GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

With all the lowered Vibes here on genvibe.com., I'm curious if anyone has blown a strut yet. If not, would the first one to do so please post in this thread? :DAlso, what's the part number for a strut, cost, etc? I'm sure the fronts are different than the rear.Now why am I posting about this? Well, I haven't blown one, but there's some creaking coming from what sounds like my rear suspension that just began in the past week. I've got Hotchkis springs and a Progress rear sway bar. I guess a bolt might just be loose.Anyway, I'm sure a blown strut would have obvious signs i.e. severe bottoming out lol

Front Suspension:88972106, Strut Assy, Base, RH88972107, Strut Assy, Base, LH88972110, Strut Assy, AWD, RH88972111, Strut Assy, AWD, LH88972108, Strut Assy, GT, RH88972109, Strut Assy, GT, LHRear Suspension:88972112, Absorber Assy, Shock, Base88972113, Absorber Assy, Shock, GT88972114, Absorber Assy, Shock, AWD

Thanks!

FYI...88972106, Strut Assy, Base, RH - price same as GT 88972107, Strut Assy, Base, LH - price same as GT 88972110, Strut Assy, AWD, RH - Not found! (bleh)88972111, Strut Assy, AWD, LH - GMPartsdirect price: $81.0588972108, Strut Assy, GT, RH - GMPartsdirect price: $82.60 88972109, Strut Assy, GT, LH - GMPartsdirect price: $82.60Rear Suspension:88972112, Absorber Assy, Shock, Base - GMPartsdirect price: $56.4288972113, Absorber Assy, Shock, GT - GMPartsdirect price: $86.83 (Interesting, I thought the GT's stock susp. was the same as the base?)88972114, Absorber Assy, Shock, AWD - GMPartsdirect price: $34.17 (even MORE interesting considering the AWD's independent suspension)

Quote, originally posted by Psychobroker »88972110, Strut Assy, AWD, RH - Not found! (bleh)Unfortunately, I'm finding lately many of my part numbers are no longer valid......time for a new list perhaps...Quote »88972113, Absorber Assy, Shock, GT - GMPartsdirect price: $86.83 (Interesting, I thought the GT's stock susp. was the same as the base?)As did I! I was surprised to see that...

Maybe some of the guys w/ GM connections can shed some light on this? DOES the GT have an "upgraded" suspension of some sort? I thought we concluded that the springs, or at least their rates, were the same, but maybe the struts aren't?

the gt has firmer shocks thats all.the awd rear price is probably just a shock which is why its cheap.

GTs have always had firmer damping. I got into an arguement here about it a year ago. They definately ride harsher, take a set faster, and work a bit better with aftermarket springs.

Check and make sure that your rear sway bar is tight and lubed. Mine has loosened before.

Quote, originally posted by shibaman »Check and make sure that your rear sway bar is tight and lubed. Mine has loosened before.I agree that it may not be a bad strut. A "blown strut" would be leaking fluid, and continued bouncing of the wheel itslef, not the car after hitting a pothole, etc. Make sure the mounting bolts for the strut are tight also. Ditto on the rear bar. I had put on a Progress rear bar and almost busted a nut (my own, not the car's) tightening it and after about a month, it started creaking. I re-tightened it with a cheater bar to get more leverage and it didn't creak after that.

Is it the dampning of the struts or the fact that many GTs have the oem 17" wheels and tires with stiffer side walls? That tire and wheel combo stiffens up the ride a lot.

Quote, originally posted by shibaman »Is it the dampning of the struts or...I think the struts in the GT's do have stiffer dampening, but could be wrong. I've ridden in Rasermon's GT that has 16's on it and it felt tighter than my base. One thing I did notice is at the base of the rear struts is a sticker from the factory. My base had a "2" on it, and Rasermon's had a "3" on it. (or the other way around, I can't remember)

I agree with cohocarl on the creaking. It probably is the rear sway bar.Mike, if you busted a nut when installing the bars on yours, you probably busted the other one installing them on mine. They haven't made a sound since we installed them a couple of months ago.

Quote, originally posted by Triton »They haven't made a sound since we installed them a couple of months ago. Cool. I think I just didn't get the Progress bar tight enough in the first place.

Blah my front left suspension is creaking (I suspect not sure what is creaking but I sounds like its where the suspension is) gonna go tighten it tomorrow, but is there anything else it could possibly be?

The rear sway bar should be torqued to approx. 145 lbs (I'm pretty sure).

Well I would but its the FRONT left strut that squeeks

When tightening the top strut nut on the mounting plate, it's really easy to rotate the strut shaft and top spring flange relative to the strut body/lower flange, causing one end (usually the bottom) of the spring to unseat or displace. This will cause a "Sproing/gronk" (sorry, best I could do!) sort of noise when turning and/or on bumps. Take the wheel off and have a close look at the spring position. (You'll likely have to remove the strut and recompress the spring if you need to reposition it.) Oops! Just re-read all the posts and realized that you don't have drop springs listed, Smokin', and therefore wouldn't have been messing with the strut nuts. Well, guess the factory could have screwed up as above, but it's pretty unlikely...

I haven't blown a strut, but I might have blown one each of an oil and trans pan! I'll let y'all know tomorrow...

Quote, originally posted by MadBill »When tightening the top strut nut on the mounting plate, it's really easy to rotate the strut shaft and top spring flange relative to the strut body/lower flange, causing one end (usually the bottom) of the spring to unseat or displace. This will cause a "Sproing/gronk" (sorry, best I could do!) sort of noise when turning and/or on bumps. Take the wheel off and have a close look at the spring position. (You'll likely have to remove the strut and recompress the spring if you need to reposition it.) Oops! Just re-read all the posts and realized that you don't have drop springs listed, Smokin', and therefore wouldn't have been messing with the strut nuts. Well, guess the factory could have screwed up as above, but it's pretty unlikely...Hmmm damn factory... lol haven't checked but it might be possible... somehowBtw the creaks only happen when I accelerate for some reasonLike if I am at a stop and accelerate it creates or if I'm just kind of crusing in gear then give it gas it might creak or shifting gears and accelerating, so I have no idea what is up with it. Something could be loose, altho I dunno why that would creak. Or maybe me intake shifted a bit to a different position and the kick from the suction is casuing it to rub?

Hmmm... Now that you mention the CAI, it is in the left front. Clearances are tight at the filter end and since the other end moves with the engine, it's very possible that it is chafing when the engine shifts under power. You might want to look for signs of contact along it's length.

Quote, originally posted by MadBill »Hmmm... Now that you mention the CAI, it is in the left front. Clearances are tight at the filter end and since the other end moves with the engine, it's very possible that it is chafing when the engine shifts under power. You might want to look for signs of contact along it's length.Good thought bill! Mine definitely rubbed...paint is missing in two places: where the pipe goes down into the lower body, and where it rubs the headlihgt (i have the matrix-designed intake)...I put some armaflex there, problem solved (though I never had noise from it).Another possibiliy is that my intake would hit the strut tower any time I accelerated hard...again, a piece of armaflex behind the intake solved hte problem.

Yup, the vibra mount is squeeking lol, not sure how to fix it yet and to think thats what I thought it might be but I didn't check until now.... doh!

Nm I tightened it an shifted it a bit no more squeek

Make sure it's tight on both ends...but DON'T overtighten, it'll shear if you do...

Quote, originally posted by ragingfish »Good thought bill! Mine definitely rubbed...paint is missing in two places: where the pipe goes down into the lower body, and where it rubs the headlihgt (i have the matrix-designed intake)...I put some armaflex there, problem solved (though I never had noise from it).Another possibiliy is that my intake would hit the strut tower any time I accelerated hard...again, a piece of armaflex behind the intake solved hte problem.yep, i have the TRD intake for mine and i even went so far as to not install the vibramount at all. it was rubbing really badly on the back or the headlight and made it impossible to change the bulb. so i just didn't install it and haven't had any probs since.

Interesting; I installed the Matrix p.n. AEM CAI on my base, and although the minimum clearances are close (1/4 -3/8") at the filter end, there is no contact under any conditions.

Mine doesn't touch the headlight casing either however it is pushed up against the bottom of the fusebox somewhat (I think)And it would be near impossible to overtighten from the kind of leverage I had lol. I was too lazy to take out the battery so I just reached in the hole between the battery, side of the chassis, and the fuse box with a flex head ratchet and basically was only able to rotate the head of the ratchet. I think I made it tight enough so it wouldn't come loose but definitely didn't over tighten it

Did you use the fusebox lifter that comes with the injen kit? It raises the box about 1/2", just enough to clear the pipe...

Yep I put it on, I don't remember what was pushed against it anymore but maybe I was halucinating lol

my front and rear suspension has been creaking for a while, i checked the mount and its not that. Its the springs and ****, but with all the potholes in my part of jersey its kinda inevitable that it happens.

I have blown the front right strut last winter. I remembered it was a BIG pot hole in North Lake Tahoe that caused it. The next moring, I found a large puddle of oil right below the tire.

Well Crap! I Blew it! that's right, my right rear strut! I finally got around to dropping my car tonight and after a smooth and beautiful install my friend hears a hissing and then we see the hydraulic fluid dripping from the strut! I'm bummed and the replacements from the factory are $100 a piece! Any recommendations for aftermarket struts?Thanks!-Brady