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I installed Bilstein 5100 adjust struts on my 2010 Silverado 4x4 front


Kurt1234

Question

I removed original strut cartridges and did not find a rubber washer/bushing on the top of the housing from the old strut cartridges. The Bilsteins did not include new rubber for the top of the strut beating plate/under the nut.

 

The top of the shaft goes through the top of the strut tower and then a nut is screwed onto that shaft to secure the top. Been a long while since I installed struts on a professional basis (1980's) and the last set I installed was about 6 months ago on my 2006 Tacoma and they were Bilstein 5100 height adjustable. The Tacoma had rubber washers/bushings on the top of the shaft under the nut when I removed the factory struts. The Bilsteins that I installed also did not include new rubber bushings in the boxes.

Do these trucks use rubber bushings?

 

Edited at a computer keyboard to add information that was difficult to type on a smart phone due to small letters and large fingers.

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I am about 50 years old. I used to help my father change out lower ball joints and coil springs on 1960-70 something impalas and pickups and such. Remember to keep anything that you aren't willing to lose out of holes/pinch points and use drift pins to align holes for reassembly. My grandfather had 8 fingers due to reaching into a combine gear/chain back in the 1950s or 60s while the machine was running. I plan on dying with 10 fingers. I also did this myself.

 

On this 2010 Silverado you break loose lug nuts and then jack the vehicle up and place jack stand under the truck frame. Since I don't 100% trust the jack stands I also placed a piece of railroad tie with 4x4 on top under the frame as a back up. Set parking brake and wheel chock back tires. Remove front tire. 3 ton floor jack with 4x4 on top of the jack under lower control arm and jack it up until the vehiclehas most but not all of the weight off of the jack stand. Most if not all of the weight of the vehicle will have compressed the coil spring. Now remove the center nut from the top of the strut cartridge. Do not remove the 3 nuts that hold the bearing cap in place. Now remove the 2 large bolts that hold the lower control arm to the frame. You may have to lower the jack a bit to adjust the tension on those 2 large bolts to allow those bolts to be removed. After you have removed those 2 bolts SLOWLY lower the floor jack that is pushing up on the spring/strut. The pressure will be released from the strut cartridge and spring and they will almost fall out on the ground. No need to break loose the lower ball joint or to break loose the tie rod end.

 

I used 2 floor jacks for reassembly to raise the lower control arm back into place in the frame. Raise one jack and then the other a bit at a time and when the front and back lower arms were close to being in place I used a wrecking bar to pry them inwards so that I could shove a drift pin in one side so that I would be able to push the bolts back into place from the other. It was hot and humid (Houston, TX in my driveway under a metal car port) and my 2 1/2 year old son kept walking around with my tools and I had to reset his Youtube videos several times.

 

I am going to get/have ordered several additional tools for my box to assist me in the future.

http://www.harborfreight.com/8-piece-metric-offset-box-wrench-set-32042.html

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00N3YRTS6?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

 

As I think they will be a welcome addition to my tools.

That's a great idea, but way too much work for this part of the country. I can guarantee the lower control arm bolts will need to be air-hammered out ... which sucks because you can't judge the tension on them. Can be a dangerous situation while under the vehicle. As much as I hate sending money to GM, that $90 was money well spent. The strut assemblies can be removed in 10 minutes, and re-installed in a little more. The top 3 nuts & the bottom 2 bolts get hit with my annual fall undercarriage oiling, so they all came out easy.

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I barely had to tap on the bolts to push them out most of the way. The last bit I turned them out of the holes with a ratchet and socket. I may finally get up money for an impact wrench. Sold my last one air impact about 20 years ago.

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I'm not sure what's on top of the strut cartridge, since I had the dealer swap them out.

 

How the hell did you compress that spring? I had to bring mine to the dealer for the swap, since neither my compressor, nor any one at any of the shops in town could handle that spring rate. Massive for a half ton!

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I remember things coming apart like that when I lived in Phoenix. Boy, was that nice! I sure miss being able to drive year round without having a vehicle disintegrate in 8 years. :nonod:

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I am about 50 years old. I used to help my father change out lower ball joints and coil springs on 1960-70 something impalas and pickups and such. Remember to keep anything that you aren't willing to lose out of holes/pinch points and use drift pins to align holes for reassembly. My grandfather had 8 fingers due to reaching into a combine gear/chain back in the 1950s or 60s while the machine was running. I plan on dying with 10 fingers. I also did this myself.

 

On this 2010 Silverado you break loose lug nuts and then jack the vehicle up and place jack stand under the truck frame. Since I don't 100% trust the jack stands I also placed a piece of railroad tie with 4x4 on top under the frame as a back up. Set parking brake and wheel chock back tires. Remove front tire. 3 ton floor jack with 4x4 on top of the jack under lower control arm and jack it up until the vehiclehas most but not all of the weight off of the jack stand. Most if not all of the weight of the vehicle will have compressed the coil spring. Now remove the center nut from the top of the strut cartridge. Do not remove the 3 nuts that hold the bearing cap in place. Now remove the 2 large bolts that hold the lower control arm to the frame. You may have to lower the jack a bit to adjust the tension on those 2 large bolts to allow those bolts to be removed. After you have removed those 2 bolts SLOWLY lower the floor jack that is pushing up on the spring/strut. The pressure will be released from the strut cartridge and spring and they will almost fall out on the ground. No need to break loose the lower ball joint or to break loose the tie rod end.

 

I used 2 floor jacks for reassembly to raise the lower control arm back into place in the frame. Raise one jack and then the other a bit at a time and when the front and back lower arms were close to being in place I used a wrecking bar to pry them inwards so that I could shove a drift pin in one side so that I would be able to push the bolts back into place from the other. It was hot and humid (Houston, TX in my driveway under a metal car port) and my 2 1/2 year old son kept walking around with my tools and I had to reset his Youtube videos several times.

 

I am going to get/have ordered several additional tools for my box to assist me in the future.

http://www.harborfreight.com/8-piece-metric-offset-box-wrench-set-32042.html

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00N3YRTS6?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

 

As I think they will be a welcome addition to my tools.

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I am about 50 years old. I used to help my father change out lower ball joints and coil springs on 1960-70 something impalas and pickups and such. Remember to keep anything that you aren't will to lose out of holes/pinch points and use drift pins to align holes for reassembly. My grandfather had 8 fingers due to reaching into a combine gear/chain back in the 1950s or 60s while the machine was running. I plan on dying with 10 fingers. I also did this myself.

 

On this 2010 Silverado you break loose lug nuts and then jack the vehicle up and place jack stand under the truck frame. Since I don't 100% trust the jack stands I also placed a piece of railroad tie with 4x4 on top under the frame as a back up. Set parking brake and wheel chock back tires. Remove front tire. 3 ton floor jack with 4x4 on top of the jack under lower control arm and jack it up until the vehiclehas most but not all of the weight off of the jack stand. Most if not all of the weight of the vehicle will have compressed the coil spring. Now remove the center nut from the top of the strut cartridge. Do not remove the 3 nuts that hold the bearing cap in place. Now remove the 2 large bolts that hold the lower control arm to the frame. You may have to lower the jack a bit to adjust the tension on those 2 large bolts to allow those bolts to be removed. After you have removed those 2 bolts SLOWLY lower the floor jack that is pushing up on the spring/strut. The pressure will be released from the strut cartridge and spring and they will almost fall out on the ground. No need to break loose the lower ball joint or to break loose the tie rod end.

 

I used 2 floor jacks for reassembly to raise the lower control arm back into place in the frame. Raise one jack and then the other a bit at a time and when the front and back lower arms were close to being in place I used a wrecking bar to pry them inwards so that I could shove a drift pin in one side so that I would be able to push the bolts back into place from the other. It was hot and humid (Houston, TX in my driveway under a metal car port) and my 2 1/2 year old son kept walking around with my tools and I had to reset his Youtube videos several times.

 

I am going to get/have ordered several additional tools for my box to assist my in the future.

http://www.harborfreight.com/8-piece-metric-offset-box-wrench-set-32042.html

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00N3YRTS6?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

 

As I think they will be a welcome addition to my tools.

Same way I did it on my old tacoma. harder to do on these new sierras because of the way theyre designed.

 

Sorry don't have an answer for you about top center bushing.

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Local Chevrolet dealer parts guy said that the GM schematic does show a top rubber washer/bushing on the diagram. Must be my brain getting soft. Oh, well. Friday at 7:00 a.m. I take the truck in for an alignment. While I am waiting to get my truck back I will go and look at the parts schematic in with the parts guy. He said those rubber bushings are $10.00/each.

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I spent my first 30 some years in Iowa. I dislike rust too.

 

After I got home from work I had received the GM shock tool/socket that I had ordered from Amazon Prime and I had stopped by Harbor Freight and purchased a set of the deep off set sockets metric for $14.99. I used them to tighten up the tops of the struts. They fit snug and rubber washers/bushings were not needed. Now Friday at 0700 I get an alignment and then head out of town a few hundred miles. Hope nothing falls off. :)

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