Replacing struts on 03' Vibe GT

[HelpPlease]

Can anyone describe or give me a link where I can find the general procedures to replace all 4 (front and back) on the 03 GT Do you need to rent a spring compressor?Thanks, Jim.

[keithvibe]

It's not hard.

Attached files frontsusp.pdf (145 KB) 

[keithvibe]

rear

Attached files rearpeices.pdf (202.3 KB) 

[high revin]

changed them on my 03 Vibe GT last week at 162k put on a set of KYB's nice struts bought them from Summit Racing.

[boomermsu]

KYB struts are garbage unless they are AGX or a better model. That is unless your car has stock springs etc... They are fine for stock replacement but that is about it from my experience.

[Sublimewind]

Quote, originally posted by boomermsu »KYB struts are garbage unless they are AGX or a better model. That is unless your car has stock springs etc... They are fine for stock replacement but that is about it from my experience.Well, don't sugar-coat your feeling there brotha... lol... I ran GR2's on my old Subie as a factory replacement (stock ride hight) and loved them... They had just a touch more dampening than my stock struts did when new.. it's was perfect for me at the time... I even rallied around the back roads often with that set-up.. even taking small jumps.. lol..

[Raven]

KYB GR2 are OEM on the Vibe. If lowered you're better off getting Tokico. They are a huge improvement and made to work with lowered suspension.

[Sublimewind]

Quote, originally posted by Raven »KYB GR2 are OEM on the Vibe. If lowered you're better off getting Tokico. They are a huge improvement and made to work with lowered suspension.DOH... right...

[stalinb12]

So, no special tools are needed to do this?? All I really need are some wrenches? I'd rather do this myself than get raked over the coals at some dealer or crappy chain garage.

[Herb]

Quote, originally posted by stalinb12 »So, no special tools are needed to do this?? All I really need are some wrenches? I'd rather do this myself than get raked over the coals at some dealer or crappy chain garage.I haven't had to do them on my Vibe yet, but judging from the diagram, I'd say you'd have to rent a spring compressor which isn't really a big deal.

[keithvibe]

a spring compressor is required. you can rent one from autozone for 50bucks then get that back when you return the spring compressors.Basic hand tools including some allen wrenches, and some penatration oil to free up what will be some rusted bolts.I just some work on my car on friday so it's pritty fresh in my mind.Fronts should take you *if it's your first time* about 1hr maybe 1.5hrsThe backs will require a bit more work because you need to remove all the plastic crap in the back hatch to access the two bolts in the car.

[stalinb12]

Well hell, I am going to try this. I went to three places today and they want $1000 to do this. Hate to think what the dealer would charge.

[keithvibe]

Quote, originally posted by stalinb12 »Well hell, I am going to try this. I went to three places today and they want $1000 to do this. Hate to think what the dealer would charge.is that with or with out lube LOLMaybe they were including the new struts in that price.If anyone has any issues fell free to PM and I will give you some help if you need it via PM

[stalinb12]

Well, yes it was with the new struts, almost $600 in labor.Up in NY my cousin got quoted around $500 for 4 struts installed.I just can't bring myself to shell out over a grand for this, the car has 146K miles on it.

[aztkvibe]

So did you get it done? Any tips for some one who has never done this type of job?

[hskater26]

i just replaced my front struts a month ago its pretty easy as long as you tighten everything you took off all the way haha oh and dont break anything

[keithvibe]

Quote, originally posted by aztkvibe »So did you get it done? Any tips for some one who has never done this type of job?take your time and plan a full day if it's your first time doing it.it's not hard, really it isn't, just time consuming.

[MisterHighway]

I have been looking into doing my struts/shocks as well. I have a 2003 Base FWD and using the information I've gleaned off the website, believe I can do this myself. Especially since the pricing I've been getting for F/R shocks/struts, front mounts, and an alignment was about $1,300. I will post the links of the shock kits and P/N I've found for the KYB stock replacement gas units. I have not lowered my vibe and these will suit me. My few questions I have though are:Do I NEED to replace my mounts? How can I tell if they are bad?Should I replace the boots/bellows on them? Again, how can I tell they are bad (beyond being chopped to crap - haven't looked closely at mine yet)I have found the shocks at Just Suspension, through Amazon.The part numbers I have obtained are:235704 - Front Left Strut - $83235703 - Front Right Strut - $83344612 - Right AND Left Rear Shock - (Quantity 2) - $60/perSB105 - Front Left & Right Bellow (I've also found SB102) - $11SB108 - Rear Left & Right Bellow - $11SM5215 - Front Left & Right Mount - $56Looks to be about $286 for all four w/o boots/bellows and mounts.Just Suspension also has a "shock/strut" package for $305. Same PN as the ones listed individually. Savings of $20. Just Suspension Link - http://justsuspension.com/vaf/...=4529I have the front and rear assembly explosions, I can rent a spring compressor from Autozone, and I need some wrenches and allen wrenches? And maybe a penetrating oil for the bolts? Should I use a torque wrench (I'd have to borrow, rent, or buy one), what type of penetrating oil (and should I use it on the hot spots days prior to the work), and should I have another pair of hands helping me?Thanks for all your help and future assistance!-[MisterHighway]

[Sublimewind]

I've got the complete repair manual in my signature.. so I'm sure that'll help.. YES, replace the mounts, the moment you don't, you'll get it back together and one will go bad.. Same with the boots... You may need to rent a strut tool, which is a socket that is cut out, so you can get a wrench inside, to remove the top strut nut from the mount.. along with spring compressorsAn extra set of hand is ALWAYS a good idea, they provide eyes and a brain as well, sometimes HIGHLY needed... otherwise, it's pretty easy..

[vibedrivermatt]

^Yup what he said. Maybe this site could help you find what your after. I just stumbled across this and it looks like a pretty good site for stuff. You should be able to find those strut mounts, bellows, foam bumper parts. I dunno if those oddball parts are hard to find but they got em. Their prices seem pretty resonable and they dont go berzerk on the shipping. I just bought some adjustable cam bolts from them they shipped it really quick. the site is rockauto.com (removed link in edit)

[MisterHighway]

@Sublimewind - Thanks for the info. I will replace the mounts and the bellows along with the struts/shocks. However, I did attempt to get the manual in your profile, however the link is either not working or incorrect. I would really like to get my hands on that! But thanks for your help, if you do happen to find another link for it, please PM me. @VibeDriverMatt - I checked out the site you listed and found they did carry all the parts I need, however were a bit more expensive than JustSuspension.com. Apparently -[MisterHighway]

[MisterHighway]

@Sublime - I tried your link later, it did work for me. But while I was clicking around, I did find the whole service manual for download so that people don't D/L from that host and eat up bandwidth if they do decide to D/L.http://pdftown.com/PDF-Toyota-....htmlD/L'd it myself, same manual listed by Sublimewind but won't use up his bandwidth if you want to save a copy to your computer locally.-[MisterHighway]

[MikeReilly]

After finding this thread and downloading the pdf's with the diagrams, I'm starting strut replacement (front only) on my '06. I started today, but ran into a snag as I was mostly following a tutorial on YouTube that didn't mention the "Front Stabilizer Link Assembly" (sway bar link) that's clearly shown in the front suspension pdf linked in this thread (thanks for that!) Anyway, there's a bit of a trick to undoing those since they are basically small ball joints at each end. While they have a 17mm nut, they also have a 6mm hex (Allen key style) socket in the bolt since you can't hold the other end. DON'T do what I did, which was put a 17mm socket on my impact driver as that will just spin the ball joint and cause problems. In fact, I basically wrecked the stabilizer link assembly and cost myself a lot of time in the process. Get a 6mm hex socket and a 17mm wrench instead. Here's hoping it goes better on attempt #2 tomorrow!

Update: if your struts haven't been worked on in a long time (like 9 years) just plan on getting new stabilizer bars and plan on cutting off the old ones. Those hex sockets in the bolts are junk if they've rusted at all.