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Upper control arm mount

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Old Oct 27, 2007 | 10:37 PM
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Default Upper control arm mount

So has anyone ever had one rip through and cause the shock to just dangle there?

If not I did/have, thought my KYB AGX froze in the down position. Picked up another set and some lowering springs. Got everything apart and found that the right mount was jacked, pulled the metal plug clean through. The left mount was not much better and would have been a small amount of time prior to doing the same.

So I called a local dealer, so do you think the carry it? Nope! I went to three dealers, nothing. My car was on a lift at the local AF base, so I decide to try Autozone and Checker. Autozone had both so I decided to just get them. Ended up getting both for $90.00. One from the dealer was $170.00. So I thought it was a good deal, a lot stiffer then the 57k mile stock ones.

The while doing the rear springs found the the rubber top was folded and tucked under. This damn thing made so much noise, I've been chasing a knocking sound since January of this year when I bought the car. I've done the rear end, messed with the control arms and Pan hard bar (they are adjustable), all to find that it was something small.

Either way it's done and the car looks and "sounds" great now.
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Old Oct 27, 2007 | 11:42 PM
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Originally Posted by Braunbeck
The while doing the rear springs found the the rubber top was folded and tucked under. This damn thing made so much noise, I've been chasing a knocking sound since January of this year when I bought the car. I've done the rear end, messed with the control arms and Pan hard bar (they are adjustable), all to find that it was something small.
Hmmm... I've been dealing with noise back there too.
Did you take a pic?
What rubber peice?
Is it the upper spring isolator?
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Old Oct 28, 2007 | 02:20 AM
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The upper spring isolator was tweeked, it was folded under. I don't know how this happened, I'm sure the first/previous owner did it unknowingly, but who knows. All I can say is I was chasing this damn knock for 10 months and once I took apart the rear and installed spring and retitened everything the noise was gone. I would say it was the shocks, but I had to put the stock shocks back in since the KYB's didn't have bolts/mounting hardware.

As for the front upper shock mount, I'll try to get some pics (I tried today, but the wife had the memory full). It happened going over a pot hole in the road, I hit it and it made an aweful clunk, I thought it was bearing, tie rod, bushing, etc.... until I got the car up in the air and started really probing. I then noticed the shock was in the down position and wasn't connected to anything. I thought the shock froze up, but the mount broke. Sucked having to use hand held spring compressors to compress the expanded shock just to get it off the car.

I put the KYB's in the rear today and still no noise, so something was wrong back there.

I'll try to get pics tomorrow.
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Old Oct 28, 2007 | 06:47 PM
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Here are the images of the failure (failed piece):

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

As you can see the center section ripped right through.

Here is the left side that is looking pretty bad, it would only be a matter of time before it went. It was cracking really bad.

[IMG][/IMG]
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Old Oct 29, 2007 | 06:32 AM
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Has not happened to me. I just changed my suspension and had to buy new ones. Mine looked a lot worse than yours.
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Old Oct 29, 2007 | 10:24 AM
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Shoot I didn't think mine right one could get any worse, since it pulled the center section clean through and my shock was bouncing around inside the spring. I just didn't know it was that common for these things to take a dump, I know why they do just never came to mind when I was looking at the problem.
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Old Oct 29, 2007 | 03:26 PM
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You are missing a part that goes on top of the shock mount and bolts under the top shock nut. Also you shoud have a large washer under the shock mount.
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Old Oct 29, 2007 | 05:01 PM
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I know, this is a picture of the right one that failed and the left one that looks like crap and appears to be on its way to heaven.

I bought new mounts and installed them along with washer and top piece insert for the mount.

Just thought I'd share my experience incase anyone else runs into this issue.
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Old Oct 29, 2007 | 08:42 PM
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I had to replace mine as well when i did shocks and springs. The upper shock nut was seized and looked like it was about to do what yours did.
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Old Oct 29, 2007 | 09:28 PM
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Originally Posted by Greggy
You are missing a part that goes on top of the shock mount and bolts under the top shock nut. Also you shoud have a large washer under the shock mount.
I dont remember seeing a washer under mine. Are you talking about sandwiched between the rubber dog bone part and the shock mount?
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Old Oct 30, 2007 | 02:32 PM
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I remember there was a washer that went on top of the dog bone between the nut.
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Old Nov 4, 2007 | 01:36 AM
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i'm about to swap my shocks/springs also, and i may pick up some replacement front strut mounts ahead of time, just in case mine are FUBAR. not to mention, i'd be able to just go ahead and assemble the shock/spring assembly and have the fronts ready to swap out, instead of having to go through the hassle of using a spring compressor....

i was just wondering....i was looking at the autozone website, and they show that they have these mounts, but the drivers-side and passengers-side mounts look different in the photos. the drivers-side one has a picture that shows 3 mounting points, and the passengers-side one has a picture that shows 4 mounting points....yet in the LS1Howto article for the front shocks, it mentions that both sides have 4 mounting points....so which is correct?

does anyone have any good, high-quality photos of the front strut mounts so i can know what i'm looking at when i go to the parts store?
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Old Nov 4, 2007 | 01:43 AM
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these are the photos that show up on the autozone site...the one labeled "right mount" looks like the one on the LS1Howto site....are both sides supposed to look like that?:

right mount:


left mount:
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Old Nov 4, 2007 | 06:55 PM
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bueller? bueller?
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