just yesterday I started hearing a tinking rattle

I just pulled the front pass wheel and find that the dust sleeve that covers the top of the strut is loose

is something broken or do I just need to torque a nut?

other than swapping my axles a month ago I have not touched my suspension. and I have not toched the top of the struts since I bought the car 6mo ago

do I need to worry about the rattling cover?
is it telling me something is about to go out?

 

is this strut gonna pop out?

I cant afford to have my front end fold up
but I cant afford to fix it right now if I can get another thousand miles out of it


I already know I have a project ahead of me cuz you can hear the suspension rubbers creaking over bumps from 50ft away


if I can granny it to work for just a little longer I will
but if I need to park it or else, then I will get friendly with the bus driver


what is the most common cause of suspension colapse? upper ball, lower ball, ca's, ...???

 

Is the shock rod poking up through the bushings in the top mount?

If so, then you left out the tapered washer called the "bumpstop plate". The dust cover is sandwiched in between this washer and the upper mount bushings and held tight when the nut on top of the shock rod is tightened down.

Conversely, if you did not forget that washer, then the nut on the top of the shock rod is not tight.

These are the only 2 possibilities. If installed properly, the dust cover cannot move at all.

 

Thanks for the info

the washer under the nut on the rod is snug btween the rubber and nut if that answers your question about it poking up.
it looks the same as the other side (except the other side does not rattle, but the washer freely moves around under the nut on that side)

I did not install it
it came with the car, but only started rattling after I try to fix the squeaks with some white grease (non-petrol based)

other than the rubber talking, the suspension was quiet till this wknd when the sleeve became a cow bell

so of the 2 possibilities you mention, will either cause the suspension to fold up?
(I dont race and I drive for mpg, not mph)

 

Nah shouldn't be catastrophic or anything.

But if that bumpstop plate is missing, then it's like driving with no shock absorber on that corner, as the shock won't be doing anything. You need to inspect under the hood and under the fender opening to see what's going on. Take pics if you can.

 

here is a pic of the strut in question
the white stuff is grease, I was/am trying to get rid of the creeks and squeaks

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c9...S/DSC01324.jpg


underhood pic will follow tomorrow

 

I feel the strut is loosened due to wear and tear.

I dont feel it as a major problem.

To avoid such bugs it has to be serviced regularly

 

Thanks for the input, but....

how do you service a strut?

judging from your sig and # of posts, I will file that part in the peanut gallery drawer.

 

as promised, PatrickGSR94,
pics of the other end of the struts
(yes I know how to post as an IMG, I am using links cuz these are BIG pics for detail)

this is the top of the front right strut(the one that rattles)
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c9...S/DSC01326.jpg

this is the top and bottom of the strut mount on the left side
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c9...S/DSC01327.jpg
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c9...S/DSC01329.jpg

the washer under the nut on this side can be moved around, but the sleeve does not rattle
(so, washer loose on left strut, and the sleeve is loose on the right strut)
and yes I know the upper bj is bad on this side ;^)


If it has any bearing, the hood has dimples above the struts from them going into the hood. that happened before I bought it.
though they arent hitting now, the rust on those regions is untouched

 

wow man. Yep, those top nuts definitely aren't tightened down all the way. Either that, or they weren't assembled correctly. The top mount bushings could be oriented the wrong way, the metal sleeve inside the bushings could be missing, or the bumpstop plate could be missing (which I suspect is what made those dents in the hood).

 

thanks PatrickGSR94
I feel much better knowing, even if that means I know I need to replace something.
That also explains why it has always seemed to be lowered, yet all the suspension parts are OEM
I bet some misguided individual did a ghetto drop and simply reoriented or removed suspension parts, and they didnt do it the same on all 4 corners because the lr wheel well has almost twice the clearance above the tire as any of the other 3
well again, dont blame me, I bought it this way and as it is my first DA I am still learning what it is supposed to look like

so... PatrickGSR94

speaking of replacing stuff, from what you can see in the picture, and what you know from experience, what is the bare minimum I *might* get away with buying?

just grab strut mount kits and hope for the best when I pull off these?

Really, I am not being sarcastic. LOL
I have not done suspension work before so I have no gauge of what is ok and what is not. It is my DD and I cant pull it down till I can plan on what I may need to get done. What is the minimum that has been rendered unserviceable so I know what to have ready before I disable my way to get more parts.

 

?