SoNic

Thank you all for the responses. I have replaced the LCA's (MEVOTECH "Supreme") and ball joints (Motorcraft) and did go to shop for an alignment. Nice contrast with the rusty subframe...

The control arm bushings are shot too. So I have ordered the whole LCA's too.

Thank you all. I agree, McPherson front suspension is a cheap, light, and prone to generate issues in long term. Although I have replaced completely the front struts (three years ago), it's still not right. A true double wishbone style suspension is more robust in the long run. My Hyundai cars (Sonata and XG350) and of course the Ford Explorer have the double control arms and... they just stay aligned. Before I attempt any alignment, I have ordered the front lower ball joints (well, the are the only ball joints on front with McPherson), and I will have them replaced. I went Motorcraft this time, the last Chinese cheapies that I put in lasted only 3 years, they are clonking already.

A few year back (2-3?) I have replaced the front struts with KYB Strut Plus assemblies (spring+shock). I had new tires. The newer struts are much more stiffer than the ones that where on the car... but I can't tell if they are stiffer than a new car because I never had one. Well, now, the inner part of front tires is worn badly. The car drives straight, so I assume it is because of camber angles. This is how the top of the towers look like - to me it seems that they are already "pushed" to the max. Is there a solution?

I have replaced most of my exhaust pipe. The last muffler broke of at some point and the rest of the pipe had rust and a couple of pin holes. On the driveway is a horrendous job. Had the front up on ramps, rear bumper on jackstands, cut the old bolts and the pipe with the flex and sawsall (didn't have enough clearance to drop it down), then support the front muffler and the middle of the pipe with other jackstands (din't have another person). At the end I sprayed some spots with cold galvanizing zinc.

Well, I have a story to share. At around 180k miles I had replace the front wheel bearing hubs on my (previous) 1996 Mercury Sable and at around 170k miles on my 2001 Ford Explorer AWD. On my current 2001 Sable I have 150 miles and they still sound good. Those are nice, easy jobs, few bolts and done. And I figured out that any modern car must have factory sealed hubs like this... Well, nooo! My 2000 Hyundai Sonata doesn't, comes with bearings that need a press to be extracted. A PITA! Well, it's old, no? And it has on the rears sealed hubs at least. My friend's 2003 Toyota Camry doesn't have hubs, just plain bearings! At 140k miles, gone! But he makes fun of my Fords... Honda's? Nope, bearings too. BMW 300 series? Nope. Now my wife REALLY wanted to get a Kia Soul in place of the Sonata. Fine, got a 2011 model, 55k miles. On their forums I found out a guy with 140k miles replacing, you guess, the front bearings. Yep, no easy-peasy factory hubs, a whole PITA again! He paid $500 in SD for the job, surelly here in VA would be like $1K. And again, at least the rears are sealed hubs! I love my Sable! Drive it every day to work (1-1/2 to 2 hours)!

That's true. Except that on my Explorer 5.0L the oil filter removal process leaks oil on the sway bar and some wiring. Win some, lose some...

Those old school inline 6 where beautiful - on any car that had them.

I guess it's a GM, because of the shocks setup on opposite sides of the axle. My Ford has them on the same side, but factory has added a 5th shock from rear differential lateral to the frame to compensate for the leaf spring windup (V8 5.0L).

My wife wanted a Kia Soul for 7 years now, her 2000 Sonata just won't die at 150k miles (V6 2.5L). So we got a 2011 Soul with 55k miles, 2.0L 4 cylinder engine, no warranty, hoping for the best. KBB price. Changing the spark plugs I found rusty looking deposits and corrosion in the 2nd plug well, and only that one. Aha, that's why the coolant level was low. Cracked head, blown intake gasket? Who knows? I guess I deserve that for caving in to buy a 4 banger...

I used to download the schematics using the http://search.ebscohost.com/ site using the ID rrcc and the... appropriate password. Well, it doesn't work anymore I just bought (for my wife) a Kia Soul 2011 and I would very much like to have some schematics and/or service manuals because I intend to keep that car alive at least 10 years. Anyone knows other sources of free manuals? You can PM me if don't feel like putting it here.

Looks like they are screwed in... dang it.

How do you usually remove those vents? It's a Hyundai, but I assume they are all similar...

I was looking at taking the dash out, it's an extensive job. Is there a recommended glue for this? Maybe I can reach with a long vacuum tube attached to the nozzle - if doesn't solidify too fast?

KYB Monomax on the four corners of my Explorer (AWD V8).