strut mount

[Guest waxbgone]

All 4 Reattas that I have owned eventually developed a front suspension rattle. I have never been able to fully explain it, but when I replaced the front struts I also replaced the strut mounts and the noise went away. The struts never showed any signs of needing to be replaced other than the possibility that they were making the rattle.

I suspect that the mounts are the problem, but I am unsure of exactly how they function. Does the rod of the strut turn in the strut body when the wheel turns, or does the mount do the swiveling? Do the mounts or their bearings wear and get loose enough to rattle? The parts stores sell replacement "bearings" for the mounts, are they really replaceable, or is it necessary to replace the whole mount. The manual doesn't mention anything about checking, rebuilding, or replacing the mount (or bearing plate).

Anyone have some expertise to share?

[Guest MauiWowee]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: waxbgone</div><div class="ubbcode-body">

Anyone have some expertise to share? </div></div>

Including whether or not it is feasable to replace the mounts when the struts are known to be good?

[Guest crtnrds]

Strut bearings are just another terminology for "strut mount". Yes it is feasable to replace the bearings (mounts) in your struts are good, but they should be fairly new because it's alot of work to do if you're gonna have to do it again.

[Richard S]

Actually that's an interesting point. I had always assumed that the white plastic thing that rides on the mount is the "bearing" while the rest was the mount. However when one thinks of a standard bearing, that term usually includes the race as well. What I called the mount would be equivalent to the race, I guess. The strut rod is fixed while the strut body turns with the hub, so I would not say that the rod turns.

[Guest EDBS0]

[Jim NotreDame IN]

i think i have a rattle in the rear, do the mounts go bad there commonly? i'll have to listen carefully because i could swear that its the back, but if these cars are plagued with the front struts going out, i wanna spend my money on the right end of the car, right?

[DAVES89]

Many Reatta owners have had a problem with emergency brake cable rattle. that will be noise coming from the rear. My brake cable rattle was due to a missing bolt and that the spring that keeps the tension on the cable was not put properly in place.

[Jim NotreDame IN]

funny you mention that... my e-brake pedal doesn't do anything, but i blamed it on the release lever being internally jammed (blind guess). i'll have to look into it a little further. thanks

[Guest imported_REATAMANZ]

The little white pastic part is what we call a Strut Brearing. It has a metal insert "race" another plastic retainer and ball bearings. Some Strut Bearings are plastic with the bearing pressed into it.

[Guest inthespot]

I am going to replace the front struts on my '90 before I go to Mi. I plan on replacing the mounts as well when I do the struts. I am going to wing it and try to do the work myself. I would think that the bushings do not come with the struts and that I need to buy them separate is that correct? Also to give me about the same ride as it had when it was new, what brand should I purchase and what all do I need to get when I do the job. I just do not want to get everything apart and then find that I need to order something else before I can complete the job. Thanks

Mike

[Machiner 55]

I think most of the folk on this board have used Monroe SensaTracs.

As far as tips, what comes to mind is read the FSM for the how to and get yourself a white-out pen. It's great for marking locations. Writes on most everything and it's easily seen. You'll need to mark the positions of the three nuts/ washers that hold the strut bearing mount on the strut tower. The holes that they go into are slotted. This is where the alignment technician adjusts the caster when performing an alignment on your car.

Also, get some of these useful lubricants:

[Richard S]

John's comment about a pen that will allow you to mark the alignment of various parts is very useful. If you are not familiar with the assembly of these parts, you will want to mark not only to tower mounting nuts, but note the orientation of the spring and mount on the strut housing. I think Ronnie noted that it is very useful for posters to make sure their profile indicates the year of the car they have. On the 90 you must remove the sway bar link from the strut to replace the strut. If the links are worn, this is a good time to replace them. Likewise the sway bar bushing. Earlier years have a different link set-up allowing for urethane link bushings, if you wish. You will also want to make sure you purchase a good spring compressor. I gotta say that my air compressor and impact wrench make compressing the springs a far less tedious task than it would otherwise be. Also, when you remove the upper strut mounting bolt, put some vise-grips on the strut to keep it from turning. Doesn't matter if you gouge the old strut in the process.