. Well, that's weird.  Fortunately, there is GeoMetroForum - which lets you know that hope is not lost! They use the same part numbers as the 1989-1994 cars do.  (Please note: I do not know if Sedans use the same parts as Hatchbacks. These part numbers are all known to fit on Hatchbacks - not tested on Sedans.)
Here are those part numbers:
 Front Right Strut, P/N KYB 232025 Quantity Needed: 1
 Front Left Strut, P/N KYB 232026 Quantity Needed: 1
 Rear Strut, P/N KYB 232027 Quantity Needed: 2 This part is interchangeable - there is no difference between left and right.
 Front strut mount kit, P/N K9720 OR ASM2804 OR KYB SM5188 Quantity Needed: 2
Rear strut mount kit, P/N K9722 OR ASM2801 OR KYB SM5189 Quantity Needed: 2
 Front Strut Bump Stop/Boot, P/N KYB SB103 Quantity Needed: 2
Rear Strut Bump Stop/Boot, P/N KYB SB101 Quantity Needed: 2
- Mythstae
- Jun 25 2015, 03:59 PM
Not really feeling the "long, detailed post" thing at the moment, so time for a few highlights from the suspension job...  Old strut assembly.  Tower looks good.  Air tools, yeah!  Old spring, new, er, nearly everything else!   Replaced my cut fender liner...  Box of dirt I scraped out of the fender gap, this is the box that my front strut mounts came in...   This tower also looks good!  The rear strut got a real, er, "Charlie Brown's Shirt" motif going on, from all the twisting to get it in...  Had to use the OEM top washer, instead of the new one...  Because, while the center hole was the same size, the outer edge of the washer was so much larger than the original, it was not physically possible to fit it through the strut tower hole.  Make sure you remember to move the rubber spring bumper from your old strut assembly to the new one.

- Mythstae
- Jun 30 2015, 04:03 AM
 For those curious, no, I did not drive it to the alignment shop like that. We towed it there on my dolly. Probably would've ground off my tires if I had tried...
- snowfish
- Jun 14 2015, 07:35 AM
- Mythstae
- Jun 14 2015, 12:33 AM
 Ok, while I'm waiting for the rest of the parts to come in, I'm doing research in the Suspension/Steering/Alignment area of the forum. Somebody that's done struts - clue me in - You see the pics of the strut mounts. That's what I got. There aren't any other parts for that... that's all of it. Some threads seem to indicate that those are not all of the parts that you actually NEED, though. ...help? Am I missing something? If so, what? 
You're fine.  That's the parts that I used on the past two strut jobs.  If you want to get really detailed, swap the passenger side spring with the drivers side spring.
- Mythstae
- Jun 14 2015, 01:02 PM
- t3ragtop
- Jun 14 2015, 08:20 AM
the front strut mount pic shows the washer/ lower bearing race and the caged needle bearing. it's missing the upper washer/ bearing race that has a smaller id that fits the strut shaft.
you will have to carefully inspect the upper races from your strut assembly and re-use both of those. make sure that there are no hairline cracks and no surface imperfections. i have resurfaced used races flat again using a flat steel plate and medium grit sand paper.
there are plastic bushings that center the bearing cages and you need to make sure that they aren't damaged. they hold the cages and lower races in place around the strut shaft and set the stack height for the upper race.
Ok, so I read in a couple of other threads: http://geometroforum.com/topic/5785892/http://geometroforum.com/topic/5002720/About replacing something with either this washer from Lowe's, or maybe this single-piece thing that fits some other Suzukis. So is the washer that Stiffchezze found... and the all-in-one thing scubaman found... The same thing? I mean, fitment and functionality wise? - t3ragtop
- Jun 14 2015, 08:20 AM
the tiny rollers in the caged needle bearings can be damaged by the least little surface irregularity. even a grain of sand will jam things up.
also, the application of grease on those caged needle bearings should be limited to filling the cage. too much grease makes the rollers skid instead of rolling like they should.
Noted. - t3ragtop
- Jun 14 2015, 08:20 AM
i think i have posted pics that show the strut assembly procedure in my blue monster and red resto-rod project threads.
Oh, crap, you're gonna make me sift through your thread?! "Let's see, it was posted sometime between now and the beginning of time..."  - t3ragtop
- Jun 14 2015, 08:20 AM
you will need a spring compressor to safely disassemble the old struts and assemble the new struts. pay close attention to the orientation of the upper spring saddle/ perch on the old strut assemblies and make sure that the position of those upper saddles is correct when you assemble the new struts.
Dad says he has a spring compressor. 
- Mythstae
- Jun 14 2015, 01:39 PM
- Mythstae
- Jun 14 2015, 04:35 PM
- Mythstae
- Jun 14 2015, 04:39 PM
I'm trying to make a semi-coherent thread out of all this information, but I really should have done this immediately after I did the job, while it was all still fresh in my mind...
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pdqrunner
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Nov 24 2015, 05:26 PM
Post #2
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Very nice write up. Thanks for the part numbers. I have a bad knock in the front end that I am thinking may be strut mounts.
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Mythstae
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Nov 24 2015, 05:54 PM
Post #3
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- pdqrunner
- Nov 24 2015, 05:26 PM
Very nice write up. Thanks for the part numbers. I have a bad knock in the front end that I am thinking may be strut mounts. Thanks! And you're welcome. I still don't have this thread where I want it, information-wise. But it's a start! Good luck with your noise!
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t3ragtop
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Nov 24 2015, 06:05 PM
Post #4
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Turbo3 and Twincam Tweaker
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you know, now that you have included a pic with the reminder to move the rubber spring cushions to the new struts, i'm reminded that i have never even seen spring cushions on front struts!
nice write up. thanks.
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Mythstae
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Nov 24 2015, 06:10 PM
Post #5
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- Posts:
- 7,816
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- 1996 Geo Metro 3/5, 1994 Geo Metro 3/A, 1995 Nissan Pathfinder 6/5 4x4, 1988 Honda VTR 250 2/6
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- t3ragtop
- Nov 24 2015, 06:05 PM
you know, now that you have included a pic with the reminder to move the rubber spring cushions to the new struts, i'm reminded that i have never even seen spring cushions on front struts! 
Interesting!- t3ragtop
- Nov 24 2015, 06:05 PM
nice write up. thanks. Thank you!
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don_dowdy
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Nov 25 2015, 07:04 AM
Post #6
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ABS cars have different front struts. There's a clip welded onto the strut for the ABS wires, like the ones for the brake lines.
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