Front strut replacement, '98 intrigue

[hraedon]

Hello, I am trying to replace the struts in my 1998 Intrigue. I got the old strut out, and the springs and whatnot installed correctly(?) on the new strut.

When I install the new strut, though, there is about in inch of space between the knuckle and strut mounts. Everything above seems to fit, ie the mounting lines up with the mount points and everything connects, but when I have the knuckle inside the mount that is attatched to the strut, the strut's holes are about an inch above the ones on the knuckle.

Do I need to recompress something, or did I do something wrong when I put the new one back together?

[BNaylor]

Welcome to AF.

It sounds like you need to get the lower control arm up more. I recall using a small floor jack to help. Also, it may help to undo the outer tie rod off the steering knuckle and maybe undo the stabilizer control arm link to the lower control arm so it will be easier to manhandle.

[hraedon]

Originally Posted by bnaylor

Welcome to AF.

It sounds like you need to get the lower control arm up more. I recall using a small floor jack to help. Also, it may help to undo the outer tie rod off the steering knuckle and maybe undo the stabilizer control arm link to the lower control arm so it will be easier to manhandle.

Yeah, I ended up using a bottle jack to force the strut up. It seems like everything is working, something for which I am relieved.

Thanks for your help :-)