Has anyone cut/drilled a hole in fenderwell to access top strut nut?
07-24-2015, 02:36 PM
#1
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Has anyone cut/drilled a hole in fenderwell to access top strut nut? I'm thinking my nut is loose in the shock towers but don't want to disassemble suspension to see if top nut needs tightening. Has anyone with stock or after market shocks cut through fenderwell to access nut or adjustable tower *****? Would you guys advise against it? Would it weaken the area around strut brace? Thanks any comments welcomed!
07-24-2015, 05:14 PM
#3
Yeah, not a good area to weaken... Plus it's only 7 bolts (5 18mm up top, 2 13mm down on the UCA) yeah I guess you have to have it aligned afterward too
Can't you see the top of your struts from the engine bay? Mine had plastic plugs there a long time ago but they're long gone. I'll post a pic later
Can't you see the top of your struts from the engine bay? Mine had plastic plugs there a long time ago but they're long gone. I'll post a pic later
07-24-2015, 05:55 PM
#4
When the front shocks on this car go bad, they tend to sound like the top nut has come loose but in realities its probably something inside the shock that has come loose. That's how mine sounded anyway.
Pull the plastic cap off and if you can see 3 to 4 exposed threads on the shock above the nut, it's tight.
If you want to make sure, grab a 15mm deep well on an impact and have at it. Any decent shop should be able to do this with ease.
In other words, don't butcher your car.
Pull the plastic cap off and if you can see 3 to 4 exposed threads on the shock above the nut, it's tight.
If you want to make sure, grab a 15mm deep well on an impact and have at it. Any decent shop should be able to do this with ease.
In other words, don't butcher your car.
07-24-2015, 06:23 PM
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[QUOTE=Can't you see the top of your struts from the engine bay? Mine had plastic plugs there a long time ago but they're long gone. I'll post a pic later[/QUOTE]
I don't see no plug. Is it under the strut brace when you take it off?
I don't see no plug. Is it under the strut brace when you take it off?
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07-24-2015, 06:37 PM
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Ahhhh. ok they are under the strut brace. Thank you! LS1247. So that's good, that will show with a load on the shocks if that nut is loose. There are only maybe 30k on my shocks and they dont' appear to be leaking at all. very clean. But something is loose and making some big noise. End links look flush as well so I'm baffled and going batshit crazy.
07-24-2015, 06:55 PM
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Already have them. They came with my after market sway bar. But it can't be that, I know that squeak. This is a horrible shudder rattle. I really hope it isn't the rack and pinion. I can't get the wheels to move at all so I'm thinking not. I'm going to rebuild rack and replace when I do engine swap next year anyways.
07-24-2015, 07:52 PM
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I'm thinking my nut is loose in the shock towers but don't want to disassemble suspension to see if top nut needs tightening. Has anyone with stock or after market shocks cut through fenderwell to access nut or adjustable tower *****? Would you guys advise against it? Would it weaken the area around strut brace? Thanks any comments welcomed!
I have no idea where you think you could cut a hole to get to the strut top nut, and (as already pointed out), doing so is completely unnecessary since you can get to the top nuts by simply unbolting the strut tower brace.
08-02-2015, 06:13 PM
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Understood and agreed! I just couldn't remember if there was a hole. Anyways, I had 1.5 and 2 threads showing. So I dropped out the whole suspension, put it in the coil rack and put a little pressure on the bottom of the strut with a floor jack and tightened the top nut to six threads showing. Problem solved and 90% of noise removed. Noticed that the Hotchkis sway ar had a slight bit of play in it so I'm thinking that is where the 10% of noise lies. I'm about to completely rebuild all the bushings in the front end!!!