Suspension Tune-Up?

[donn188]

Hello again fellow Bonneville enthusiasts. I'll be leaving Michigan here in a couple weeks to work till summer on Oklahoma so I won't be near a garage or have the time to try and locate one. Anyways, I'm getting ready to change the rear shocks since I'm sure thats my issue with the bouncy rear end when I go over large bumps. Not particularly fun to deal with on the expressway at 80+ either.

Anyways, I'm getting ready to change the rear shocks (yes I'm using Monroe) and just wanted to see if there was anything else that should be checked out or changed while I'm doing this. The car just turned 172K and I've had it a little over a year now. Theres a couple poor quality pictures below if they help at all. How would I know if the tie rod ends, bushings, etc. are in good shape? I keep getting a "service stability system" message and every so often at highway speeds it will randomly flash "stability system active" and kick the cruise off. After reading I'm assuming that the problem there is the wheel speed sensor or whatnot in the steering column - I'm not going to fix that if thats the case

Just wanting to make sure there isn't anything that I should just go ahead and replace or what to look/feel for to know whats bad. My apologies for the random topic changes too

[01bonneSC]

Replace the rear upper shock mounts also. Moog ones if you can get them.

[donn188]

I was actually going to add in the first post that the mounts look awesome compared to the struts in the back, if that means anything. It doesn't really clunk or anything else other than the violent bouncing

[Nocrank]

From your description and pictures those shocks and struts need replacing. The car I bought needed all four and did the same as you state. I was driving and going around a bend in the road @ 55-60 and there was a bump on the bend. Car jumped lanes. Needless to say I changed them all a couple days later. I'd just check your trailing arm ball joint ends for play, tie rod ends and ball joints. I had one tie rod and both trailing arms that had play @ 139,000.

[Speedin Demon77]

Maybe somebody could post advice on removing the small airlines at the top of the shocks. Mine wouldnt come out clean an needed to be cut. We fished the small orings out and reinstalled them. Held up fine and never popped loose. Im sure theres a trick to it tho knowing these guys lol and the sensor in the wheel hub is a common culprit. Just need to find which hub is the bad one

[01bonneSC]

I would replace the shock mounts anyways, cheap insurance so you dont have to go back in and change a couple thousand miles down the road.

[00Beast]

Mounts can look fine and be bad. Wouldn't be a bad idea to replace all your sway bar endlinks; helps with handling and they can break with age. Hopefully someone else will chime in with which ones to get from Energy Suspension.

[2002FO]

Air lines can be a bit tricky to pull out without damaging them. I used PB blaster and was actually able to pull them out of the shocks with out damaging them. I have had to cut them in the past, and yes, it seems to hold in place with the little rubber o-rings around the line.

+1 one the Moog mounts. Cheap insurance... I did both front hubs, as I was getting ABS messages and lights. I'm told the rear hubs rarely go bad. However, they are super easy to replace.... Much easier than the fronts..

[donn188]

No ABS messages or lights, only the service stability system more often than not now - so I'll do the Moog rear mounts, Monroe Air Ride shocks and check everything else out suspension wise. If I can cheaply or easily fix whatever kicks the cruise off on the expressway I would love to know what it is thanks guys!

[00Beast]

You'll need to get the car scanned at a dealer, or by someone with a newer Snap On scanner. Mine was hitting the brakes on the highway while the steering wheel sensor was flaking out, and it was really scary at times, almost threw me in the ditch once.

[donn188]

Thats what mine does, as soon as I feel the brakes I hurry and reach for the resume button because I'm normally in the fast lane going around a sharp curve - hence the reason I don't let anyone drive my car on the expressway

[00Beast]

You could crawl in the trunk and disconnect the Yaw Sensor so that it just kicks the stability system off. I'd be willing to bet your problem is the steering wheel position sensor.

[donn188]

Would disconnecting it get me another trouble code or have any effect on the cars handling? Can't image it being any more of a pain than what's going on with it currently. I'll be putting 5-600 miles on the car tomorrow evening and it's 98% highway driving so that'd help out alot to not have the cruise disengaging while I'm out I'm assuming you bit the bullet & replaced your SWPS?

Is that sensor one of the little black boxes under the rear deck or behind the plastic panel against the back of the seat? I think I remember seeing 1 or 2 smaller boxes when I disconnected my 6x9's last month.

[00Beast]

It'll set off "Service Stability System" on the DIC every time you turn the car on. Yes, it's one of the black boxes on the left side of the rear deck.

Nope, lived with the light for 4 years, LOL.

[Hans]

Id replace endlinks while you are at it. They are probably pretty rusted and ready to fail

Weird brake issue you are describing was the steering postion sensor on my car.