Top strut cup 06 Punto.

[andylad]

Hi everyone.
During a so far unsuccessful search for a knock on the front end of my punto I noticed a gap (around 10mm) between the top suspension cup and the car body(under bonnet) Surely this isn't right i.e. what's holding the strut in !!!! It is the same on both sides, but that's hardly reassuring. Anyone out there have the answer please?

 

[Burnerman]

As with all MacPherson strut assemblies, there's no direct connection between the strut centre rod and the car bodywork. If there was, the loads on the inner wings would be extreme, plus the strut wouldn't be able to float when cornering etc.
There will be some sort of rubber cone mountings that separate the strut rod from the top mounting plate - the bottom one which needs to swivel when steering and the top one which remains stationary. Its quite common for gaps to be here, but if you want to check directly, jack the car up on one side so the suspension loads are off, and see if you can move the strut up and down with a lever.
John