Front Suspension Top Mounting Replacement?

[Manxman]

Is it possible to replace the top bush that locates the suspension strut into the body by removing the long plate above the top mounts and removing the nut and circular plate to allow the strut to be pushed down, away from the seating enough to have access to the bush ? Obviously with front wheels raised of the ground of course.. Or is it necessary to strip around the wheel knuckle first?

 

2001 Galaxy 1.9tdi

[tiny]

I did mine last year and IIRC you havent got the clearance with the strut in-situ. Its not a big job removing it though, but I would recommend drowning the top nut in release agent well in advance, they can be a right b******d to move otherwise.

 

You will need a 7mm allen socket to hold the strut rod by the in-hex socket on the top of the rod, one of mine rounded out before i got it free.

A handy tool to help with this job is a (14mm??) spark plug socket with an external hex, cut down in height so you can hold the strut top mount with the socket and a spanner whilst feeding the 7mm allen socket down through the spark plug sockets central drive hole. The top nut is too far recessed into the round plate to get a spanner on.

 

I ended up cutting the nut off with a dremmel, then a hammer and chisel!

[Andrew T]

Are you sure this job needs doing at all?

 

There have been a few cases (including me) of Garages who don't understand that the design has a lot of freeplay when the weight is off the wheel and advising excessive play or failing the MOT for the same reason.

[Manxman]

Can't be sure it needs doing, but the local ford dealer replaced one top mounting last year for its test and they say the other side needs doing now. They apparently changed one without removing the strut from the car hence my question asking this forum if it's possible. The WD 40 is soaking into the top nuts as we write Tiny.. Thanks for your input.

[mikej]

Did mine last year with the strut in situ , what a job ! next time i shall taking the strut off first never again....

[scally]

I have just been told that my n/s top mounting needs replacing and has excessive play and shows signs of wear. I do trust mylocal independent garage but can anyone advise if i need to check anything to be sure.

 

I have had problems with excessive wheel wear on the insides of my front tyres and also a slight knocking when going on bmpy road.

 

I ahve also been told both sides need to be replaced - is this true?

[acecard]

I have just been told that my n/s top mounting needs replacing and has excessive play and shows signs of wear. I do trust mylocal independent garage but can anyone advise if i need to check anything to be sure.

 

I have had problems with excessive wheel wear on the insides of my front tyres and also a slight knocking when going on bmpy road.

 

I ahve also been told both sides need to be replaced - is this true?

Two new front tyres (Avon ZV5) 4000 miles ago now worn to 3mm on the inner but still 6mm outer both tyres. Prior to these being fitted by National, the original Michelins had lasted 22,000 miles. So the problem only seems to have occurred since the new tyres were fitted, at which time I also had the wheel alignment checked. Suspicious that they had f****** up the alignment and caused this wear, I took it back to them and they claim alignment is spot on.

So they started looking for other reasons and came up with excessive play on both top mountings. Didnt look too excessive to me and reading this thread, that amount of play could be the norm, plus the gal has only done 26k since new and is always carefully driven.

Not sure what to think. Certainly can't afford tyre wear at this rate. It does also appear badly affected by bumps in the road surface which cause it to pull slightly to one side or the other.

 

Any ideas appreciated. Also, does anyonr know if I can swap the front ZV5's to get more miles out of them or are they unidirectional?

[Steveenduro]

I got 50k from the original Dunlops and I have had the current Fortunas on for 40k and still going strong.

The car has done 142,000 miles and hasn't had a problem with top mount.

I suspect the alignment was cocked up badly.

[Mirez]

There will be nothing wrong with the top mounts but its a good get out line for them as the mounts are designed to float which is an unusual design.

 

"The new Avon ZV5 is optimised for use in small cars to large saloons and fast cars" - might be a bad choice of tyre anyway for the gal, are they the reinforced version?

[acecard]

There will be nothing wrong with the top mounts but its a good get out line for them as the mounts are designed to float which is an unusual design.

 

"The new Avon ZV5 is optimised for use in small cars to large saloons and fast cars" - might be a bad choice of tyre anyway for the gal, are they the reinforced version?

Yes, they are reinforced. As I say, the wear is uneven. Only 2mm lost on the outers and even that would upset me after 4000, but down to 3mm inner. Probably would have done better wth polystyrene.

[acecard]

I got 50k from the original Dunlops and I have had the current Fortunas on for 40k and still going strong.

The car has done 142,000 miles and hasn't had a problem with top mount.

I suspect the alignment was cocked up badly.

Tend to agree, in which case I wonder if they have corrected it when I went back but didnt admit it was out to save face.

Is there any way I can verify alignment correct without waiting for further tyre wear? Don't want to let Frauds do it as I guess they will charge some ridiculous amount.

[seatkid]

I doubt whether top mounts ever really need replacing. MOTS should only be conducted with the vehicle on the ground with full weight on the front suspension (Ford/VW advice) as otherwise the top ends will drop and flop around a bit - thats the way they are designed. They should not test it with the vehicle lifted.

 

Of course if you ever change a shock absorber then it makes sense to change the top mounting bits/bearing etc at the same time. But I've never seen anyone post on here that they've needed a front shock absorber changing. I may be wrong though...

 

The commonest MOT suspension failure is worn track rod end(s). Knocking noises from suspension is usually a worn ARB drop link (not an MOT failure though AFAIK) Both are easy and cheap to fix. The wear involved is miniscule and difficult to see without the use of a crowbar. Much less common failures are worn bushes in the lower control arm or a worn lower ball joint.

 

A laser wheel alignment is always required when changing a track rod end, the difficult bit is finding someone who knows how to use the equipment correctly and read a chart properly and knows the difference between a + and a -.

Edited November 24, 2009 by seatkid

[acecard]

thanks for all the input.They were eager to make a fast buck out of the supposed freeplay. I just smelt a rat so glad I checked here first.

[tim-spam]

To answer the original question, yes, it is possible to remove the top rubber mounting without removing the strut - easy job. The difficult bit is getting the rusted nut off the top.

In fact, removing the top rubber mounting makes it easy to remove the strut without having to remove the hub carrier.

However, the rubber mountings are very durable and are unlikely to ever need replacing.

[Iberlynx]

I found using a 21mm round and cranked spanner worked well with the allen key, it was made easier by removal of the air filter box and the water reservoir.

[nicebutdim]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread. I'm re-building my new struts and having a little 'fun' with the top mounts. Is the top mount actually bolted to the top of the strut, or does it just sit over the nut & bearing, only being held in place when in situ with the top plate and nut over the turret?

[sparky Paul]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread. I'm re-building my new struts and having a little 'fun' with the top mounts. Is the top mount actually bolted to the top of the strut, or does it just sit over the nut & bearing, only being held in place when in situ with the top plate and nut over the turret?

 

Yes, the rubber bush just sits loose on the top of the completed strut, and the top plate nut holds the whole thing together when it's bolted into the car.

[nicebutdim]

Excellent, Many thanks Paul.

Tim