I hate to start a new thread for this, but can't find a related or similar problem.
my top strut nut somehow has worked its way loose. its been this way for a while, aparently. I recall seeing a post by john(blootoof) having a rattling sound when he hit a bump, and i had a similar noise. you guys said it was a bad steering rack, so thats what i went with as the diagnosis.
I tried to just tighten the nut, but it just spun the strut rod. I don't know if this is because of the threads being fubar'd or the torque needed to tighten it more.
I helped my brother replace the struts on his '86 camaro. those had a slot on top of the rod to place a screwdriver while tightening with a wrench. I do not have that option on mine.
any suggestions on what to do in the mean time before i get new struts?

 

You need to hold the shaft some how. Best thing to do is get some rubber and wrap it around the strut and get a pipe wrench or similar and tighten that. Vice grips might work as well depending on the torque you need.

On my 240 theres a flat spot at the top and you use like a 10mm on that and a 12/14mm wrench on the nut. I dont think the maxima is the same though..

~Alex

 

The strut mounts should have a "D" shape hole for the strut piston to go through,if your mount or strut are rounded off,either/or needs to be replaced

 

......it's supposed to somewhat hold itself in place so you can tighten it without having to hold it with anything.


EDIT: if you do hold something so you can tighten it....MAKE DAMN SURE that you do NOT scratch/dent/gouge the SMOOTH SHINY surface of the rod, the part that is inside the spring, outside of the cylinder.

If you were to damage the piston, you could destroy the seal on the cylinder, and cause the strut to die.

 

rounded off, will be replaced. i have considered using a hacksaw to cut a notch on the piston rod top to tighten. I just need to get by for about a week to get the money and parts. this is my dd, and i don't have a backup ride.

 

The strut mount should have a corresponding "D" shape to match the strut end.

 

I'll try this tomorrow. when we worked on my bothers camaro, we were taking one strut off when we broke the top of the rod(where the slot is). we tried to use some vice grips on the other half(that side broke off, too) we tried a pipe wrench, but the rod was too hard/smooth to get any grip. we resorted to a grinder to cut the nut off

 

the solution..

 

will also check to see if there is enough space to "grab" the flat side with some vice grips or something. the nut has worked its way to the top, its almost flush with the top...
damn, I wished i had seen this sooner. I checked this when I first started hearing the rattling, but *looked* okay (it looked to be in the same place as the other strut at the time.)

I can move the strut by reaching under the fender and see the nut moving. I realize this is a danger, affecting handling and more, but i do not have any other options at this time...

 

EDIT: alex v suggested the same idea
yeah, thats kinda what i had in mind, or using an old inner tube and wraping that around the piston.
problem: this is still on the car, and the spring seem to be in the way(based on looking earlier today. (With the tire off) will i be able to tighten the nut? I will need this for sure when i replace the struts.


BTW thanks you guys!

 

the right tool will be plenty skinny enough to get to the shaft. if not, jack up the car untill the tires are almost off the ground, gives more space between the coils.

~alex

 

^^^ noted.

 

I am just wondering what would cause it to become loose like that. would bad bushings be a probable cause? I recently replaced them, hoping that would be the cause of the rattling over bumps, and that was about the same day john reported his problem.
I just happened to notice it because i was under the hood, aparently bumped the cap off, and noticed the nut was WAY off from where it should have been on the shaft...

 

went to the Pull-A-Part got a pair of these

any ideas what they are?
this is the passenger side strut, only identifier i found was "881 X0222" on the passenger side. forgot to pull the driver side...

anyway, got the driver side on, but couldnt get the passenger side on.
the top mount on the donor is effed up, and I don't have a pair of channel locks big enough to get a grip on the top of the mount(thats left) to get the strut nut out.
will be working on that this next week.

 

looks like a tokico strut,the blue paint is a little darker then a tok though..

 

thats what i thought, but ive only seen googled images, and the camera i used sucks.
i should have access to a better digital, and I'll clean up the strut if nobody has another guess.

to the toks have a tokico sticker on 'em?
the only sticker on here was the warning about the strut being under pressure, ya-de-ya.

 

I think i have a pic of mine somewhere..brb

 

 

do you take pictures of everything?!?!
no not the same color, but no sticker...

 

Yea..pretty much..


Someone may have just painted the stock strut housing..

 

i was just thinking that, but the calipers werent painted, and people USUALLY do both to match.
there is also no overspray or tape lines that i can recall, so if it was done, they did a good job.

 

my stock struts are that color

http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u...g?t=1199581112

 

monro-matics are a darker blue than the tokicos.

 

capecadaver: yeah, and even have the same warning sticker(which is another reason to know they arent painted, wayne).
are the monro-matics automar just mentioned?

 

look for a number stamped into the strut housing near the bottom.

 

 

monroe usually has a 71*** or 801*** stamped into them , but not always.

 

The monroe Sensa-Trac's are black

 

definitely monroe.
monroe passenger side = 801881

 

I specifically said monroe MATIC noob

 

soooo......
did i do okay?

 

if you paid more than $20 you paid too much.

 

Wasn't meant for you...nooblet..

 

ntrly..

fixed..

 

k.
im gonna see if my old strut is okay, or stripped or what. if it is ill just reuse it.

 

that's actually a dark blue, newberts.

 

What are you rambling on about justinconfused?

We know they are dark blue..

 

oh, i thought you said they were black....maybe your comment/photo combination was misleading?

 

Ewwww Monroe.

 

yeah..i guess everyone got a little confused by it..