Ever seen this? Front strut top bushing pulls through the camber plate?

[Elombard]

On the way back from my last autocross I started hearing a weird clunk up front and the steering seemed a little funky. Today I got it up in the air and pulled the wheel.

To my amazement the rubber bushing that the strut mounts to at the top (the piece you replace with one of Chucks monoballs) had pulled through from the trunk and the strut was just hanging there!!!

I am trying to remember if I took a piece off when I installed my strut tower brace? I modified the camber meister brace so it does not attach to the top of the strut and maybe there was a big washer or something on there that I forgot about??

I was just amazed that that big hunk of rubber could pull through like that! I am lucky I didnt whack anything.

any body know what goes on top of the strut under the big nut or have a picture? Thanks

[Eagledriver]

Yes there is a big a$$ washer that goes on top. I use a Camber meister also and I think the washer was removed during the installation. I like the camber meister because it stops the slop that you have from the rubber bushing. I call it my poor mans mono ball.

-Andy

[Elombard]

Andy

Have you seen the posts on how this also restricts the top of the strut from moving as it needs to naturally as the suspension swings through its arc?

How am I gonna get this piece of rubber back in the camber plate?? I guess I will try to press it.

[Elombard]

I know - $200 at X-mas though, I need to find a way to hide it :-))

[Chuck Moreland]

You'll never get that rubber back in. If you don't want to do monoballs, get a replacement with rubber. They are cheap used.

[oregonmon]

Old post, but this just happened to me.
Bushing pulled out of the housing, and now I think about it I think we did remove the big washers.
I read a post saying that you can replace the rubber bushing with new ones, is that incorrect.
What is the fix for this?
P.S. I too have the strut brace that is NOT connected to the top of the strut.

[911 tweaks]

I would buy Chuck's replacement rubber bushing & you need to press them in w/ the help of a tiny bit of dish washing soap as your lube...
As for the strut brace attachment, call Chuck @ ERP to get the correct info on how to connect this all up as you are VERY lucky nothing else was damaged so it sounds...

Any pics you can post...??

Bob

[oregonmon]

Here's some basic pics.
The driver's side strut.


Passenger side strut.


Washers that were removed when we installed the strut brace. Did these being removed cause the strut to pull out? Doesn't seem likely, just worn bushing that gave up?

[oregonmon]

Don't the washers just get sandwiched between the strut top bolt and the nut, giving the nut a surface? The washer wouldn't have prevented the strut from being pulled through right? The washer seems to be the same diameter and the struts, therefore....
I'm just trying to find out if removing the washer caused this.
Thanks guys.

[HarryD]

Ryan,

That sucks. Sorry man.

The real question is the washer the smaller than the hole?

I suspect the washer causes the rubber to spread over the top of the hole to help keep it in place.

As I recollect, I worried about this when I installed my strut brace. I ended up leaving the keyed big washers installed.

[MichiganMat]

Yeah, those missing washers are your problem (ie they aren't supposed to be missing)

[Danny_Ocean]

My washers are installed. Will try to post a pic tomorrow if I remember...

[oregonmon]

I'm going to measure the washers/bushings.

[Chuck Moreland]

Originally Posted by oregonmon

Washers that were removed when we installed the strut brace. Did these being removed cause the strut to pull out? Doesn't seem likely, just worn bushing that gave up?

Yes, removing the big washers caused the problem. With the big washers in place, there is no way the bushing will pull through.

Contra to my 6 year old post above, we (Elephant Racing) do now have replacement for those rubber bushings. So you can keep the factory steel camber plate and just replace the rubber with new. Pelican has them here:
Pelican Parts - Product Information: ERMP-2290001

[oregonmon]

Hi Chuck, I was hoping you'd find this post. I have your bushings in hand actually. 2 questions, can I press those bushings into the camber plate/housing? And do I remove the little metal plates where the allen bolts go into before installing the strut brace?
I am guessing the reason why the guy who put it on didn't find enough clearance on the strut bolt because the metal tabs and the strut brace raised it up to where he couldn't get the washers on.
He installed this on my car in between autox runs. Probably not a good idea.

[oregonmon]

Or, if I don't remove the metal tabs, is there enough thread to use the washer and get the nut on.
This was a pretty big bone head move the more I think about it.

[HarryD]

Ryan,

Go to the store and get some longer bolts and a few washers.

After you replace the rubber, put one or two washers between the strut tower and the brace plate to make some space for the large notched washers. Use the longer bolts to tighten the whole thing down.

[oregonmon]

Saw your old post regarding this for your install, thanks Harry.

[oregonmon]

I saw posts about impact wrenches to get the nut loose. Now that the washer is gone I don't have anyway to keep the strut from turning when I turn the nut with a socket. The bolt has a notch on it but I don't see how that helps now.

[HarryD]

ryan,

Use an box end wrench and place the notched washer over the nut. Hold the whaser and turn the wrench. You may need a helper and/or cheater bars to break it loose.

Sometimes, when I have a nut in a tight place, I will use a rubber mallet to move the wrench (kind of a poor man's impact wrench).