1997-2001 Q45 Installing Non-Touring struts on a Touring Model

By: Q_SHIP

First off, You do not need to buy a whole new strut for a non-touring car. All you need to order is a new non-touring shock cartridge. The cartridges WILL fit into a touring lower strut. You will lose the adjustable ride control but the savings is worth it. (The whole non-touring strut will not work with your touring model. Brakes and wheel bearings are different. The non-touring has a shorter spindle.) Also order new strut bearings for the front and new touring strut mounts. The non-touring strut mounts WILL NOT work. Make sure you get the ones for a touring model.

Fronts:

1. Remove the entire strut. No need to remove the hub or rotors.

2. Remove spring from Strut. These things are under some serious tension so be carefull removing the springs.

3. Carefully secure the strut to a vise at a point that will not damage the strut casing. Use a pipe wrench to remove the nut holding the cartridge into the strut. Remove the cartridge and empty out all the old strut oil.

4. Replace strut oil with new and replace with a new cartridge. Be sure to snug the nut down onto the new cartridge.

5. Compress and replace the spring, spring cap, bearing, and touring strut mount.

6. Put the whole unit back in the car.

Rears:

This was a lot easier than the fronts. Same steps there. Also replace the rear strut mounts while you are there. Be sure to use the touring model strut mounts.

Now the whole point of this post is so the guys with Touring adjustable suspension know what they need to do this swap. It can be done cheap. I learned this the hard way. Just be sure to use all the mounting hardware for the Touring car. If you don’t mind losing the adjustable feature, this is a cheap suspension rehab.