boy o boy i put new rear struts on the saturn they weren't bouncy but were rougher riding and noisy. man what a difference handles better rides better. i bought the sensa trac matics i guess they are decent quality. either way i guess just because they aren't bouncy doesn't mean they aren't bad.
replaced rear struts
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Monroe Matics and Monroe Sensa Tracs are two different lines. Hopefully you got the Sensa Tracs and not the Matics!
Sensa Trac = basically the same as OEM
Matic = cheap junk
I made the mistake of putting Matics on the rear of my truck a couple years ago and one is already blown out, leaked all the oil (or a lot of it) out.
Sensa Trac = basically the same as OEM
Matic = cheap junk
I made the mistake of putting Matics on the rear of my truck a couple years ago and one is already blown out, leaked all the oil (or a lot of it) out.
the fronts are sensa tracs. the rears are matics. i hope i have good luck with them
I hope you get another alignment. If the Monroes are anything like the KYB struts, the mounting holes are elongated so your rear toe and camber will now be out of specification.
Originally Posted By: The Critic
I hope you get another alignment. If the Monroes are anything like the KYB struts, the mounting holes are elongated so your rear toe and camber will now be out of specification.
That, and because the new struts are in perfect shape, but old ones may get slightly bent out of shape after many miles of use, so if an alignment was done halfway in the life of the old strut, the new strut will cause misalignment.
I hope you get another alignment. If the Monroes are anything like the KYB struts, the mounting holes are elongated so your rear toe and camber will now be out of specification.
That, and because the new struts are in perfect shape, but old ones may get slightly bent out of shape after many miles of use, so if an alignment was done halfway in the life of the old strut, the new strut will cause misalignment.
well i just pushed them in as far as you can and bolted them up and it drives exactly like it did before. the bottom hole is elongated but the top isnt .
Originally Posted By: chevyboy14
boy o boy i put new rear struts on the saturn they weren't bouncy but were rougher riding and noisy. man what a difference handles better rides better. i bought the sensa trac matics i guess they are decent quality. either way i guess just because they aren't bouncy doesn't mean they aren't bad.
Wow so many failures on that car. Seems like every week something else is breaking. Should be almost rebuilt by now.
boy o boy i put new rear struts on the saturn they weren't bouncy but were rougher riding and noisy. man what a difference handles better rides better. i bought the sensa trac matics i guess they are decent quality. either way i guess just because they aren't bouncy doesn't mean they aren't bad.
Wow so many failures on that car. Seems like every week something else is breaking. Should be almost rebuilt by now.
Originally Posted By: LeakySeals
Originally Posted By: chevyboy14
boy o boy i put new rear struts on the saturn they weren't bouncy but were rougher riding and noisy. man what a difference handles better rides better. i bought the sensa trac matics i guess they are decent quality. either way i guess just because they aren't bouncy doesn't mean they aren't bad.
Wow so many failures on that car. Seems like every week something else is breaking. Should be almost rebuilt by now.
He is going to school for auto mechanics. So rebuilding the Saturn is not necessarily a bad thing. He can apply that knowledge to his studies.
Originally Posted By: chevyboy14
boy o boy i put new rear struts on the saturn they weren't bouncy but were rougher riding and noisy. man what a difference handles better rides better. i bought the sensa trac matics i guess they are decent quality. either way i guess just because they aren't bouncy doesn't mean they aren't bad.
Wow so many failures on that car. Seems like every week something else is breaking. Should be almost rebuilt by now.
He is going to school for auto mechanics. So rebuilding the Saturn is not necessarily a bad thing. He can apply that knowledge to his studies.
I find that Sensa Tracs dont ride soft at all.They are supposed to "sense" the road condition,adjust valving to meet the need.Beef up under soft movements to give better control,soften for large movements to ease the impact.I dont see that.You can feel every crack in the road,and big heaves transmit thru the car and your own body.I think there is no substitute for OEM units.They are tuned to each vehicle package,the aftermarket feels one choice alone works on all apps...base,sport or luxury.I "aint" buyin it.
not really! i mean most of the stuff thats gone bad heres the list
ects [censored] replacement part
strut mount original had 195k on it replacement failed once again because of bad parts.
valve cover gasket seeped very slightly and replaced.
cat rattled had a new one put on and once again a [censored] part failed so it was replaced again.
ac compressor was noisy at 187k replaced with junk yard it failed again so put a rebuilt one on and now the ac is great.
fuel filter is due every 100k so it was maintenance
tune up is maintenance
radiator leaked a week after i bought it common saturn issue
thermostat replaced when i bought the car as maintenance the replaement failed and so did the next replacement
outter tierods at 194k my driveway was awful and contributed to that big time my old neighbor went through 3 ball joint in one year living there.
and struts at 200k so if you think about it most of the work has been normal stuff and the reason stuff has failed more than once is cheap parts from oreillys. see a pattern of junk parts? the car has never needed any major work and has never left me stranded anywhere. ac cat and radiator o and the ects are the only pieces that werent maintenance. the ects is common as is the radiator and ac compressor well its 14 years old and had a lot of miles. tierods are a given you should have seen my driveway. the people who live there have bumper covers and trim pieces just falling off because the road was so dang bad. for 200k its had modest work done nothing you really wouldnt expect imo though. and remember im a car freak. i fix everything that isnt perfect this saturn gets treated better than any car i know of. i keep this thing tip top.
ects [censored] replacement part
strut mount original had 195k on it replacement failed once again because of bad parts.
valve cover gasket seeped very slightly and replaced.
cat rattled had a new one put on and once again a [censored] part failed so it was replaced again.
ac compressor was noisy at 187k replaced with junk yard it failed again so put a rebuilt one on and now the ac is great.
fuel filter is due every 100k so it was maintenance
tune up is maintenance
radiator leaked a week after i bought it common saturn issue
thermostat replaced when i bought the car as maintenance the replaement failed and so did the next replacement
outter tierods at 194k my driveway was awful and contributed to that big time my old neighbor went through 3 ball joint in one year living there.
and struts at 200k so if you think about it most of the work has been normal stuff and the reason stuff has failed more than once is cheap parts from oreillys. see a pattern of junk parts? the car has never needed any major work and has never left me stranded anywhere. ac cat and radiator o and the ects are the only pieces that werent maintenance. the ects is common as is the radiator and ac compressor well its 14 years old and had a lot of miles. tierods are a given you should have seen my driveway. the people who live there have bumper covers and trim pieces just falling off because the road was so dang bad. for 200k its had modest work done nothing you really wouldnt expect imo though. and remember im a car freak. i fix everything that isnt perfect this saturn gets treated better than any car i know of. i keep this thing tip top.
o and did i say i love this saturn . i really do . its a great car and ive decided i will be keeping it for a very long time to come. ill be in school atleast 2 years after that i plan on moving maybe to wyoming and that car will be taking me there. i thought about and the motor is still great as is everything else so i cannot justify getting rid of it anytime soon and if one day it blows up i guess ill have a how to video for any saturn guys because i will just drop a new engine in. when my fenders rust a way ill throw in the towel
Your fenders are fiberglass right? Whats happening with the oil consumption problems? did you find anything that helped?
nhguy i agree when i first put them on they were good after 5k miles they stiffened up and are on the hard side they handle good but arent very soft.
well leaky. one day i did the valve cover gasket because i noticed it was seeping but it was very little and that helped some and the last piston soak i did i used b12 and let it sit for 3days and kept refilling after that i ran the heck out of it and then said im done if it still uses oil so be it. and the last oil cycle it used 1.5 quarts in 3400 miles using 5w30 synthetic supertech this oil change ive gone 800 miles and it hasn't moved the slightest im running 10w30 castrol syntec.
they are plastic. yep so it ll be awhile. i look at it like this the car has been good to me and as long as it is good to me ill be good to it. i dont hold the repetitive replacement parts against it because im the one who put them on she didnt choose those parts i did. the one failure that could have left me somewhere was the radiator and it didnt it just started trickling in the driveway. its been a very loyal car. ive become attached to the little rubbermaid car,
I use a different approach - the threat of being crushed if they start acting up.
lol i used to threaten my cavalier i had with that a lot. when i sold it i took a tire iron and beat the [censored] out of it and my gf wrote f*** u on the hood . that car was a miserable pos. . i was so angry because it cracked the head and ruined the bearings. didnt know that put i took it apart and realized it was ruined and i had just put gas in it. so i had my girlfriend crank the engine while i held a 5 gallon jug under the hood to the gas line and let the pump pump the gas into the jug. it took about 20 minutes of cranking to get all ten gallons. i had 2 jugs thanks god. you should of heard the starter whining. i was happy to torture that car it made me walk more than a few times and with a baby that's not fun!!
JHZR2
Staff member
Originally Posted By: MONKEYMAN
Originally Posted By: LeakySeals
Originally Posted By: chevyboy14
boy o boy i put new rear struts on the saturn they weren't bouncy but were rougher riding and noisy. man what a difference handles better rides better. i bought the sensa trac matics i guess they are decent quality. either way i guess just because they aren't bouncy doesn't mean they aren't bad.
Wow so many failures on that car. Seems like every week something else is breaking. Should be almost rebuilt by now.
He is going to school for auto mechanics. So rebuilding the Saturn is not necessarily a bad thing. He can apply that knowledge to his studies.
+1. And any car is going to have mechanical components wear out. I'd rather learn about the repairs and have a car that is a known quantity than be swapping cars more often.
Originally Posted By: LeakySeals
Originally Posted By: chevyboy14
boy o boy i put new rear struts on the saturn they weren't bouncy but were rougher riding and noisy. man what a difference handles better rides better. i bought the sensa trac matics i guess they are decent quality. either way i guess just because they aren't bouncy doesn't mean they aren't bad.
Wow so many failures on that car. Seems like every week something else is breaking. Should be almost rebuilt by now.
He is going to school for auto mechanics. So rebuilding the Saturn is not necessarily a bad thing. He can apply that knowledge to his studies.
+1. And any car is going to have mechanical components wear out. I'd rather learn about the repairs and have a car that is a known quantity than be swapping cars more often.
Dude, thanks for the consumption update!!! 1.5 quarts in 3400 miles is awesome improvement!
o yea i couldnt believe it i checked the dip stick like 10 times i could not believe it got so much better
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