Ford Repair: Front springs and struts, taurus gl, uneven pavement


Question
Hi,
I have a 95 Taurus GL and a broken front coil spring.  My mechanic said I should change the struts.  What is a strut and do I need to change them?


Answer
Randy-

  A strut is a gas filled tube that can compress and decompress to handle uneven pavement, bumps in the road, etc.  It's basically just there to absorb the effect the road has on the ride of the vehicle.  Just think of it as a shock's big brother.  As for changing them, if they're the original struts I'd say do it.  If they've been changed before, that's a little more hit or miss.  It would depend on whether or not there was damage done when the spring broke.  Just ask your mechanic (if he's a guy you trust) why he wants to replace them.  If he seems reasonable then it's probably time to change them.  Hope this helps.

Steve