98 Ls 400 Strut Replacement - New Noise

[Jeffrey Davis]

:) Today I had the front struts replaced on my 98 LS 400. All seemed well until I drove over some bumps and then I noticed a clunking sound from the right front. The shop was closed so I looked at the tops of the struts and decided to check the torque. The 3 bolts attaching the top plate to the body were fine on each strut. The left strut suspension support center nut was torqued correctly but the right strut suspension support center nut (one with the noise) was loose and when I tried to tighten it it just spun the rod. I noticed that it was screwed down about 3 threads less than the left.

My question is could this be causing my problem and how do I fix it? I wonder if there is a bad thread on either the nut or rod?

All help is appreciated and the sooner the better - if possible I need to drive this car about 600 miles next Monday and would like to fix it tomorrow.

Thanks in advance,

Jeff

[mobilyte]

according to the factory service manual, the suspension support center nut is temporarily installed then torqued after the 3 nuts are tightened on the top support. the bottom bolt for the strut bracket is installed after the top of the strut is installed, leaving me to believe that the rod should not spin. i dont know if this necessarily means a defective strut, but you can try to remove the center nut and inspect the threads you've mentioned.

[alsalih]

Sounds like a simple screw up from the shop doing the work. The rod which has the single nut on it has two flat spots (just below the threads) which sit inside the strut mount, and that keeps the rod from rotating when you tighten the center nut. Make sure the car is resting on it’s tires i.e. not lifted, then try to slowly tighten the center nut which will turn the complete rod until it matches up with the key/slot in the strut mount at which point it will push up into it and lock (which is what the shop should have done during install). Once that happens then you should be able to torque the nut to 20 ft-lbs. After a week of driving try retorquing those center nuts because the rubber will compress further leading to slack and a popping noise from the strut.

[SKperformance]

That is your problem and it is banging the mounts.

[acflye]

Sounds like a simple screw up from the shop doing the work. The rod which has the single nut on it has two flat spots (just below the threads) which sit inside the strut mount, and that keeps the rod from rotating when you tighten the center nut. Make sure the car is resting on it’s tires i.e. not lifted, then try to slowly tighten the center nut which will turn the complete rod until it matches up with the key/slot in the strut mount at which point it will push up into it and lock (which is what the shop should have done during install). Once that happens then you should be able to torque the nut to 20 ft-lbs. After a week of driving try retorquing those center nuts because the rubber will compress further leading to slack and a popping noise from the strut.

I want to change the front shocks/struts on my 92 LS 400....could someone please tell me what parts I need to do a complete job (ie, shocks, boots, etc.....)

[blake918]

I want to change the front shocks/struts on my 92 LS 400....could someone please tell me what parts I need to do a complete job (ie, shocks, boots, etc.....)

I changed my shocks about a year ago, and I didn't replace any other parts (no insulators or bumpers) since they were still in good shape--no metal on metal contact. If they were ripped or torn, I would have replaced them, but they weren't even with high mileage, so I reused them. No strange noises or problems to speak of.