There is a knocking noise from my drivers side front, take off the wheel and find this:



It appears the top of the strut as come loose from the boot. I cant see any obvious way of re-attaching.

Is it new strut time?

Is there a cheep way of fixing?

Should I replace both front at the same time?

Is it DIY-able and if so how hard is it to do?

What is the likely cost of a garage doing the work?

I am thinking of replacing the car in the next few months so dont want to spend out on the car when I wont get any more in part ex for the car.

Any help apprecaited.

Regards
Rob

 

Not clear; do you mean the rubber thing at the bottom of the picture?

It's only really a cover to keep the crap out from between the body and the rod of the shock absorber.

If it's the brassy thing at the top of the picture (most likely to cause a bonking noise) then it's the rubber bush that needs renewal. You need to release the strut form the wing and attach a new top mount. IIRC with Fords, you will need to attach spring compressors, in order to do so safely.

 

Hi Nick,

Yes the rubber thing at the bottom of the picture has disconnected from the metal bit at the top of the picture.

There is a metal bit in the middle of the rubber bit at the bottom of the picture which is causing the knocking noise. I did consider just pushing some rubber bits into the brass bit to stop the knocking and part ex the car within the next few months.

Is this a diy job ?

 

Erm, isnt that the top spring seat thats come adrift?
If so you need a new strut Sir!

 

Thought it might be a new strut needed, the rebound rate looks ok though and asside from the knocking it feels alright.

Do you have to buy struts in pairs ?

 

You are utterly correct; the end of the coil is on the inner wing.

That'd do it. How weird.

I'm unsure how it's become displaced; you may be able to reseat it correctly at the top, but a new strut (or pair!) is likely.

 

Actually, this has been bothering me since it's not right. It's been decades since I've actually seen a McP strut and Now I've remembered.

The top steel cup bolts to the inner wing. It contains a rubber spring cup, that stops the spring bonking. that's what's fallen down.

You will need to compress the spring and screw that cup back up above it; there is a recess that the end of the spring fits into, to stop it working down! You won't need to dismantle the strut, with any luck.

But be careful with that spring; it will bite off your fingers.

 

I cant understand this either, I just had a look through a Ford service cd
I had stashed. I assume the car is newer than 2001, if so it looks like
the coil gets smaller at the top and bottom. How has the cup fallen?

Has the spring broke near the top? If it has that would let the now
smaller diameter cup drop. Springs are breaking quite often these
days with increasing speed bumps etc.


Russ.

 

i think russ has hit the nail on the head, broken spring. you can see the snap under the first coil down to the left near the camera. the narrow coil has snapped and you've left that on the road somewhere. you can replace a single spring so long as you go oem but you'll need spring compressors and a bit of diy knowledge, it's relatively straightforward

compress springs
hub nut off
remove hub from bottom of strut
remove strut
replace spring
refit

 

The end of the spring does look snapped and isn't rusty, so that could be what's happened; it's so damned difficult deciphering photographs and that's a difficult shot to get!

Loads of Vectras were affected similarly; IIRC, it was the bottom one that went, not the top. But the same bonking symptom.

Somewhere in the crap in my head, I've an idea that early Mondies may have also had a recall because of this fault - it might be worth enquiring at your local Fraud Dealer!