Top strut mounts

Post queries regarding your Mk3 Cavalier's brakes and suspension here
Post Reply
User avatar
ilovedmymantas
Registered user
Posts: 1201
Joined: Sat Jan 12, 2013 2:54 am

Top strut mounts

Post by ilovedmymantas »

A few weeks ago I had my exhaust & front suspension checked (where I'd bought a downpipe & tyres) because I've been getting an 'on-off-on' grinding noise when turning right, the higher the speed the more severe.
They checked everything, exhaust mounts solid etc. The only thing they found was "slight wear" in nearside strut rubber, all checked from underneath.
Although the mechanic who drove it round 'felt' the problem they couldn't find it. Slightly reassured It couldn't be too major :roll: , I drove around 560 miles round trip for a booked holiday, right-hand cornering like an old guy on Sunday driving his pride and joy .
Fast forward>>
Thursday 4.05
On left turns or over cobbles today was something I did recognise - the feel & sound of a broken offside drop-link.
Sure enough , a quick look showed the link snapped at the arm and was scoring the driveshaft.
As I was 15 miles from home and there was no way I was risking the drive like that ( maybe I am that old guy now :o ) , I called the AA, fully expecting I'd be towed.
I'm so disappointed in my maintenance, 3 years clean on this car ( 1st was silly, just after I bought it,leaking hose and the bonnet would just not open ) and now a drop link !
Anyway, 40 minutes later the yellow van arrives, confirms the drop link's broken and phones a local parts supplier Dingbro, (trade only sadly). - I'm told they have a lot of old oem parts in stock.
30 minutes after that he's returned with the part, fitted it and added a second locking nut, and got me to drive. He re-adjusted it after the drive for his satisfaction - I love a mechanic with a bit of ocd :thumb - there aren't enough :D
Cost for the part was nine pounds something, has to be paid by debit/credit, they don't take cash.

Now that I've waffled on, back to the title.

Although I've only owned 6 cars I've never had a problem with strut mounts ( probably why the symptoms were unknown to me ) - and it wasn't that long ago I was working under the bonnet.
I'm pretty sure I would have noticed what I have now, 800 miles later.
I think my mounts & bearings might need replaced. What you think ?
nearside;
Image
offside;
Image

It just seems to have suddenly happened, that's what I don't understand
Looks like I'll need to up the budget from originally arb bushes to shocks and maybe springs too ( I've got a pair of front eibach springs bought and never fitted to my sri but I'll need to check if they're suitable).
" It's not rust. It's age-related patina " ;)

1980 vauxhall cavalier MK1 1.6L, 1982 opel manta berlinetta 1.8s, 1985 opel manta 2.0 gte, 1990 cavalier 2.0 gl ,1994 cavalier sri x20xev

-1995 cdx x20xev

---------------
Matt
User avatar
Mk3alan
Registered user
Posts: 632
Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2014 8:40 pm

Re: Top strut mounts

Post by Mk3alan »

Whoops! Looks like a bit of TLC is required!
I've never had a top mount fail so find it interesting to see what's happened, so the bearing could be ok? (although you'd change it anyway) looks like the mount has given up - are they the originals?

Alan
User avatar
Cavalier342
Registered user
Posts: 9818
Joined: Tue Jul 22, 2008 10:46 pm
Location: Dorset

Re: Top strut mounts

Post by Cavalier342 »

The nearside one definitely looks buggered to me. Sitting way too high.
Previous:
China Blue 1989 Vauxhall Cavalier L 18SV
Kings Blue 1992 Vauxhall Cavalier LSi Auto C18NZ
Smoke Grey 1994 Vauxhall Cavalier V6 C25XE

Am I a light sleeper or a heavy sleeper? Well that depends on how much I've had to drink...
User avatar
Mk3alan
Registered user
Posts: 632
Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2014 8:40 pm

Re: Top strut mounts

Post by Mk3alan »

I have never actually looked at how close the rubber covered washer part of the mount is to the body, assuming it was actually touching.
However this afternoon I was carrying out an oil change and as I got up from underneath I noticed that there's a gap of about 5 or so mm between the washer part and the body!
Is that right? or is the mount starting to collapse?

Alan
User avatar
Cavalier342
Registered user
Posts: 9818
Joined: Tue Jul 22, 2008 10:46 pm
Location: Dorset

Re: Top strut mounts

Post by Cavalier342 »

The offside one looks about right, as far as I can tell, if your wheels are turned either direction, there will be some visual difference in the position of the top mounts, but that nearside one looks as it's sitting too high above the strut tower.
Previous:
China Blue 1989 Vauxhall Cavalier L 18SV
Kings Blue 1992 Vauxhall Cavalier LSi Auto C18NZ
Smoke Grey 1994 Vauxhall Cavalier V6 C25XE

Am I a light sleeper or a heavy sleeper? Well that depends on how much I've had to drink...
User avatar
Mk3alan
Registered user
Posts: 632
Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2014 8:40 pm

Re: Top strut mounts

Post by Mk3alan »

OK, so we should see a small gap there then

Alan
User avatar
Robsey
Club Admin
Posts: 10569
Joined: Fri Dec 12, 2008 1:42 pm
Location: East Manchester

Re: Top strut mounts

Post by Robsey »

Yep - I have new parts fitted to my car last year...
The gap at present is about 3mm some -somewhere near that should be fine.

If you see underneath the rubber easily, then the top strut top cup is tatered.
User avatar
ilovedmymantas
Registered user
Posts: 1201
Joined: Sat Jan 12, 2013 2:54 am

Re: Top strut mounts

Post by ilovedmymantas »

Apologies for my tardiness
Mk3alan wrote: so the bearing could be ok? (although you'd change it anyway) looks like the mount has given up - are they the originals?
I'm pretty sure they're originals, most of the car didn't seem touched underneath when I bought it. You're right though, I'll change the bearings anyway
It recently hit 100k - I think it's just getting to that age where things start to go (know that feeling :lol: ), although this is a new problem to me.(My 94 sri never had this problem (140k) and it was driven 'enthusiastically' at times - can't do that with the wide-ratio box :cry: )
Cavalier342 wrote:The offside one looks about right, as far as I can tell, if your wheels are turned either direction, there will be some visual difference in the position of the top mounts, but that nearside one looks as it's sitting too high above the strut tower.
Thanks for the info, my dad noticed them both changing while I turned the steering to check the drop link.
That's when I discovered they're both knackered, the other one's almost as bad :roll:
Robsey wrote:The gap at present is about 3mm some -somewhere near that should be fine. If you see underneath the rubber easily, then the top strut top cup is tatered.
Definitely double tatered!
In all the years I've owned a cav I've never had this problem and didn't even notice there was an intended gap on the others!

I can only assume the added weight of air-con and electric (almost) everything has caused premature failure ( :lol: )
of these parts?
Mot's due January so I need to do essentials over improvements just now. With that in mind, I've been studying Haynes. I could do with a shortcut :scratch

So...
If I compress the spring in situ can I change the mount & bush without disconnecting anything else? Has anyone tried this?

Thanks in advance, I'm off to find parts now....
" It's not rust. It's age-related patina " ;)

1980 vauxhall cavalier MK1 1.6L, 1982 opel manta berlinetta 1.8s, 1985 opel manta 2.0 gte, 1990 cavalier 2.0 gl ,1994 cavalier sri x20xev

-1995 cdx x20xev

---------------
Matt
User avatar
Robsey
Club Admin
Posts: 10569
Joined: Fri Dec 12, 2008 1:42 pm
Location: East Manchester

Re: Top strut mounts

Post by Robsey »

You will need to borrow some spring compressors, and strip the top of the strut as far back as the plastic gaitor that sits over the strut and it's top spacer.

Here is a leg that I stripped in my work room in February last year.

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

You can stop when you get here, unless you wish to replace all the internals whilst you have the strut in pieces.

Image

Image

Image

All the strut pieces laid out in order - a la Haynes style.

Image

And this is what my knackered strut top cup looked like - Eeek!!
It actually fell of the suspension leg as I was pulling the whole assembly out from under the wing.
(Oops - spring compressor not needed to strip this leg then - tee hee).

Image
User avatar
Robsey
Club Admin
Posts: 10569
Joined: Fri Dec 12, 2008 1:42 pm
Location: East Manchester

Re: Top strut mounts

Post by Robsey »

Strange - but when I fitted my Spax 40mm / 30mm lowered springs, I did not need to use a spring compressor to reassemble the legs

From memory, if you want to strip out the damper, you will need a 60mm spanner, and a vice or something to hold the leg.

I put the nut in the vice and turned the leg with a long bar, however care must be taken as the gland nut is only thin steel, and will bend too easily, allowing it to slip in the vice or for you to ruin the nut completely.
Thankfully my new Bilstein B4 dampers came with shiny new nuts.
User avatar
ilovedmymantas
Registered user
Posts: 1201
Joined: Sat Jan 12, 2013 2:54 am

Re: Top strut mounts

Post by ilovedmymantas »

Thanks Robsey, your photos seem to confirm there's not enough clearance to do it in place.
Oh well, legs off it'll have to be then :roll:
" It's not rust. It's age-related patina " ;)

1980 vauxhall cavalier MK1 1.6L, 1982 opel manta berlinetta 1.8s, 1985 opel manta 2.0 gte, 1990 cavalier 2.0 gl ,1994 cavalier sri x20xev

-1995 cdx x20xev

---------------
Matt
User avatar
Robsey
Club Admin
Posts: 10569
Joined: Fri Dec 12, 2008 1:42 pm
Location: East Manchester

Re: Top strut mounts

Post by Robsey »

It is possible to do it on the car,
If you jack it up really high.
Disconnect the anti-roll bar drop link from the wishbone.
And the track rod end from the suspension leg.

With a bit of force you could over-power the wishbone rubbers enough to lower the leg and let it come back up on the outside of the wing.

Be aware that you don't scrape the wing doing so.

For what it is worth, it is easier to disconnect the bottom knuckle pivot nut and the track rod end.

The leg will then come completely free after you remove the top nut.
cavalier1990
Registered user
Posts: 1460
Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2011 9:15 pm
Location: Paisley, Scotland

Re: Top strut mounts

Post by cavalier1990 »

That is goosed beyond goosed! When I took my own ones off they were cracked on the metal and the metal plate in the rubber was pushing way up causing the big washer to sit too high above the suspension turret, the bonnet cable was getting caught in it and crushed as the car went up and down (ooerr :)) so replacement posthaste. They don't wear out quickly, uness it gets to point the metal breaks, and collapses, so the only real way to tell if they are goosed barring that, is that big gap between the top washer and body strut. New ones should only give a couple of mil gap.
User avatar
ilovedmymantas
Registered user
Posts: 1201
Joined: Sat Jan 12, 2013 2:54 am

Re: Top strut mounts

Post by ilovedmymantas »

Wee update...

I paid a local garage to fit the parts (walking distance- only just!) . No issues when I'd mot'd there in January.
I think It was a bad choice - I'll go into that in the wip when I calm down :x

(Admin can you please add wip to "Matts CDX" either front or back, I don't mind. I don't know how I missed It out :scratch )
cavalier1990 wrote: New ones should only give a couple of mil gap.
This is the gap now.
Image

Other side:
Image

Original front springs & shocks, not the b4's.
Not exactly a few mil. This is the first time I've noticed a gap at all in cav's.
Robsey wrote:And this is what my knackered strut top cup looked like - Eeek!!
Having seen yours I imagined so much worse. The grinding noise had stopped. That was worrying!
Every trip I was driving like a granny and wondering if the next bump was "the one" .
mine didn't look so bad though.
Image

Odd that the better one has worst rubber condition
Damper ring's all I can think of that's left.
http://ecat24.com/opel/catalog/part//39/420/4348/9956/

-That and getting a better mechanic!
" It's not rust. It's age-related patina " ;)

1980 vauxhall cavalier MK1 1.6L, 1982 opel manta berlinetta 1.8s, 1985 opel manta 2.0 gte, 1990 cavalier 2.0 gl ,1994 cavalier sri x20xev

-1995 cdx x20xev

---------------
Matt
User avatar
Robsey
Club Admin
Posts: 10569
Joined: Fri Dec 12, 2008 1:42 pm
Location: East Manchester

Re: Top strut mounts

Post by Robsey »

Sadly mechanics are too busy rushing through jobs to do a decent job.

I have tried a few different garages but always come back to the same one.

That right top mount is cracked but not bad at all. The left one looks near petfect - other than the rubbers.
Post Reply