Mk3 Cavalier Owners Club | Vauxhall Cavalier Dot Com

So when I got the Cav it had an MOT advisory saying that there was some movement in the offside wheel due to something about a MacPherson strut. A mate has had a look and noticed that the little rubber thingy (I told you this was a very technical question) at the top of the suspension in the engine bay (see first picture) is raised a bit and suggested that it needed to be replaced.

My questions are, is the rubber thingy in the third picture the correct rubber thingy to replace the rubber thingy in the first picture? (if you could tell me the name of the rubber thingy I would be grateful as well)? Is it identical for both sides? And should I replace the nearside one as well (see second picture)?

its called a top mount. and the rubber thing in the 3rd pic looks like a bump stop which sits on the shocker tube itself. to replace this you need to dismantle the shocker to get to where it sits. the same goes for replacing the top mount.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 3DWatching

You need a pair of these.

Gaz wrote:http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 3DWatching

You need a pair of these.

Thanks for that
I looked at them earlier but wasn't sure (are they upside down in the eBay pic as they look very different otherwise?). Will I also need to replace the front suspension mount bearings as they don't come with them? If so does anyone know where I can get them from?

I have a simlar thing with my Cav V6. A large gap under the top mount rubber. I assume this would led to flex in the strut and therefore wayward travel. I also assume you just take the top nut off, slde off the top mount and then put this on replacing the top mount and nut.

Sorry for the hi-jack.

Mort wrote: Thanks for that
I looked at them earlier but wasn't sure (are they upside down in the eBay pic as they look very different otherwise?). Will I also need to replace the front suspension mount bearings as they don't come with them? If so does anyone know where I can get them from?

Its for the underside of those top mount (sits inside of the strut tower) , the middle will be bent upwards/cracked. Bearings tend to last but if you want to change them feel free

The gap between the top mount and the arch is normal. The top mount is only there to stop the strut falling off when the suspension goes to the end of its travel, the rest of the time it is held in postion by the weight of the car. If the gap wasn't there, it would lead to extra friction and the rubber would wear away in no time.

The play in your suspension is caused either by worn ball joint or knackered top bearing.

The top bearing can be bought from the main dealers for under a tenner, but you have to strip the strut to replace it. This requires a spring compressor and can be quite a job. It's worth considering the condition of the front shocks and replacing these too while the strut is stripped.

The lower ball joint can be replaced by either replacing the entire wishbone assembly, which can be bought from a motor factors from £15 - £25, or you can drill out the 3 big rivets that hold the joint to the wishbone and buying a bolt on replacement one. However, this usually isn't worth it, as normally when the ball joint is knackered, the rubbers in the wishbone aren't far behind. Replacing the wishbone isn't too hard, it can be tricky getting the holes lined up to get the bolts back in, and don't forget the little shims too, otherwise your front tyres will be shredded in no time.

It might be worth getting the tracking checked once you have done the repairs, just to make sure it's all still OK.

Thanks for the advise. Is there a way to work out which one is most likely to be causing the problem before I get the whole of the suspension stripped out?

The only way to check for sure is to jack up the front of the car and put it on axle stands. Get under the car with a torch and get someone to wiggle the roadwheel with their hands top and bottom of the wheel. They might need to use a reasonable amount of force. You should see either play in the ball joint (where you will see the hub move, but not the wishbone), or the top of the strut moving but not the top mount. If the rubbers have gone in the wishbones, you will see the wishbone moving. However, sometimes this is hard to determine if the movement is supposed to be happening or play. It helps to get a lever between the wishbone and bodywork, then you will see if the rubbers are gone or not.