Collapsed strut rubbers

[Callum 13 1 Cars]

One of the first jobs I did on my car back in mid June was change the front springs and the strut bearings and rubbers. The bearings and rubbers came from ecp which I know isn't the best but at time I was struggling to find the parts and it needed doing. I recently got signed off work for 7 weeks so the car has been sat for pretty much that long only doing a couple of short trips and i've noticed the gap at the top of the struts and I don't remember it being that big when I put them together. What are people opinions? The car drives fine the steering is heavy but it doesn't have pas so I've just put that down to bit being used it again yet.

[Anthony 1,002]

That doesn't look right at all - there's a small gap there with standard rubbers (Group N tend to have little or no gap due to the extra firmness), but even completely knackered 30 year old OE ones don't have anything like the gap in that second picture!

[Callum 13 1 Cars]

I didn't think it was right, when I did the mounts I took each piece off and layed them out so they went togther is the correct order and I made sure the washer was in the correct place. Do you think it's a case of poor rubber and being stood that's done it? I'm going to change them for group N ones but confused as to why this has happened

[Ozymandis 96]

That looks wrong.

It may just be an `illusion` from the photography, it appears to me that your strut tops may be domed.

As to rubbers , I have several types all new and some are softer than 20 yr old ones.

I have some old ones I`m about to reuse, from a 100kmiles diesel and they are much firmer than any of the new ones or other old ones I have.

The grade of rubber seems inconsistent from batch to batch. Genuine ones vary too. The best I have are from back in 1994 and say KLEBER on them.

If they were assembled correctly and had a smaller gap to start with,  then it does look like they have `squished up`, eurocraparts stock some right sheeite at the cheap end of their stocks.

Edited November 27, 2018 by Ozymandis

[Callum 13 1 Cars]

These are the ones fitted; https://www.eurocarparts.com/search/609545150 How urgent is it that I change them? Obviously it will need doing and I want to sort it asap but having been off work with torn ligaments for the last 7 week's I think work may think I'm taking the piss asking to do my own car on a Saturday morning on my first week back which is next week 

[jackherer 543]

KYB are not one of ECPs low end brands, they're OEM fitment on a lot of Japanese cars.

 

Was it definitely KYB or did they substitute it for something else?

[Callum 13 1 Cars]

Yes was definitely kyb I remember the box and I searched the part reference from the receipt on the ecp website and it came up with them

[dcc 855]

are they upside down

[Callum 13 1 Cars]

I put it back together as they came apart and it seems that they have compressed a lot more than when they were fitted 

Edited November 28, 2018 by Callum

[Callum 13 1 Cars]

Looking at it again it's like whatever is underneath I think it's a cup from memory has pushed through the hole on the rubber 

[jackherer 543]

That shouldn't be possible if they are assembled in the right order. To confirm it is this:

 

[Callum 13 1 Cars]

I know it won't push all the way through but it's as if the rubber has gone pancake shape and that's where that amount of gap has come from 

[Anthony 1,002]

Also worth noting that there's a large washer that isn't shown in that diagram - goes on after the bump stop and before any of the other top mount parts.  Miss it out and typically you'll find part #6 is loose or gets deformed, although that won't be the issue and will likely be something related to the rubbers.

 

KYB used to be a reasonable brand though - certainly historically I'd have trusted them more than certain other brands sold by ECP/GSF and the like (VTech immediately springs to mind as borderline junk for example)

[jackherer 543]

I tried a google search for fake KYB and there were a lot of results so it's possible they aren't genuine.

 

Vtech/Vetech is the name GSF puts on their generic unbranded parts which is why it is on everything they sell, batteries, oil, brake pads, whatever they like.

 

I put one of their wheel bearings on my E39 and it made more noise than the 100k mile part it was meant to replace. I literally haven't been back to GSF since then.

[Callum 13 1 Cars]

I 100% got everything in correct order and facing the correct way because I read through threads and studied pictures posted before i did the job and i also used audagarage on the tablet at work which had a blown up diagram with the torque settings, I've just ordered group N rubbers so will that when I can, the car feels fine to drive but is safe as it is? Everything is still tight and the struts not going to pop out the top 

[Anthony 1,002]

1 hour ago, Callum said:

I've just ordered group N rubbers so will that when I can, the car feels fine to drive but is safe as it is? Everything is still tight and the struts not going to pop out the top 

 

I'm not sure that any of us can confidently say that it's safe solely judging from a picture.  If you work at a garage, ask one of the other mechanics or MOT testers to take a look if you're not sure.

 

If it drives fine and doesn't have any play then it will possibly be OK to use if a little vague/rubbery feeling, but check what clearance there is between the top of the damper thread and the bonnet - I seem to remember seeing dinked bonnets in the past from Koni's with the adjuster on the top, so presumably there's not much space and if those top mount rubbers are that soft that they've collapsed like that with the car parked then they're likely to squish up even more during compression on bumps.

[Callum 13 1 Cars]

That's a good point I never thought about the clearance, I don't go back to work until Tuesday and won't be able to change them until earliest the following Saturday and I will need to drive to work too but it doesn't sound like there are major safety concerns so I'll just have to lump it and wait till I can do it 

[danj.pdx 3]

This is a very timely thread.

 

I'm just in the process of refreshing my 1.6 GTi suspension. I've replaced the strut bearings and struts with B4 Bilsteins. I've cleaned up all the parts and re-assembled according the same way everything came apart. With the top nut fully tightened and the strut compressed, there's a few mm gap between (from the diagram above) the top of A and 6.

 

Prior to disassembling, I noticed some 'thunking' sounds coming from  the strut area, and assumed the bearings were bad. As with many things, that lead to new struts, bearings, and now who knows what else.

I only replaced the bearings (which were rough) and struts, not the rubber doughnuts (which seemed ok). 

 

What is wrong here? Is it #6? Not as extreme as Callum's example, but still no bueno. 

Thanks all,

Dan. 

[Anthony 1,002]

That looks fairly normal to me, particularly with old rubbers, so I wouldn't worry too much about it if there's no other issues

[Callum 13 1 Cars]

That's how mine looked when I first assembled all the new parts, prior to me changing the parts the old n/s top mount used to make a rubbing noise 

[Callum 13 1 Cars]

So I finally got around to fitting some group N strut rubbers from baker bm and it's solved the problem. The kyb strut rubbers were a lot smaller when put next to the group N rubbers and were very soft and flexible. The front suspension feels a lot less crash even with the former rubbers!