1995 legacy wagon rear strut replacement

[bmaness]

What I supposed to be a relatively easy task has once again morphed into a nightmare.

 

I bought kyb's 334164 (right) and 334165 (left). They did not come with a "bump stopper". It appears these 2 units are identical except for the brake line hose support location.  I also supposed that "right" (334164) means passenger side. Someone please tell me if such is not the case.

 

I watched that guy's videos on how to remove, rebuild, and replace the strut. I got the broken rear strut out without a whole lot of heartache. 

 

As I now try to stab the rebuilt unit into place, there does not seem to be enough room to maneuver the unit into proper position. The bottom of the strut is hitting the hub and drive axle while the top of the mount is close but not inserted into the 3 holes in the cab. I pried down the wheel hub some but it wasn't enough. 

 

I feel as if I need to somehow compress the shock itself in order to shorten the assembly enough to make it easier to get lined up and bolted into position.

 

It can't possibly be as difficult as I have made it to be. Can someone please help?

[1 Lucky Texan]

I think at one point on my car, I had to use my scissor-jack to push the control arm down?

 

I THINK - it's been a while.

 

maybe read here; http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/99-do-yourself-illustrated-guides/16297-rear-shock-replacement-2000-outback-wagon.html

 

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/146578-trying-to-get-a-rear-strut-back-into-my-subaru-legacy-1999/

Edited April 29, 2016 by 1 Lucky Texan

[idosubaru]

disconnect the sway bar first?

 

the rears can be really tight to get in on these - it took me quite a bit of effort, i can't recall what i did but they eventually go into place with heavy effort.  i didn't compress the springs, but if you feel you can pull that off, by all means have at it.

[bmaness]

Well, I got it. But not after getting rough with it...

 

1lucky texan's shot of the 2x4 trick made me realize I had the right idea, only I was putting on instead of putting out.

 

I switched my 2' 2x4 for a 6' 2x4, and laid a 50lb sack of manure on the end to hold it down. I could then lift the assembly using both hands while looking through the rear glass to line up the holes. Once I got the top holes stabbed, I blocked it up on the outside and ran the 3 nuts up inside and it was good there. 

 

I wrassled the assembly bottom end onto the spindle mount and maneuvered my 2x4 lever to get the bottom hole aligned. Then I undid my 2x4 and used the scissor jack and brute strength on the bottom of the wheel hub to  get it into position to insert the top bolt.

 

I used a bench vise and a cabinet clamp to compress the coil spring enough to get the upper mount off. On the next one, l'll let O'Reilly lend me a strut spring compressor. I used a pipe wrench on the 17mm socket with the allen wrench run through the drive hole to get the upper mount off from the old strut.

 

Jeepers, I sure hope the other side goes easier. Thanks y'all

[Fairtax4me]

Is your car FWD or AWD?

164 and 165 struts are for a Front wheel drive model.

[idosubaru]

i installed FWD struts on a 95 AWD sedan last year and they fit/worked but they seemed inordinantly hard to get in.

i haven't done a ton of those 95-99's so i never knew if they were different or it was due to rusty suspension/old bushings.

[Fairtax4me]

Fwd struts are about 1/4" longer from perch to the bottom mount hole.

The brake line mount is on the opposite side.

The valve rate is slightly different because the FWD cars weigh less.

The biggest difference is the clocking of the lower spring perch. FWD struts the perch is clocked in the center because the strut flange of the FWD knuckle is centered directly above the center of the spindle (center of the wheel).

The AWD knuckle strut flange is about 2" forward of the axle center. Because of that, the spring perch is clocked toward the rear, which roughly centers the spring above the wheel, but the strut body itself is angled a few degrees toward the rear of the car.

 

Does it make a difference as far as handling, probably not. Or at least not noticably for the average daily driven car.

It does make a different for mounting, because the upper mount is designed to match the angle of the strut.

Though I think as long as you match the upper mount to the car it shouldn't cause any undue stress on the mount.

[Rooster2]

Not sure this will work on a Subie.............years back I replaced rear struts on a VW Jetta. I used a bottle jack on the bottom side to raise the strut in place to be bolted in place at the top hat. Without using the jack, it would have been impossible to push up on the strut unit by my self, hold the assembly in place, and affix the three nuts. The bottle jack worked like a charm.

[heartless]

if you think it was difficult getting "stock" struts in place, try putting the Forester struts in. LOL but I do like that extra height.

 

dropping the sway bar does make a huge difference.

 

@ rooster - nice idea, but not gonna work very well on a Suby - too many other things in the way. dropping the sway bar from the sub-frame (2 bolts) is the best way of getting a little extra working room. once the strut is bolted up, a jack under the knuckle will push things back up high enough to make bolting the sway bar back up easier. been there, done that.

Edited May 2, 2016 by heartless

[moosens]

Couple related questions.

 

Do those also fit the first gen legacy wagons? I have a 92 FWD and want to get KYB's when the time comes.

 

And which place did you order from? I've used KYBOutlet.com since Subafreak turned me on to them. But I'm always willing to pay less if need be.

[1 Lucky Texan]

I always check Amazon and RockAuto, there may be slightly cheaper sources, but probably none with better reputations for customer service.

[heartless]

as far as I know, the forester struts should fit the 1st gen Legacy's fine with the correct top hats installed.

I believe I ordered mine from Rockauto, with a few misc parts being ordered from an online dealer site as they weren't available on Rockauto's site...

[idosubaru]

i don't know about 90-94 fitment but there's some really good suspension interchange threads out there that would say it probably. 

 

last summer there were super cheap KYB FWD struts on ebay/amazon, since the situation warranted low cost i got them for an AWD.  tight fit but they installed fine, no rake, and I didn't notice any handling difference (but i'm not prone to either so that doesn't mean much). 

[bmaness]

Wow, you folks overran me a bit. My 95 Legacy wagon is AWD.

 

I want to do the front struts now. Are they the same as the rears?

[idosubaru]

Same process - yes.

Same part - no.

 

Fronts are beefier and harder Compressing the springs but physically easier to remove and install.

 

Mark top strut mount bolt head orientation on strut mount and carry that over to new strut when reinstalling to retain alignment and you won't need an alignment. Align top bolt to exact same orientation.

 

Remove wheel

Remove 3 top 12mm nuts

Remove 2 lower bolts

R&R struts.

Reinstall

Done

[mikaleda]

There are a few differences on the front struts.

 

There is a camber bolt on the strut to hub connection. It needs to be marked so you can re install the new strut with the correct camber. There is a reference notch on the strut and notches on the bolt. A paint pen works the best but sharpie works too.

 

If its rusty enough the rust will leave a clear line where the old strut was positioned and you can use that to get the new strut lined up.

 

The top hats turn and have a bearing in them that should be checked for slop, they rarely fail but its good practice.

 

And I've found legacy's front springs can be a bear to compress all the way with normal coil spring compressors. I like to use this type since they are a bit more slimline and seem to work better. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000OUW7XE/ref=pd_aw_sim_sbs_263_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=41fmgtt-HgL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL100_SR100%2C90_&refRID=0EFAEYKT7X2N0H3S6CYS

 

I've used mine on several sets of Subaru struts using an impact they are definatly durable.

Edited May 18, 2016 by mikaleda

[mikaleda]

Also it helps on the front struts to do them upsidedown so its easier to get a socket on the compressor.

[bmaness]

So it now becomes clear I installed fwd struts on my awd legacy. They work, but are a might difficult to get in.

 

Minus 10 on me...Did Not Follow Instructions

 

Hope to do better on the fronts. Whose should I use?

[1 Lucky Texan]

KYB

[mikaleda]

+1 for kyb

[bmaness]

KYB    KIT334112?

[heartless]

another vote for KYB

 

KYB 334112 is front left

KYB 334111 is front right

 

you need one of each

 

(rears should have been 334115 & 334116 for AWD.)