What's going on here?? (strut mount) -Beater

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So, as you guys might have noticed I was replacing the WW fluid pump on the beater Elantra, i noticed something that might be of concern.

A few months ago, I had the front struts replaced (SenSen brand) by a neighborhood mechanic. Had an alignment done soon afterwards, too. However the car has been pulling to the right ever since replacement of struts were done, even after alignment - lately I've been noticing that the steering wheel "snags" at certain (several) points when I turn the wheel sharply, esp. when the car is NOT moving or moving very slow. (Like when parking)

And today I noticed this: (This is the driver side strut mount)
(strut NUT seems to be in center still, as it aligned correcly with the dust cap.)
BUT LOOK AT THE AREA AROUND THE STRUT NUT FROM 2 o'clock to 7 o'clock... WHAT is going on there? is this dangerous ?




Passenger side for comparison: (all seems ok there)

 
That's a cheesy way to do an alignment!!

They're supposed to adjust camber at the lower strut mount, not the top!!

Some hacks will even slot out the bolt holes at the strut tower; you gotta watch that!! Ask questions before letting them do the work!!
 
So are you saying this happened DURING them doing the alignment, or this happened slowly over time, DUE to alignment been done wrong?

(because I have seen this area AFTER the aligment several times and it did NOT look like this, so it must have happened over a period of time)

-So, many questions:

-What exactly IS happening?
-what IS that deformed shroud?
-and what can be done to correct this? (is it worth correcting?
-Can this result in an accident/failing of the strut? )
 
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It happened DURING the alignment. The guy used a high speed rotary file to eat away at that metal. What's the year and engine size of that Elantra? I want to look at the parts involved.
 
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
That's a cheesy way to do an alignment!!

They're supposed to adjust camber and the lower strut mount, not the top!!

Some hacks will even slot out the bolt holes on the strut tower; you gotta watch that!! Ask questions before letting them do the work.



I doubt an alignment shop did that...

It looks like the rubber strut mount has ripped a little, possibly during the install. Should really be no biggie as it is the 3 outer bolts that actually hold the strut on the strut tower; the rubber part is just a cushion between the top strut plate/mount and the chassis to isolate vibration.
 
2003 Elantra GLS 2.0 liter 4 cyl engine.

Now I am really confused
smirk.gif

if it happened DURING the alignment OR during installation:
Why didn't i see this even after the alignment then? That's weird because I remember looking at this exact area while I was cleaning the engine one time...

So, many questions:
-What exactly IS happening?
-what IS that deformed shroud?
-and what can be done to correct this? (is it worth correcting?
-Can this result in an accident/failing of the strut? )
 
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Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
It happened DURING the alignment. The guy used a high speed rotary file to eat away at that metal. What's the year and engine size of that Elantra? I want to look at the parts involved.


Merk, they didn't drill out the holes in the strut tower or the strut. That is silly...

The strut mount rubber somehow got torn.

If you're that concerned about it, take it in and have new strut mounts installed.
 
Did you remove the dust cap to see the top strut nut? If not, that ripped part might just be a dust cap part of the strut mount bearing.
 
Looking at the parts on NAPA, it looks like he just ate up the top strut mount. You're lucky he didn't slot out the holes on the shock tower.
 
Originally Posted By: 97tbird
Does the steering snag I am feeling have anything to do with this?


Likely not. Stick a socket on the 3 outer bolts and the one in the middle and see if they are all tight. If so, the alignment issue is probably from hitting a pot hole or something.
 
Originally Posted By: Drew99GT
Merk, they didn't drill out the holes in the strut tower or the strut. That is silly...


Not in this case but it DOES happen on other cars with some mechanics. It's a quick cheesy way to set caster or camber. Newer cars are not supposed to have their caster adjusted.
 
Strut mount needs replaced IMO and that would cause the steering to bind when turning. The rubber is getting stuck in the bearing plate.
 
Drew -- can't you see the slotted out area in the strut mount in the first picture? Compare that to the second picture. It's obvious that the guy elongated the large center hole in the top strut mount to allow for the strut rod to move around to set alignment. I doubt that's the factory recommended procedure.
 
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Drew -- can't you see the slotted out area in the strut mount in the first picture? Compare that to the second picture. It's obvious that the guy elongated the large center hole in the top strut mount to allow for the strut rod to move around to set alignment. I doubt that's the factory recommended procedure.


I don't see what you're talking about? The only thing I can see is a piece of the rubber mount has ripped away.
 
Driver side looks suspect. If modified, was a nice job adding the 3 notches so perfectly. Perhaps defective. Consider asking your mechanic to replace that one.

Can you have someone turn the wheel and watch for any movement at the mounts?
 
I was there the whole time and watched the guy when he replaced struts (as in RIGHT NEXT to him, handing him tools, etc). He never drilled anything during the whole process.

The alignment was done at the dealership shortly afterwards...

Again, even AFTER the alignment it didn't look like that immediately. IDK how fast it progressed to the point it looked like that.

So, to clarify:
- everything looked normal after strut replacement.
- everything still looked normal when I took it to dealer for alignment. (2-3 days later; I know this as i cleaned the area right next to the mount)
- everything still looked normal right after the alignment. ( i was checking brake fluid level 2-3 days after alignment - strut mount is right next to the BF reservoir, so i would have surely seen this)

So...it must have progressed over time, IMO. IDK if that makes sense, though.

PS: Thanks for suggestion to check strut movement while turning the steering wheel - will def. check that soon when wife available.
 
If the steering wheel is "snagging" at points the job was done wrong and needs to be fixed.

I have to disagree and guess that this problem has everything to do with the snagging issue. The purpose of the strut mount is not just to hold the top of the strut but to allow it to FREELY rotate for steering. If it is not FREELY rotating then something is hanging up somewhere.

You can jack up the wheel on that side and have someone else turn the steering wheel and see what the strut mount and other components look like when the "snag" is hit.
 
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