Shock Absorber Piston pushing up through Strut Upper Mounting Cover

[Grant Lenahan]

The strut needs to come apart - so it needs to come out.

Grant
On Dec 15, 2013, at 12:54 PM, mboucher70 hotmail.com <mboucher70 at hotmail.com> wrote:

> 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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