Excess Play On Front Suspension Strut Tops

[Patty37]

On Saturday I changed out the front suspension strut springs on my 1997 Ford Fiesta DE. First time for me with this type of job... 4 hours for the first side, about an hour for the second side. Inspected the struts, the top insulating rubbers and thrust bearings as I did the job, all looked well.

Following the change out and re-assembly, there was around 10mm of play on the top mounting, inside the engine bay. On driving, the ride was smooth, without knocking or other concerning noises and road bumps were evened out nicely, much better than before.

MOT fail notice received today and stated that the front strut top suspension unit had deteriorated and could not function as intended!

Can any one suggest why? Could it be because I placed the axle stands under the fixed end of the suspension lower arm?

Is the suspension lower arm the same thing as the wishbone?

As you can see I'm keen and have some limited capability but lack know how and experience.... they say a little knowledge can be dangerous in the wrong hands but I don't want to give up yet as I'm so close, all advice is welcome.

 

[pompeyal]

When doing these jobs you need to ensure that all of the components are aligned and configured correctly, when inserting shafts into hole make sure they have located correctly, rotate the shaft so that it can engauge into any location recesses that may be there and also if any retaining washers have flats within the hole that the shaft goes through and locates over the flat, ensure they have been fitted correctly and are the right way up. When tightening the securing nut you also need to hold the shaft to stop it from rotating, there should be flats on the shaft so a spanner can be used to retain the shaft. When tightening the securing nut, as it first goes tight, stop, back it off half a turn and again rotate the shaft whilst pushing in the direction of the nut to ensure that it is still seated correctly, then tighten the nut.

 

[Patty37]

Hello there pompeyal, thanks for this advice, makes perfect sense really. I wish I'd thought of it myself. Will be putting this advice into action on Saturday and will let you know how I get on. Thanks again.