Shock Absorber Piston pushing up through Strut Upper Mounting Cover

[mboucher70 hotmail.com]

Hi guys,

Probably a dumb question, but assuming it’s the strut mount, or even the 
washer, could that be simply replaced from the engine bay, or would it 
require removing the entire front suspension/strut assembly from under the 
car.  I realize that either way, the camber would need to be redone.

I also realize that if it’s the shoulder of the piston that's worn, it means 
new struts.

Thx,
MC
-----Original Message----- 
From: Grant Lenahan
Sent: Sunday, December 15, 2013 11:44 AM
To: Cody Forbes
Cc: AudiFans (Qlist) S4 Qlist ; mboucher70 hotmail.com
Subject: Re: Shock Absorber Piston pushing up through Strut Upper Mounting 
Cover

X2

Yes, either the mount itself failed, or, often the strut piston has a 
shoulder and the shoulder a washer on it that fits against the strut 
mounting.

i have seen two issues:

1. washer fails or shoulder fails
2. someone ignores the washer at assembly time and ti works OK for years, 
until it pokes through

On Porsche 986/996 the Bilstein PSS9 instructions have for years left the 
washer out. Amazingly they don’t fix the documents. Fortunately, i said 
“that can’t possibly be right” Quick search not he internet confided it was 
wrong.

Grant
On Dec 15, 2013, at 11:06 AM, Cody Forbes <cody at 5000tq.com> wrote:

> Sounds like a failed upper strut mount. You'll want to get that fixed 
> pronto..
>
> -Cody Forbes (mobile)
>
> On Dec 15, 2013, at 11:01 AM, "mboucher70 hotmail.com" 
> <mboucher70 at hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Took the car to the mechanic last week to put the snow tires on.  Driving 
>> home, I noticed a new noise from the front driver’s side.  It seemed to 
>> be suspension related...heard it most when driving over slightly bumpy 
>> areas.  Not loud, almost imperceptible, but sounds as though something is 
>> rubbing/chirping/moving that shouldn’t be.
>>
>> With car parked, I pressed down on the driver’s side front fender to see 
>> if I could hear the problem.  Then I noticed that the shock absorber 
>> piston and nut would move upwards whenever I pressed down on the fender. 
>> It certainly wasn’t like this in the past, nor is it like that on the 
>> passenger side.
>>
>> The first thought would be that the piston nut needs tightening. 
>> However, it’s a locknut, and moreover it doesn’t appear to have loosened 
>> from its usual position.  Before taking it back to the mechanic I’m going 
>> to buy the correct size Allen key so that I can hold the piston while 
>> attempting to tighten the nut.  I doubt it will tighten, but I’d be able 
>> to verify that its tight.
>>
>> The question I had...since the problem seems to coincide with the car 
>> being jacked up, is it likely that something just slipped out of 
>> position, such as a worn dampening ring or bump stop...something that 
>> would give the shock piston more room to push upwards?
>>
>> Car drives fine, even at speed...no pulling or unusual sensation in the 
>> steering....just the new noise.
>>
>> Thanks
>>
>> MC
>> Audi 100 1990 Non-Quattro
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