How do you change front struts on an 1989 cutlass supreme?

Answer 1

These struts are to be replaced with vehicle sitting on the ground with tires on. If you raise the vehicle and disconnect the strut hardware, the large spring can fly out and jam in between the tire and body and possibly cause injury. If you want to do it yourself, remove 2 covers that resemble little hats underneath hood. You will see a strut shaft nut and jounce bumper assembly, depending on what your model has. Recommend to purchase Haynes GM Repair Manual for this repair as it has good pictures. Manual is approx. $15.00 and this is a more complicated replacement than just regular shocks on older models. You probably will have to rent a strut cartridge nut socket, don't buy one, as I believe they're very expensive ($65.00 or so), unless you plan on doing this for a living. The manufacturers (Gabriel or Monroe) recommend changing struts or shocks every 30,000 miles, and this is a worthwhile repair as it can be a great tire saver. Hope this helps.