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Old 05-22-2010, 07:20 PM   #3
pfofit
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Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Atlantic canada
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Re: Bad Strut Causing Bad Alignment?

The camber should be, I believe without checking, between -0.5 and -1.5. You can get more by ovaling out the holes in the lower strut hole, not the steering knuckle, or trying to shift the strut mount by playing with the three nuts on top.

Perhaps what is wrong is the upper strut mounts, Those ones on the rear consist of a metal collar about an 1 1/2" tall embedded in the rubber mount, they are notorious for letting go and I've seen them tear out a hole in the rubber that was 1/4 inch bigger in diameter than that metal collar. The front is similar but has an additional large bearing the the spring rests against for turning.

This problem usually shows up by a clunking/thud sound when going over bumps at slow speeds. If the strut goes it will beat the crap out of the mount, but the strut does not have to be bad for the mount to go south.

You can kinda check them by reaching in through the trunk, rip out the rubber boot over the strut nut and put one hand over the nut and big cup shaped washer while bouncing the car up and down with the other. If there real bad watch that your fingers are not under the nut or washer or you'll get a nasty pinch in your finger. If there is any tapping, thuds, clunking or excessive vertical play then that's your ticket.

Another thing to do is beam a flashlight in there and look at the cupped washer in relation to the rubber mounts little triangular teeth sticking up. the washer should be centered to these teeth, like in a picture below and the teeth should be just touching under the washer, not sticking up beyond. If they are offset then the metal collar in the mount has let go and is giving you that excessive camber.

The first image is my spare mount, I can't throw anything out . You can see it is just staring to let go when coerced. Believe it, this was causing a little thud when going over speed bumps etc going slow. The others show the top side of the mount with and without the washer. This mount is on luminas and many other w-bodys

good luck
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