After having new AGX struts/shocks installed, the front spring on the passenger side has been binding and popping when turning the wheels. It is most noticeable when car is stationary.

Just the struts/shocks and strut mounts were changed: the springs are stock.

After taking the struts apart and reassembling them (making sure that the word "OUT" on the top plate was facing away from the car), the mechanic who did the original install claims that the top perch (strut plate) on the passenger side is "bad and needs to be replaced."

Is he correct, or could there be another reason for the popping & binding?

Obviously, something happened during the original install to create this situation because the stock setup worked fine.

Help, please...

 

spring binding I think is strut bearing...what does it sound like?

 

Did he use any silicone grease on the upper strut mount? I had the same issue in my last car (94 Camry) and it was because the upper mount wasn't lubricated at all.

 

Strut bearing.

The strut MOUNT will make more of a rattle/jiggle sound when it's going, not related to steering wheel position.

 

Are you saying that even in a brand new KYB strut mount, the strut bearing has to be taken out, lubricated, and the reassembled into the mount?

 

With a brand new KYB strut mount, there SHOULD be a new bearing in there. it's a thin plastic disc with a teflon washer mashed inside it. the entire weight of the car rests on that cheap plastic washer. if that thing is gone or damaged, it will cause the top mount not to pivot when the car turns, which is what causes your springs to bind and pop while turning.

you need to pull the strut back off and disassemble it. check and see if the bearing is still in decent shape or not- hell it may not even be in there. I've seen many 'mechanics' throw them away.
if it's not there or damaged, then you need to replace it. make sure its seated and properly centered on the mount, and then reassemble the strut assembly.

If it happened immediately upon getting the car back from the mechanic, then it's obvious he didn't do his job properly and needs to redo it- at his expense.

 

Well, I do know what it looks like because I replaced one on my 1992 Max, but what I do not know is how a mechanic might damage one inside a new mount if the mount was not disassembled.

I have heard about a few problems with KYB mounts in the past, so would it be possible for a new one to come with a defective bearing?

OR...can you htink of any ways that a careless mechanic can mess one up without taking the mount apart?

The mechanic is not the sharpest knife on the rack. He seems to think that I have a bad top strut plate...but how can that go "Bad" unless the mechanic did something to it.

Either way, the struts need to be pulled and I am going to hang around the shop and have them take apart both mounts (even though the passenger side is the one making the noises) so that I can inspect them, too.

BTW, coincidentally, I had the rubber bushings on the front sway bar replaced with Energy Suspension parts a few weeks before the strut install. Now, somehow, the bushing on the passenger side has split down the middle.

Overstressed by the shoddy strut install?

This whole thing has been a nightmare...I always seem to find the worst mechanics.

Anyway, I will bring along two extra bearings in case both are messed up.

Thanks for the help.

 

the 3rd and 4th gen suspensions are similar in design, but use completely different parts. the 4th gen is built MUCH MUCH cheaper than the 3 gen. 3 gen actually uses a steel ball bearing for the pivot. the 4th gen uses one made out of three thin sheets of plastic- one of which is teflon.

They literally fall out when you pull the strut mount apart, and you have to be careful when reassembling things to make sure they're seated properly before you remove the spring compressors.

I'm going to bet your mechanic put it together improperly and damaged that ring- especially since you say you replaced the upper mounts already.
and yes, the upper mounts do go bad. there are two sections of metal in there, held together by molded rubber. the rubber part will often separate and come out of the mount, allowing the strut shaft to move around inside the mount.

as for the suspension bushings cracking, that's because the guy cranked the bolts down WAY too tight and it mashed the bushing to the breaking point. seen it before. it's just careless and improper install work.

 

Wow. Refund?

 

If you installed (or he installed...) the new strut mounts and they weren't dissassembled, then it could be two things: 1) If you don't have spring isolators, it could make some moaning and creaking noises, or 2) You could have a ball joint that has pulled out of the seat. It may not have separated completely, but it will make a creaking noise.

If it makes the noise while you are moving, then it's ball joint related. If it does it while you are stationary it's most likely the isolators.

SO the question is... do you have the spring isolators on the new springs??

-SNOMAX

 

read his original description again....

 

Thanks, Matt! Great info. Since the mounts were new and in the box, I am going to assume that he did not disassemble them. But, I will be sure to ask him if he did anyway.

My feeling is that you're right about him mashing the bushing by overtorquing the bolts. Somewhere I recall reading that AGX's have different install specs than stock, but maybe what I read referred to alignment rather than torque specs.

You also mentioned that the upper mounts do, indeed , go bad, and that the rubber ring in the upper mount can separate and come out of the mount.

So, my question would be, "Could a carelesss mechanic also damage the rubber ring, and if so, how?"

I am going to be there when he redoes the install, so I will get a chance to inspect everything. I will have with me a mount bushing, the upper mount plate, and the rubber ring, so hopefully the problem will be corrected if it requires replacing one or more of the items mentioned.

I think I'll also bring copies of this thread to show him what he needs to know.

 

UPDATE:

I think that there should be a sticky devoted just to 4th Gen strut mounts.

For example, there were no instructions that came with the mounts saying that the strut bushing needs to be lubricated!

Now that the right mount was replaced, the left mount is starting to do the same thing -- popping and binding -- so, it has to be the fact that neither of the bushings were lubed.

Pardon if I sound a bit dense but, when I bought two fully assembled strut mounts -- not kits, mind you -- I assumed (apparently incorrectly) that the bushings inside them were "good-to-go," that is, already lubricated.

It's like buying a lubricated condom only to find out it is bone dry inside.

Well, not exactly, but you get my drift here. Like, Double You, Tee, Eff?

 

they don't need lubricated. it's a teflon piece that works without any grease.

 

The idiot who did the install must have damaged both bearings because the left side is starting to pop as well.

 

i have the tien coilovers and after installation i ha dthe same exact problem.
how do i fix it? it only makes the noise when i am stationary and turn the steering wheel.

 

I have the same issue with my k sports. I have read that you are supposed to grease the pillow mount, because it comes ungreased. Then I read something about spring pre-load. I have no idea what the pillow mount is, but Im hoping I only need grease. Hopefully someone here knows.