Front Strut Rubbing-'97 328i Convertible

[jfreg]

I just replaced my front strut cartridges with the stock BMW parts. I'm not sure if I have the large brass-colored washers in the right places, because they weren't in the same place on the right and left side when I disassembled the old struts. The passenger side top spring seat seems to be dragging against the underside of the shock tower, causing the steering to stick slightly after a hard turn.

On the passenger side, I'm sure the large washer was on the piston, along with the smaller washer. On the drivers side, I didn't see where it came from, but my girlfriend swears it fell from above the top spring seat. On both sides I put the small washer on the piston, with the cupped side facing down, and put the larger washer on top of that. I'm pretty sure that's wrong, but I wonder why one side is rubbing and the other isn't. Anyone have an exploded view of the strut?

[Jeron]

realoem.com for exploded view

How bad is the dragging? Are you sure it isn't the open bearing in the hat thats sticking. You can wash it out with degreaser and water and repack it with grease. Best done off the car.

[jfreg]

The dragging is pretty bad. If I turn the wheel to full stop in either direction, the steering wheel will stick off-center 10 or 15 degrees. If I stop the car and turn the wheel in the opposite direction, it will somewhat recenter. I can see that the top of the spring seat on the passenger side is touching the underside of the shock tower. On the driver's side there's a bit of clearance. The bearings looked spotless when I had the cap off to remove the nut on the piston.

I should mention that I may have taken an unconventional approach to removing the cartridges. I compressed the springs while still on the car by jacking the wheel, attaching spring compressors, and then unbolting the lower mounting bolts on the strut. I didn't remove the hat; I just unbolted the single nut on the piston to free the cartridge.