SC front struts and other part ??s

Got my car this week.. It's fun, but needs a few things-

Front struts are leaking (Automatic ride control) and noone seems to carry this model.. (1995 SC) Where can I find them, and are they going to break the bank on me?


Crank pully. It's slightly bent and wabbles a little, but is still functional. Causes the belt to squeak a little.. is this something that is easy to find?

Thanks for any info, and thanks again for all of the help that has been given..

You can get the Tokico Illumina II "Upgrade" shocks for about $400 for all four corners. They are a bit stiffer than the OEM Tokicos, but are reportedly not very long lived(30 thousand miles if you're lucky). SHOX.COM has good prices.

Or you can do what a lot of folks do, and replace the OEM shocks with Koni adjustables and dump the ARC.

As far as your crank pulley goes, I would make certain that all four bolts into the balancer are tight, and double check that the balancer itself isn't in bad shape. They have a habit of breaking, and the are much easier to replace before the come apart than after.

Excellent.. I looked at that site, and would like to know what this kit consists of:
050. Tokico Illumina Elec. Susp. kit 1989 - 1997 For the SC only. Electronically adjustable shocks, lowers car 1.5 inches 579.00

Is this the springs AND the struts/shocks?

Forget the leaky shocks. You need to take care of the wobbling balancer ASAP!

The harmonic balancers tend to fail on these cars, they are a very poor design.

If it is visibly wiggling like that it probably wont bo too long before it comes completely off. When that happens the engine will die right there, because you will lose the crank signal for the ignition.

The best bet is to get a BHJ balancer, it's more expensive than a stock replacement, but you won't have that problem again and you can reuse the BHJ unlike the stocker. Also replace the bolt holding the balancer to the crank with a '99+ Mustang 3.8L part.

Hehehe.. Much love on the balancer issue!

BHJ- Where can I procure one of these?.. I'll get the mustang bolt on Monday.. Nevermind, I found a bunch of sites on the BHJ.. Thanks again!

You can either buy just the shocks or the "kit" that includes lowering springs. If you plan on lowering your carm now is the time, or you will pay a shop twice to mount your springs/shocks. The $400 price range is going to be just for shocks. figure maybe $2-300 more for loweing springs.

I don't know what springs they are including, but I do know that there is an Illumina II/ Eibach loweing spring combo on the market, and you might want to do a search on the differences between progressive and linear springs, to see which type might be better suited to your tastes.

I have H&R springs on mine, and I've heard a couple of complaints regarding Eibachs, so you might want to search this form for info on different brands before you jump in. A couple hours reading other SC owner's opinions might save you a mess of headaches and maybe even some $$ later on.


First do the hub though. It's a quick job, and if it goes, you might even be unlucky enough to break your crank.

A word of warning on the BHJ damper. They are intended to be sized to the crank in your car. You're supposed to measure your crank's outer diameter where the damper rides and then the internal opening of the BHJ and verify that the balancer is .001 smaller than the crank. It should be smaller to ensure a tight fit but not too small. If it is too small (there is at least one owner around here that this has happened to, and how I learned about it) then a hone can be used to open it up a bit.

But don't delay, damper failure on these cars is a major PITA.

Parker Dean said:

A word of warning on the BHJ damper. They are intended to be sized to the crank in your car. You're supposed to measure your crank's outer diameter where the damper rides and then the internal opening of the BHJ and verify that the balancer is .001 smaller than the crank. It should be smaller to ensure a tight fit but not too small. If it is too small (there is at least one owner around here that this has happened to, and how I learned about it) then a hone can be used to open it up a bit.

But don't delay, damper failure on these cars is a major PITA.

Click to expand...

Are you saying that I have to measure my crank, and order a new balancer according the what I come up with?

The balancer is meant to be an interference fit. You need to mic your crank & hone the balancer to be .001 smaller than the crank, IIRC. You might want to do a search. Dr. Fred did a tech article on the BHJ install that will explain it better than I can.