Help plz with my suspension issues!!!

[Mischa]

Hi all, having suspension issues...
a couple of months ago i installed H&R coilovers using the standard strut top bearings.

so now a couple of weeks ago a noise developed from the front right suspension, sounding as if it were coming from the bearing. it was a rattling/knocking noise that occurred on rattly bumps.

tonight i pulled the strut out looking for the culprit. couldnt see an issue so i took the strut bearings off. noticed something was looking a bit funny on the inside so i pulled the metal insert out of it. the bearing then popped open, ballbearings went everywhere

so anyway, this is what the bearing looks like. getting another bearing isnt an issue but i dont want to be churning through bearings. does anyone know why this would have happened? camber was 1.6neg either side so not too extreme. the car on the front wasnt even all that low, still had another inch to wind down on the coilovers.

could it have been that the nut that holds the bearing down was overtorqued?





thanks in advance....

[Golfwise]

It wouldn't be too tight as there is a shoulder.I do believe with camber they become a weak point.

[Tim]

these are failing on cars with stock suspension arent they?

If youre worried about the ongoing dramas associated with them I think k-mac do a replacement strut top that has camber/caster adjuster built in. I know the idea is more for the adjustment but maybe doing away with the factory part isnt such a bad idea

[Preen59]

these are failing on cars with stock suspension arent they?

If youre worried about the ongoing dramas associated with them I think k-mac do a replacement strut top that has camber/caster adjuster built in. I know the idea is more for the adjustment but maybe doing away with the factory part isnt such a bad idea

Tim makes a good point there.

Also, you must ensure that the strut nut is REALLY tight on the bearing to stop them being noisy and potentially coming undone. Dragan also mentioned that to me about the KW coilovers i got for the caddy because a number of people had the same issues.

Get the Kmac gear and tell me what its like.. If its any good i might consider it for the Caddy.

[Mischa]

it was done up with my rattle gun and was tight. not sure how tight though :S

[les88]

I would tighten any nut on a vehicle to its correct torque setting with a torque wrench
les

[brentondm]

not sure what the rules are for linking to other forums, but here is an excellent DIY guide to replace the strut mounts...... without having to remove the full suspension assembly.

http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=1381025

[comfortline]

That's a problem. Rattle guns are notorious for over tightening. Its why wheel studs break, when the threads pull up.

Use a torque wrench. It wont rattle then either.

it was done up with my rattle gun and was tight. not sure how tight though :S

[Mischa]

if someone could please tell me how to use a torque wrench with a strut top nut i would be most interested

turns out the bolt was probably undertightened due to using a shallow socket. going to try again tomorrow morning with a long socket, its too late now to wake up the neighbours with the compressor lol.

[Preen59]

That's a problem. Rattle guns are notorious for over tightening. Its why wheel studs break, when the threads pull up.

Use a torque wrench. It wont rattle then either.

There's nothing wrong with a rattle gun if used correctly.

Tools are only as good as the operator. And i don't care what anyone says, there's a lot of auto mechanical people (not necessarily mechanics) out there who have no idea how to use their equipment properly!

[Mischa]

thanks to seb and tim for helping me out. turns out both the strut bearings were shagged due to the nuts being under-tightened. this happened because my 21mm socket wasn't long enough so as the screw tightened, the thread was pushing the socket off the nut. solved this by using a big mofo spark plug socket with a hex bit through it to hold the strut and did it by hand.

[comfortline]

There's nothing wrong with a rattle gun if used correctly.

Tools are only as good as the operator. And i don't care what anyone says, there's a lot of auto mechanical people (not necessarily mechanics) out there who have no idea how to use their equipment properly!

Exactly!

Well you live and learn!

Enjoyt the suspension Mischa