I just replaced all 4 struts and had no problem except the last one I did. The front passenger side. I can't get the top nut that holds the assembly together to tighten down far enough. The driver side there is about 7-8 threads showing, which is how the stock struts were, but the passenger side I can only get to tighten down to show about 3-4 threads, and it's causing a clunk when I drive. Yes, I'm using a smaller wrench to hold the rod from spinning, I've tried it with the car on the ground, lifted up, and also had the car on jack stands and put a jack under that wheel and forced it up to compress the spring and that's as tight as that nut will go. Everything appears to be lined up, springs are seated in the upper and lower parts of the mount correctly, it was installed the same way it came out, everything was marked prior to removal and disassembly and lined up the same way when reinstalled. Any ideas what could be stopping the nut from tightening down as far as it should?
Front strut top nut won't tighten down.
- Thread starter BDog21
- Start date
rgorke
Dedicated LVC Member
Can you post some pictures? Have you tried loosening all of them and starting from there again? Did you replace all the nuts with new ones? Is the stud in question stripped/cross threaded in any way?
04_Sport_LS
Dedicated LVC Member
Check the rotation of the upper plate to spring top. Same with the bottom of the spring and the lower isolator.
It's possible the top shock plate isn't "clocked" correctly. Take a good look if the top plate is not flush with the underside of the shock tower. It may need to be rotated 1/4 turn one direction or the other... or half a turn.
It's possible the top shock plate isn't "clocked" correctly. Take a good look if the top plate is not flush with the underside of the shock tower. It may need to be rotated 1/4 turn one direction or the other... or half a turn.
SHORod
LVC Member
So to be clear, you're referring to the nut at the end of the strut shaft, correct, not the strut tower studs that mount the strut plate to the strut towers? When you attempt to tighten it down, is the strut rod spinning as you attempt to tighten it further? Is the nut spinning but the rod is not, and it just never seems to fully seat? Have you tried removing the nut and inspecting the threads of the nut, the strut rod, and the hole the nut goes into for damage or interference?
If the nut is getting to the point where it doesn't want to tighten any further but the strut rod is not rotating, that would suggest there's something between the nut and the top of the rod that is interfering, preventing the nut from going on any further. If attempts to tighten the nut cause the strut rod to also want to rotate, that would suggest there's something with the threads of either the nut or the rod that is preventing the nut from properly seating.
-Rod
If the nut is getting to the point where it doesn't want to tighten any further but the strut rod is not rotating, that would suggest there's something between the nut and the top of the rod that is interfering, preventing the nut from going on any further. If attempts to tighten the nut cause the strut rod to also want to rotate, that would suggest there's something with the threads of either the nut or the rod that is preventing the nut from properly seating.
-Rod
04_Sport_LS
Dedicated LVC Member
For the millionth time... they are NOT struts. They are coilover shocks.
Struts bolt to the lower control arm... and upper body mount... and do not have a steering knuckle.
Coilover shocks use both a lower AND UPPER control arm... and steering knuckle.
Struts bolt to the lower control arm... and upper body mount... and do not have a steering knuckle.
Coilover shocks use both a lower AND UPPER control arm... and steering knuckle.
04_Sport_LS
Dedicated LVC Member
If you remove a strut from a vehicle.. the weight of the vehicle will not be supported... and you will have no steering.
If you remove a coilover shock from a vehicle... the weight of the vehicle will not be supported... but you will still have steering.
A coilover shock has a bottom "eye"... and the alignment adjustment is done at the control arm.
A strut has a "mini knuckle" that attaches to the lower contol arm. The mini knuckle attaches to a plate on the strut... and the alignment is done at the strut.
Big difference between a coilover shock... and a strut.
If you remove a coilover shock from a vehicle... the weight of the vehicle will not be supported... but you will still have steering.
A coilover shock has a bottom "eye"... and the alignment adjustment is done at the control arm.
A strut has a "mini knuckle" that attaches to the lower contol arm. The mini knuckle attaches to a plate on the strut... and the alignment is done at the strut.
Big difference between a coilover shock... and a strut.