[Sunstreaker]

My car,1994 TSi was being jacked up to put on summer tires some weeks ago,and I was doing a poor attempt at it,and the jack kneeled sideways,leaving the car on 3 wheels with the front left brake rotor well dug into the ground.( I know,and I have learned my lesson.)
Salvaged the situation,new wheels on,now I have this sound coming from somewhere around the front left strut.
Hard to describe, popping sound,almost like some metal part slipping over when I turn the steering wheel left at stand still.
I thought from the sound that my wheel bearing was split,and the sound is also reminding me of what a loose stabilizer link sound like.
I have changed after the incident; front left wheel hub,both stabilizer links,the strut rod bushing is fairly new.
The sound is only when steering wheel is turned left,I have looked under the car when someone else is aiding with steering,nothing seems to give.The spring looks intact too.Could my accident have crushed something within the strut mount assembly,does the car have some kind of bearing where the strut is connected to the frame? Just curious as to what to look for next,before I take this assembly apart again.Any advice much appreciated.

 

[peva]

Sounds to me like bad strut mount bearing. When you turn the steering wheel, the bad bearing momentarily locks, the spring builds up torsion as you continue to turn the steering wheel, then the bearing breaks free from the accumulated spring torsion, and that's the popping noise you hear as the bearing suddenly allows the top of the spring to snap to its torsion-free position.

 

[Sunstreaker]

Thank you Peva,for adding your insight.I was also worried about inner tie rods or the balljoint,but I am hoping those parts don't produce such noise at standstill haha.
So the part in question would be like this one?
Moog
Any way of verifying this while mounted,or does the whole shock assembly need to be freed for visual inspection?

 

[yevrah]

you can usually tell by the sound.
bearings usually have that wind up noise.
they catch then the force of the spring suddenly releases them.
and they usually only catch with the weight on them.

but if you lift the wheels off the ground, you MIGHT feel it turning the wheels back and forth with no load. remember to unlock your steering.
it might not make noise, but you might feel roughness in the bearing when turning them.

 

[Sunstreaker]

Thank you yevrah
The car did not make any sound with the front wheel unloaded,but I did put my ear upon the suspension mount inside the engine compartment,the sound seem to stem from the core of the shock. The snap could also be felt way down in the wheelhub,but that is brand new and mounted properly.

 

[yevrah]

well, turn the tires by hand and you might feel it load up at the stcking points even without load.
you won't feel it by steering wheel.

 

[Sunstreaker]

Good advice,I shall attempt so later on when this blizzard calms down.Thank you.

 

[peva]

Thank you Peva,for adding your insight.I was also worried about inner tie rods or the balljoint,but I am hoping those parts don't produce such noise at standstill haha.
So the part in question would be like this one?
Moog
Any way of verifying this while mounted,or does the whole shock assembly need to be freed for visual inspection?

Your welcome.

Yes.

Some here are read up on and have personal experience with using aftermarket strut bearings and mounts on these cars - there have been lots of problems on that subject unique to these cars learned the hard way. I don't know if the aftermarket bearings themselves are problem or just the mounts. I believe Ronbo has stated that there's a diameter incompatibility between the aftermarket bearing and the OEM mount, but he would have to speak on that - I don't have the details.

When I needed a new mount and bearing, I went with some new-old-stock of OEM off of ebay to avoid the known problems with the aftermarket parts. It may very well be that you can combine an aftermarket bearing with an OEM mount with no issues, but I don't know that for sure one way or the other. Hopefully those with experience on those permutations on our cars will weigh in so that you don't create a new problem for yourself.

 

[Sunstreaker]

Your welcome.

Yes.

Some here are read up on and have personal experience with using aftermarket strut bearings and mounts on these cars - there have been lots of problems on that subject unique to these cars learned the hard way. I don't know if the aftermarket bearings themselves are problem or just the mounts. I believe Ronbo has stated that there's a diameter incompatibility between the aftermarket bearing and the OEM mount, but he would have to speak on that - I don't have the details.

When I needed a new mount and bearing, I went with some new-old-stock of OEM off of ebay to avoid the known problems with the aftermarket parts. It may very well be that you can combine an aftermarket bearing with an OEM mount with no issues, but I don't know that for sure one way or the other. Hopefully those with experience on those permutations on our cars will weigh in so that you don't create a new problem for yourself.

I suspect some compatibility issues,the Moog part was just to clarify,I shall not be purchasing mentioned part due to price level.
I have found several similar ones at Rock Auto,from $10.99 upwards.
As a comparison,purchasing the bearing locally would set me back about $200.Fact.
Thankfully the Vision is my second ride,my fun project so to say,so I am in no critical need of a swift repair.
But I would like to get the correct part considered oversea shipments

 

[Sunstreaker]

Maybe someone knows what brand of shocks the Vision came with from the factory.Gabriel?

 

[Ronbo]

2nd gen OEM were Tokico. Don't know about the 1st gens. Probably best to buy a pair of aftermarket strut assemblies.

Moog, Monroe, Gabriel, etc. Stay away from the really cheap Chinky crap.

 

[skinnyg]

Sounds like inner tie rod bushings to me. You ever replace those? Usually they wont make noise if one side is unloaded either. If you haven't replaced them then it wont hurt anyways. Get the Moog split bushing from the auto parts, easy to replace and cheap.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

 

[Sunstreaker]

Thank you ronbo and skinnyg for adding your thoughts,much appreciated.Never done inner rod bushings,but if they are cheap I might look into it as well.Just removed the cap from inside the engine compartment where the strut comes through,I can actually see the top of the strut and the nut rotate with the steering wheel,this can't be right.

 

[Ronbo]

Probably about $130 each for a decent "QuickStrut" assembly. Basically a bolt in and get an alignment. No spring compressors and buying a bunch of different parts that may or not fit.

Monroe has a shitty reputation on 2nd gens but no one ever complained about using them on 1st gens (1993-1997). Gabriel has also been used successfully on 2nd gens but no feedback on 1st gens, etc. You can do one side but you'll need an alignment anyway. Might as well do both sides if you can afford it and pay for alignment only once.

You can verify the inner tie rod bushings by looking for movement at the center of the rack under the hood while someone turns the wheel side to side. Or jack up the front of the car and grab a wheel at 3 and 9 o'clock positions and see if there's play.

 

[Sunstreaker]

Thank you ronbo for the in-depth regarding shock mounts,informative indeed.I know,fiddling with spring compressors is an activity better left alone.I once owned a Mazda Protege which I attempted to replace the front shock assemblies on,turned out I did not have to,as the body itself had corroded to pieces where the struts were meant to be screwed in.
Hopefully Eagle had some better sheet metal in their cars

 

[peva]

Sounds like inner tie rod bushings to me. You ever replace those? Usually they wont make noise if one side is unloaded either. If you haven't replaced them then it wont hurt anyways. Get the Moog split bushing from the auto parts, easy to replace and cheap.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

His symptom is that there's a popping noise as the steering wheel is turned with the car sitting still. Inner tie rod bushings would cause a noise if a wheel goes into oscillation due to play in inner tie rod bushings - only at road speed - but would not cause a popping noise with the car sitting still.

But good suggestion on replacing the inner tie rod bushings if they've never been done. 👍

Thank you ronbo and skinnyg for adding your thoughts,much appreciated.Never done inner rod bushings,but if they are cheap I might look into it as well.AtuallyJust removed the cap from inside the engine compartment where the strut comes through,I can actually see the top of the strut and the nut rotate with the steering wheel,this can't be right.

You are correct. The top nut and the strut rod are supposed to be stationary (with the mount and the stationary part of the bearing). If the rod and top nut are turning with the wheel/strut housing but the plate that the nut clamps to is stationary, then the nut needs tightening, but if the plate rotates with the nut and rod, the rubber that attaches the plate to the mount body is detached or torn, in which case you need a new mount too. My guess is that the nut is loose. Neither a loose top nut or bad mount rubber would be causing your popping noise. (You could have two problems: Bad strut bearing and bad mount rubber, or it may be bad strut bearing and loose top nut.) Of course installing a quick strut would eliminate any uncertainty about the mount rubber being bad.

 

[Sunstreaker]

Thanks peva.
I shall try tightening the nut and see what happens first.It is very rusty,I actually suspect these are the original struts from 1994.The mileage is not too bad,but age considered,a full replacement is long overdue anyhow.

 

[peva]

If the nut is recessed down in the tower, like on 2nd gen., you'll need a deep-well socket (22mm or thereabouts depending on who made the strut) for 1/2" drive, and drop a 3/8" ratchet extension down thru the socket's 1/2" drive hole and put a socket (probably a 10mm) on the extension to keep the strut rod from turning (the tip of the rod should have a 10mm hex shape for this purpose). If you use a 1/4" extension for the socket for the rod tip, the extension will definitely break off when you apply final tightening torque (and to get the nut to start moving if the threads are badly rusted) - ask me how I know. Of course soak the threads ahead of time with a good penetrating oil. Try to find the larger socket with a hex around the OD at the top so you can turn it with a box-or open-end wrench (because you won't be able to put a ratchet on it) - some of the larger sizes are commonly made that way for doing stuff like this. If not, you could grind a pair of flats into a round socket for an open-end wrench - or use a pair of vice grips on it if you can get it to grip hard enough.

If you can't find a socket with the hex around the top, the other option is to clamp vice grips around the strut rod to keep it from turning (unless they have flats machined into the rod - most don't), and that will scar the rod up, which may be a problem if the scarred up part of the rod is going to be sliding into the strut when the suspension compresses.

An impact on a socket may also do the trick instead of all that unless the nut is really stuck.

Some struts have a recessed hex hole in the tip of the rod, in which case you'll have to rig up a similar trick with a hex tip to stop the rod from turning.

Of course if the nut is not recessed like on some cars, you won't need all of that.

 

[Ronbo]

My vote is for new strut assemblies !!

 

[Sunstreaker]

Thank you everyone who contributed with insight and advice,much appreciated! I shall be plucking it apart this weekend,rumours has it there will be possible to venture outside.I will let you know my findings