Ocassional knock in front

Very easy just need to take it to an alignment shop when you are done.

 

Yes is doable! We put some on my car last year. Lift the car, place on stands. Spray the bolts on the control arms and strut nuts, w/ something like WD40. Remove the 2 bolts on the low control arms. Takes abt 1 1/8 "not sure on the size" to remove the nuts on the front of the strut rod. Remove the rod from the frame, do not move the rear nut, take note on how bushings are on the rod. Install the bushings on the rod in reverse order, install washer and nut. Not sure of the torque spec.
Your alignment will be close, if it was correct B4 repair.

 

Sounds reasonable. I think I'll give it a try. Since I'll probably have an alignment done afterwards I may do this in conjunction with some other things. I was going to get new 15 inch wheels but need some fitment help from the tire shop.

Am I safe to drive the car before changing out the bushings?

 

I quickly perused through the thread and didn't completely pull out any specific length of time this has been occurring.

IF it has been chewing away at the front supports eye well more than a couple hundred times over?.. it would be smart/safer to disassemble and check for wear(threads, rod diameter and bushing saddle hole elongation) before relying on such a highly stressed part of this suspension to get you anywhere safely. That's one part you really don't want to fail while your driving more than 30 mph around people, traffic, and parked cars. Generally, the wheel folds back and you turn immediately with completely locked steering. Running at highway speeds could be deadly, no joke or exaggeration, lots of people have died from steering and suspension failures.

On the other hand, if the clunking isn't too horrendous sounding and it hasn't been cycled hundreds of times and chewed on for too long?.. I would simply retorque the nut for added piece of mind on the way to the alignment shop.

I would also add that the bigger the clunk, the more damage will potentially occur and may even lead to hairline fractures and cracking. After disassembly, be sure to clean down to bare metal for proper inspection and compare both rods to one another to be sure they're still straight. As is typical of any bolt, the threads are the weakest failure point so pay special attention to them during cleaning and inspection.

Good luck with it and play it safe.

 

Thanks for the advice. The ocassional knock been happening for a few months but we only take the car out once a week. The squeaking has been going on for a lot longer. I think I'll just do the bushings first to be safe. Where could I get new strut rods if the need to be replaced. It is an easy part to source?

 

I used the same midolyne bushings and broke one withing a few hundred miles, which caused a clunk from the front, especially when reversing. Pulled the bushings out and they had split. Replaced with rubber and fixed the problem. Specifically, I had the American Pony Parts front suspension kit and replaced with MOOG, if it matters.

 

I wouldn't rule out the upper ball joints. When you checked them, did you place a block of wood or something under the upper control arm and the top of the frame rail, so that the spindle and lower control arm are unloaded? If the suspension is allowed to hang at full travel, the upper ball joints will 'feel' tight, but they may actually be 'other wise once the suspension is loaded again.

 

Aplogies for the novice questions.......can I jack one side up and do one then jack the other side up or do both sides have to be off the ground. I ask because don't have a floor jack, only a scissors jack. I don't think it would go high enough using the front cross member as a jacking point.

 

If you are refering to the beam where the strut rods go, I wud not use the cross member as a jacking point, it may bend that member. I use either the long frame members running the length of the car. You do have jack stands --RIGHT? If not, don't get under that car until you do...
Jack one side up, put on stand, do same on other side. Leave the jack in place if not in the way.
U can't be to safe under a car IMO. I see no reason u can't do one side at a time. May someone else has a different opinion.

 

I do have the jack stands and was going to put them under the long frame area. Just didn't know if it was safe to put one side on a stand then jack the other side up to get it on a stand.

 

It's ok to lift one side at a time. You'll never bend that strut rod cross member but I personally don't trust a scissor jack...

Jack stands OR some good 6x6 wood blocking is a must if you are going to be working on the car.

 

I jack my car all the time one side, then the other. Depending on how high I need to go I will do it in stages. In my avatar u see my car on wooden blocks made of 2*4'" lumber; I had to jack it up in 2 stages to get it there safely. I wud never have tried that using a sissors jack, to unstable. The only thing I use that type of jack for is emergency tire change.

 

So it sounds like I can change one strut rod at a time by only having to jack up the side I'm doing and putting on jack stand , not both sides at the same time. Last couple of questions.............hopefully......

1) Do I need to take off the wheel to take the extra weight off the suspension
2) The strut rods from Scott Drake come with the bolts and a "crown cap". What is that??
3) Should I get self locking bolts?

 

1. take the wheel off
2. I wud use the bolts that came w/ the rods - I don't know what crown caps are!
3. If you have some questions on the setup contact Drake.