Tyson's suspension issues

[Bernie Strub]

I tried to email you Tyson, but it bounced.  Sorry to others for the
bandwidth.  Here is what I sent you:

Tyson, by your area code, you live fairly close to me(not several states
away).  I live west of Seattle in Silverdale.  I also have a bunch of
experience with 4kq's.  There are a couple of things I can tell you about
your problem.  The upper end of the strut contains a part called the upper
strut mount.  That is underneath the part you saw rising when you lowered
your car.  It bolts to the top of the strut, and lives under the strut
tower.  It has a bearing inside it which allows it to rotate (steer).  The
rest of the mount transmits the weight of the car from the strut tower, down
through the strut, the wheel and tire to the ground.  What you are seeing
when the top part rises/falls is the elasticity of the strut mount allowing
the top of the strut to move relative to the strut tower.

If there is any damage to the upper strut mount, that could cause some of
the issues you are seeing.  The bearing inside of it could also be damaged.
However, with the toe issue you are seeing, I would guess that the control
arm bushings are damaged, or the lower control arm is bent.  The lower
control arm is the part that connects to the bottom of the strut, and
becomes triangular to attach to the subframe of the car at two control arm
bushings.  If you jack up the car, you should not be able to move the wheel
or strut fore/aft compared to the car.  If you can move it at all, the
bushings are bad and will need to be replaced.  When the bushings go bad or
are damaged, that can allow the wheel to become misaligned with the rest of
the car, and will certainly tear up you tires.

Upper strut mounts and control arm bushings are things home mechanics can
replace, btdt many times.  However it really helps to have the right tools.
To remove the upper strut mount, you need a coil spring compresser.  To
press the bushings from the control arm, you need a press.  I have seen it
done with a realy big vise, but that's a bit scary.

Good news, I have all the right tools here, and spare upper strut mounts and
control arm bushings here.  Bad news is I have to work, and have only
evenings and weekends to work on stuff.  I don't know how big a hurry you
are in to get your car going correctly again, but I can help if you have the
time.

Let me know if you want to come over and work on your car.

>>>>>Bernie