Front Suspension - struts, mounts and plastic skid plate?

[platypus]

Hello all! My first post - what a great forum!!!

I am the original owner of a 1998 Q45 with (only) 60K on it.

Have had a "clicking" noise in the front end for at least 4 years (started around 40K). Dealer could or would not solve it after repeated complaints under warranty (go figure) and my recent service mechanic thought the strut was ovalized where the shaft enters the outer housing and wanted $1,400 to do the job, saying: "I think that's the problem and that should fix it."

Long and short of it, I have pulled it all down myself - thanks to great guidance on this forum.

The problem was obvious once I stripped it - the strut mount rubber was completely shot (the cause of the "clicking") and the strut bearing on the other side was also shot. So new ones on order tomorrow for that.

Here is my question though: The struts seem fine. OK, I already pulled one apart and yes, the fluid is out. I inspected everything and the seals are good and no sign of wear anywhere. Do you think I should simply refill with new fluid and re-insert? On a bench test, they were easier to compress than to pull out, but maybe that is normal???

Last of all, the plastic skid plate - how important is that? The old one is shot, should I just leave it off, or buy a new one?

Thanks in advance for any advice - much appreciated.

[maxnix]

Last of all, the plastic skid plate - how important is that? The old one is shot, should I just leave it off, or buy a new one?

Obviously, it is not a skid plate.

It manages the airflow and protects the drive belts and pulleys from water.

See if you can find a good one in the junkyard. If not, order one from Joe.

Amazing that the bearings are shot but your shocks are still good.
Modified by maxnix at 7:55 AM 5/25/2007

[3Q Jay]

glad you found us and welcome!

i did a write up on the fy33 front struts 2 years ago, perhaps you have found it?

i would recommend changing out the cartridges. not to insult your ability, but how would you know EXACTLY how much fluid (and what type would you use) to put in the factory 'oil bath' struts.

[platypus]

Finished the strut job and thought I would post an update on how it went.

I ended up "repairing" the original shocks (within the struts). Meaning, I dissassembled the old ones, drained the shock oil, cleaned, inspected for ANY wear (couldn't find any) and put in new oil, re-assembled.

Very pleased with the results!

Remember, I am the original owner of the vehicle and it has 60K. The "problem" I was having (and had had for 4 years, no thanks to the dealer who wouldn't or couldn't address the problem under warranty) was a bad strut mount. I think anyone could have determined this simply by putting a finger on top of the strut rod under the hood and bouncing the car a bit - you would feel the "clicking" where the strut mount was shot.

Anyway, "What Oil" you might be asking. I used motorcycle fork oil - Amsol Mediam weight. Before you laugh, it is intended for cars and other shock applications. To determine the amount I carefully drained the original oil into a measuring container, then got two more of the same containers and a weigh scale and duplicated the amount by sight and by weight.

I would ONLY recommend doing this if all the original metal parts of the shock look more or less BRAND NEW - including and especially the seals - mine did. The bumpers and dust covers, for example, were perfect.

Car drives better than I can ever remember it - very solid and stable.

While I was at it, I changed the brake pads (mechanic said they had 3K left on them - but no - one was worn past the wear indicator (since broken off) down almost to the metal. I'd say they had 20 miles left on them.

So now I'm hooked - will have to do ALL the maintenance and repair work on the car from now on - thankfully this great site exists making it all very managable - thanks everyone!