Installed 4 point strut (s2x). Two of the mount points connect to the steering rack. I started by hand threading the bolts and one of them fell in all the way without effort. I tried to torque it down but it remains hand loose. It is a pretty long bolt and I cannot see exactly where it should thread. I believe it threads somewhere in the sub frame that is not visible without taking apart.

I came up with the following theories:

1.) Simply the bolt isnt perfectly aligned with the nut
2.) the welds to this nut broke so there is no longer anything to thread

What do you think? Is there anything I can do without completely removing? Anyone have experience with this?

 

try loosening everything up and start threading everything evenly, meaning don't thread one of the bolts all the way. the tension from a bolt can pull the other holes out of alignment.

 

I tried to loosen everything up and it didnt help any.

It seems the only thing I can do is completely pull the part out and reinstall unless i can somehow see were the bolt threads.

 

What is the S2x?

The CR stiffener uses the factory bolt and there is plenty of length to the bolt. It also mounts easily. I can't see how that nut is attached to the subframe, but I can only think that bolt is at an angle to the nut. Just take the bar off and see if the nut is still there. Do not drive without that bolt fully inserted.

 

S2X is a vendor here i believe. He makes many parts for the S. This happens to be one of them.

 

Correct....

The part installed is a replica of the asm 4point strut, just for a fraction of the cost.

Follow link to group buy for this part.
https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=414779

 

[QUOTE=INTJ,Jun 9 2009, 10:46 AM] What is the S2x?

The CR stiffener uses the factory bolt and there is plenty of length to the bolt. It also mounts easily. I can't see how that nut is attached to the subframe, but I can only think that

 

You should have all the bolts in when driving. If you need to remove the 'X' portion of the brace, then do that rather than running on 3 bolts.

I have one of those STBs. I had to thread the steering rack bolts first, but not tighten. Then assemble the rest of the STB in order to get it all together and fit properly.

 

s2kfrog,
I purchased the S2X 4-point strut bar a couple months and had similar issues.

Lower the S2X bar so that the mounting feet match up to the bolt holes in the steering rack. Note, this bar is slightly asymetrical, so it really only installs one way. Insert the bolts through the mounting feet in the brace and into the steering rack. Hand tighten each side. Do not torque one side into place, then the other. You'll want the "X" to be slightly movable to make installing the upper bar easier. If you're having trouble installing the bar one way, try turning it around and installing it flipped out.

I should note that I ended up returning the bar I bought because I simply could not get it to fit to my otherwise stock vehicle. I didn't have trouble with the "X" bar. Instead, my problem was that the upper strut bar would not mount correctly to my vehicle. There was approximately a 0.5 inch gap between the length of the bar and the distance between my two strut towers. There was no way this would fit. I even tried mounting the strup bar without the X bar and it still would not align correctly. My local Honda dealer couldn't even get it to assembly correctly either. In the end I returned the bar to S2X but he only gave me a partial refund My speculation is that these bars are made by hand and the part the part variation could lead to mis-alignment on some cars.

I hope your bar installs better than mine!

Regards,
Christopher