Strut Mount Question
 

Greetings fellow SVX fans,
I purchased my 1995 LSI in June and have always had a strange clunking sound coming from the front end whenever riding over fairly small bumps or washboard type ripples in blacktop. I took it to a local independent shop that seems failry sharp with the SVX. They thought that it may have been the sway bars, removed them, test drove, and sound still there. They now suggest that the strut mounts may be bad. I suppose this is possible, although very difficult to tell for sure without taking the whole assembly apart. I have looked at the SubaruParts website for the parts
http://www.subaruparts.com/diag/?mod...ategory=210-1, but cannot figure out exactly what parts would be needed to replace the "strut mount". Is it also wise to replace the struts while the whole thing is apart? The shop is estimating 3 hours of labor. The previous owner had the struts replaced but could not say if the mounts where done. The car has 95,000 miles on it and is in fabulous conditions and I would like to make this right.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
Dave in Reading, PA
ps: I have attached a photo of my baby....

Nice SVX :D
Where is this indy shop the "knows" the SVX??

Sorry I can't help with the front strut problem...

The strut mount is pn 20320 in this diagram: http://www.subaruparts.com/diag/?mod...category=210-1

I would go ahead and replace the struts while you are at it. At 95k miles they are most likely bad or on their way out. You have to dismantle the whole thing to take out the strut anyway.

Your mechanic is very likely to be correct about the strut mount causing the clunking noise. As SVXer95 says, replace the struts while you're at it. They are at the end of their life.

YES.......PLUS!
 

In order to "upgrade" AND maintain my SVX, I added Dayle's drop springs (1" front, 1/2" rear) and Koni strut inserts (93,000 miles) + ball joints for good measure>>> I LOVE IT ALL

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IF YOU WANT TO CORNER BETTER WITH A LITTLE STIFFER RIDE!!!! :D

It could also be the caliper mountng hardware being worn enough to allow the capiler to rattle. A heckuva lot cheaper. The early 92's had a retro mount available which was incorporated into all later production models to address this problem. The mounts could be the culprit(s), anything can wear out, but I'd be hesitant to jump on that boat right away.

Dave, For clarity, you did say the previous owner replaced the struts before you purchased the car. Very unlikely that they're used up already at the stated mileage. If the "clunk" you describe is a "singular" clunk, rather than a rattle (typical caliper "shake") my guess is it's either the strut mounts or the ball joints. I would recommend lifting each front corner, removing the wheel, and getting a good look at the BJ's, looking for bad/ripped/torn rubber and damage(leaking, dripping grease) or looseness when applying any turning or lifting force to the hub. I replaced mine some months ago, curing the clunk, only to then replace both calipers (w/rebuilts) and pads and replace the previous noise with the caliper rattle on the left front :mad: The ball joints are a heck of a lot less work to replace than the mounts too.

Glenn

Nice car by the way!!! :D

I too had a noise similar to the noise you describe when I firts got my SVX with 90k miles on it. I replaced the front struts and upper strut mount and ball joint. It did not fix the noise. I stll have the parts I took out and there still good.

I suggest you get a can of silicone lube, jack the front end up and spray the spindle of the strut wher it goes into the strut. See if that helps the noise for awhile.

Then try spraying the rubber bushing in the lower control arms where the rubber cushions move forward/backward and contact the sub frame.


Oh by the way :rolleyes:
I really like your SVX:D
Please sell it to me. :D

The noise could also be the subframe.

Thanks for saying you tried it with the sway bar removed. I was think about doing that.

Nice car, welcome to the site.

Listed above are very good suggestions but I wouldn't go replacing parts without getting it diagnosed properly. There are many things that will cause rattles in the front of our cars and it wouldn't make sense changing things without confirming there's a problem with them.

p.s. - your wheels...err...I mean urethane rock guards are on backwards. :D