Name of Strut Part?

[Daysho]

I've been replacing my struts and springs this weekend and on the last strut I took off, the l/r, the part right under the nut at the top was broken into 2 parts. I know I need to get another but am not sure of it's name. I ordered through Shonut all parts to do this job but these parts weren't included so I'm going to local Ford Stealerships tomorrow to hopefully find one. The part is between the nut and the curved washer at the top of the bushing, part steel with rubber attached probably 1 1/2" high. Looks like some kind of stop as the old bushing had wear marks on the inside where this part was rubbing. Any help would be really appreciated.

 

[projectSHO89]

It's called an "upper strut mount".

http://www.shotimes.com/php-bin/images/trwsuspension.jpg

Steve

 

[Daysho]

no, don't believe it's the upper strut mount by that diagram....this goes inside the top of the strut mount and directly under the nut

 

[sdpatt]

The later SHOs had a metal vibration damper(?) in that location that made getting to the top nut a real challenge without the right tools. Does that sound more like it? You may want to go to a Ford parts department to have them look up the part if only to get the correct name and part number.

 

[projectSHO89]

If it was a washer-like piece of soft metal, a recent poster suggested omitting it.

YMMV

Steve

 

[RStalveyARFF]

you can make your own tool for removing that nut. You need a 13/16" plug socket with the outer hex part, you bore down the square part where the 3/8" ratchet would attatch with a 1/2 drill bit. You then stick a 3/8" extension through that hole, and attatch a 10mm shallow socket on the end of the extension, and an open ended wrench over the end of the socket. It works great.

 

[Daysho]

SDPatt...I believe you're right. When I took the first one apart, I thought it looked like a bearing inside a rubber bushing. I just put it back on the others but when I got to the last one the thing was split in 2. I did notice wear marks on the 3 raised areas around the inside of the upper strut mount where it had been rubbing. I'd assume those were designed to keep it in the middle of the mount. I'm hoping a local dealer can get one as I'm not too thrilled about taking my struts back off the car to take a part that was designed to be there off.