Lower front Strut bush gone or on the way out or not??

[Boyce Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Boyce]

Are these installers tightening up the lower strut bolt with the wheels on the ground? It sounds like they are tightened up with the wheels in the air. If they replaced the bushes and still tightened the lower strut bolt with the wheel in the air, you're gong to get the same problem again.

Hi Andrew, can you explain why it makes a difference whether the lower strut bolt is tightened off or on ground? Is this something that you would reasonably expect a 4wd specialist service centre to know about if it is required? Thanks for your input.

[Guest Close Guest]

Tightening the lower strut bolt while the wheel is in the air causes premature wear. The bush is not like a bearing that spins in the housing of the strut. It is pressed in. So the lower wishbone is sandwiching the 'crush tube' of the bush. As the wishbone goes up and down, it tries to spin the crush tube and thus create wear.

When the lower strut bolt is tightened when the wheel is on the ground, then this is the most neutral position for the crush tube/bush.

I would expect a 4WD specialist to know this but their apprentice may not be necessarily clued up or they're just lazy as it is easier to tighten up the bolt on the hoist.

[Boyce Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Boyce]

Thanks for the explanation. That makes sense to me. Next time (hopefully in > 20000k's) I'll have a chat with the mechanic prior to the job.

[mackayvx Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close mackayvx]

And yes my bottom strut bush's have blown out as well... I installed the suspension myself, leaving the bottom nuts on the struts only finger tight i lowered the car to the ground and reversed down the driveway and forward back into the shed to let the suspension settle. I then tightened the bottom strut bolts whiltst the car was on the ground. My suspension was definately settled before doing the bolts up. 5000KMS up the cape and they were flogged out... In negotiations with Fulcrum Suspension now in regards to warranty.

[Bushbasher Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Bushbasher]

My Bilsteins have started to develop the same problem after 85K. They've been faultless so far.

[winniliss Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close winniliss]

Mine have done the same after 12mths / 32700km's. Would replacing the bushes with nolathane be better?

[Anth120playdo Banned Find all posts View Profile Close Anth120playdo]

When fitting aftermarket suspensions, I have noticed many bushes are moulded a little too long.
That is maybe 1mm longer than the pin/crush tube, this makes it a little harder to fit and looks average a bit like the pics I'm seeing here.
I'm not saying who's are and are not screwed, but be aware some can look a bit like this from new.
There s a lot of weight and pounding on these bushes, rubber ones usually squash at the top after not of long. This is normal.

Depending how much travel you have, you may be able to jack it up, take the bolt out, lever the control arm down a bit to have a check of them before getting bushes replaced. In some cases it may pay to just replace the whole strut. Real suspension specialists recommend replacing shocks at 80,000klms.

[Jacto Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jacto]

Hey Guys

Haven't been here in a long while as I have been working in Central Qld and travelling backwards and forwards for around two years now. I am now back in the Hunter for good but I just needed to let you know about a strut problem that I experienced recently.

For some time, I have been hearing an intermittent "knocking" noise coming from the front end and I could not see what was causing it. Anyway near Narrabri a couple of weeks ago around 3am I was in a bit of a predicament when an idiot in a BMW who had followed me on my tail for around 50k's with his HID's on full beam decided to overtake me just as I caught sight of a large roo on my right. The BMW hit this roo and at the same time, I cleaned up its mate from the left side of the road; as the left front wheel came over it as it went under the car, I heard the familiar knock . In the dark it was difficult to see anything so after paying the BMW driver out for his driving habits, I reminded him that he had phone signal so he had better organize a tow for his severely damaged car and carried on my merry way home.

The next morning in daylight, my prado looked different and appeared to have a sagging suspension on the left hand side front. I measured it up and sure enough the suspension had dropped 50mm and when I got under the car, I was staring at the left hand strut that had sheared off the mounting eye and was sitting in the lower control arm near the ball joint. More disturbing was the fact that when I removed the right hand strut, the mounting eye also fell off; both struts showed signs of significant cracking where the eyes were welded on and causing them to break away.

Struts were Rancho RS9000 adjustables and had done around 120,000km's and just goes to show that if you believe there is a problem you should keep looking until you find what is causing it.

[mjrandom Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close mjrandom]

Jacto, let me guess, it looked like this...

[Jacto Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jacto]

Hi mjrandom

You're pretty close, the strut ended up on the other side of the eye near the outer CV boot and the lower ball joint. I'll try and upload a photo.

What brand of strut broke in your photo; looks like maybe a Tough Dog?

[matt150 Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close matt150]

Hey Tony,

long time, no hear !!!!

[Jacto Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jacto]

Hi Matt

Yeah mate, I went to Moura for three months and was there for two years but I am back home now and picked up a role at Rio MTW with a contractor as their Tyre Manager. Hopefully I can start using the camper trailer and boat again as the only time they have been on the road in the last couple of years is to get rego checks done.

[matt150 Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close matt150]

Brilliant Tony, I'm at HVO now. I'm on the email list, I'm the truck shop scheduler, will watch out for an email from ya at work

[Jacto Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jacto]

Hi Matt

Yeah mate, I went to Moura for three months and was there for two years but I am back home now and picked up a role at Rio MTW with a contractor as their Tyre Manager. Hopefully I can start using the camper trailer and boat again as the only time they have been on the road in the last couple of years is to get rego checks done.

[Jacto Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jacto]

Hopefully this has uploaded alright