Strut Conversion Tomorrow
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Joined: Apr 2013
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From: Illinois
Strut Conversion Tomorrow
After my drivers side air strut blew late this week, I've decided to do the Strutmasters conversion tomorrow, but have a few questions.
- I know I have to remove the air compressor Fuse F6 in the engine compartment fuse box, but when I was going through the manual I noticed that there are two more fuses for the air suspension in the trunk fuse box: F12-10A and F52-20A. Any ideas as to what they control and if they should be pulled as well?
- The instructions say to remove the brake line bracket and the height sensor bracket. Is this for ease of removal or is it a necessary step? I only ask because there is no mention of doing this on the Arnott video available on YouTube.
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Joined: Apr 2013
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From: Illinois
So I did this today with a buddy that has a lift and here's how it went:
Took a total of about three hours. I was surprised to see that the old front struts, including the one that blew out, were re-manufactured Arnott's. Pretty straight forward and only a few minor inconveniences.
P.S. If anyone is interested in the rear OEM struts or the front Arnotts, PM me for details.
Took a total of about three hours. I was surprised to see that the old front struts, including the one that blew out, were re-manufactured Arnott's. Pretty straight forward and only a few minor inconveniences.
- I believe I got some unfinished front struts from Strutmasters. Everything I've seen from either them, Arnott or Blackdog has rounded tips on the bottom forks. Mine were not rounded, but squared off, which got in the way when replacing the sway bar link (see picture). Luckily, the guy I was working with had a grinding wheel and we nipped off a corner on each fork to accommodate the link. I'm going to call them tomorrow and see if it was an oversight by their QA department or if it was meant to be that way. If it was meant to be that way, they seriously need to re-think their design.
- One of the lower bolts holding the old strut in place was stuck and needed to be heated with a torch to loosen. Not a huge issue, but it did slow us down a bit and may have given someone doing this in their driveway using a jack a problem.
- After disconnecting the connectors from the suspension module, the rear seat is a PITA to get back in!
- As for the questions in my original post, I did remove the fuse in the engine compartment fuse box, but left the ones alone in the trunk fuse box. I'd still like to know what those control. We did not need to remove the brake line bracket or the height sensor bracket. Just take your time and be careful when moving the struts in and out.
P.S. If anyone is interested in the rear OEM struts or the front Arnotts, PM me for details.
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Joined: Apr 2013
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From: Illinois
I just received a response from the strut manufacturer:
This sounds fair to me, but I also asked for a copy of the note to my account, just so I have it for my records.
Again, I'm sorry for the inconvenience. I found out the prep guy did drop the ball on this one, as he was suppose to grind down the ears to make those struts compatible with the vehicle. The absolute quickest way to rectify the problem.....and to save you the hassle of removing the struts, reboxing and all for nothing,......would be for you to grind down the edges on the struts. I think at worst it should take an hour per strut. I don't know about you, but my time is important and I am willing to pay you $25 per hour to do this! If this is ok with you, I'll go ahead & pay in advance.
Btw, your account will be noted as such, so you won't have any problems in the future is you had to warranty something.
As always, if you have any problems or questions, don't hesitate to call me. Have a great day and thank you again for getting your parts from American Air Suspension.
Eddie Spinks
Owner of americanairsuspension.com
Btw, your account will be noted as such, so you won't have any problems in the future is you had to warranty something.
As always, if you have any problems or questions, don't hesitate to call me. Have a great day and thank you again for getting your parts from American Air Suspension.
Eddie Spinks
Owner of americanairsuspension.com
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Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 148
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From: Michigan, USA
Now that you've had them for a couple months, can you share your opinions on the ride comparison? I have an XJR and liked the firmness of the factory settings, however it appears that both front and one rear are leaking, so I've got to replace them. $$$
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