Re:strut Top Failure Imminent?

Hi all
It was MOT time today and the MOT tester advised me that I had movement of the strut top on the front nearside when the car was on the jacks he said there was movement when the wheel was jemmied with a bar and there was a 3/4cm gap around the top inside the wheelarch .I have always thought my tops to be good and certainly they look normal from the top and have not risen at all into the bay.They retain their rubber covers but closer inspection of the n/s one mentioned and a prod with a screwdriver reveal crusty rust underneath the part behind/under the sphere .
Further examination reveals that the gap is in between the wheel arch and a rubber ring...not metal as I expected.
I have attached a photo taken at 6 oclock to the engine bay.The other side is similar but not as bad.
Is this going to fail or could anyone explain what I have described.
The car passed though ,emissions were 2.6 when they were only 0.7 last year.They kept revving the nuts off it during the emissions test and I had the embarrassment of the auxiliary belt delaminating another bit and asking the examiner to tell me when the flappy bit appeared so I could trim it with my scissors!
I have done 34K in it this last year and the car gets very hot every day so I suppose I thought rusty strut tops wouldn't be a problem as any moisture would be evaporated,but the car is 11 years old now so that was a naive thought.
Any comments would be well received.
Regards Rob

This post has been edited by Little&Large on November 15, 2007 05:44 pm

What I see in this photo is weird, cannot really understand what's happenning ovethere. Looks like the rubber is totally shreded at the 2 points it normally connects to the surrounding rubber (2 "lips" left and right on the photo)?? But strut has sat LOWER than if rubbers were OK?? Have u taken this photo wheels in the air?

I read somewhere that after the strut-through-bonnet failures of early S1 cars, Cit redesigned the tops so as them not to go through the bonnet even if the rubber shreded. Could it be the case with yours -I see it's an S1.5 car so woudl have the redesigned tops-?

Some cleaning overthere might reveal if it's trully your rubber totally shreded off.

cheers
George

Hi L&L

I have concluded that there are 2 distinct types of strut head failure. Either the metal cone cast in the rubber rust away until the hole is large enough to let the strut and rubber surround push up into the bonnet. Or the loads from the suspension are excessive and the central section of the rubber mount tears axially around the strut and is small enough to then push up through even if none of the metal cone is rusted away. To me your picture looks like the latter form of failure. It seems that this problem is more common with V6's and can be brought on by extended use with flat spheres. Perhaps you are seeing the legacy of a previous owners neglect/penny pinching/ignorance as this sort of thing takes a long while to generate a problem. This type of failure is unusual in a 2.5 so I would like to see the strut head once it is off the car if this is possible. I might be able to find a servicable spare as on most of mine it is the other side that has problems.
Diesel emissions can be a bit of a lottery particularly if the car is not pushed in normal driving. These days I tend to give the car a few miles at high revs the day before the test to clear the soot in the exhaust, then run the engine on the forcourt while waiting to go in for the test so that the engine is not tested cold. I also dose with diesel cleaner a couple of times a year.

Regards

John

Hi there
The photos were taken with the wheels on the ground.I will probably in the short term keep an eye on the problem to see if there are any changes.The other side is similar but not as bad.The strut tops look normal from the top and nothing seems to move when I pull and push.The car came with a full service history and appeared to have been maintained well.
Having said that my car visually looks in very good condition outwardly but underneath on the ramp there is a lot of rust on chassis parts etc.
Thanks for the replies-I am off outside to have a further look.
Regards Rob

Hi there
I have just had a good look at both sides in the engine bay and wheel arches.Even where there was rust under the rubber/plastic circular cover the surrounding metal is solid.Grabbing both strut tops and yanking there is only the very slightest movement.Inside the wheel arches I tried pushing the rubber lip that has appeared up but it wouldn't move....so I am just going to leave it as it is for now.
Thanks again
Regards Rob

Hi Rob,

looks like hte metal dome has rusted and the rubber dome under it has seperated on the wheel arch side. The metalwork will have more exposure to road salts etc now, so only a matter of time before rust takes it's toll.

I've a couple like it in my garage. So long as the rubber part has no tears in it you *MAY* get away with it for a little while, you ovbiously have been, but you'll probably want to consider replacing with a 'new' strut top to be on the safe side.

Guess then it's down to identifying which you have so you can source from a yard, or fork out for new (you may have to replace the strut too if you go for new, unless you already have the latest revision fitted).

If the rubber is solid, they you might be able to use the repair kit from the guy in Sweden - but I can't vouch for that.

regards
Dave

>>>>Guess then it's down to identifying which you have so you can source from a yard, or fork out for new (you may have to replace the strut too if you go for new, unless you already have the latest revision fitted).<<<<<<<<<

If the car you are working on is your 1996 diesel estate., you will have the latest suspension head IMHO, and so will not need the strut itself.

One of mine failed the MOT on the strut top, he said that the top of the strut was moving about. I couldn't detect any movement until I jacked the car up and set the suspension on low, and then it certainly did move. The rubber had detached itself from the strut top although the top was quite sound, just surface rust. I had to replace the complete strut as I couldn't obtain a suitable top, there are several different types

This wouldn't show up on a conventionally sprung car as the spring would keep it in contact with the top - but then who wants a conventionally sprung car?

Peter.N.

Hi all.
Many thanks for all your answers.
Regards Rob

Conventional people, not the adventurous that buy and run aging Citroens!

if only we just bought and ran these cars. mostly maintenance isnt it?

still, pays your money and takes your choice... in our case a huge, luxurious, smooth, quiet and extremely comfortable mileage muncher.

Once you get them right they can be OK. I have done about 50k in the green one with no serious problems - after I replaced the head gasket that is!

Peter.N.

I can't see the pictures you posted, think its something to do with using a Mac rather then a PC.

However, on my Mk 1 V6 24v my drivers strut top looks really really rough!!!

See picture below....



Thinking that I am going to need to change it ASAP really, but the cheapest tops i can find are £191.

David.

thing is Dave, those may not even fit your struts as they may only fit the last rev strut type if they are new tops. They aren't backwards compatible, so you'll need to verify what strut/top combo is on the car - if you have the older version, you'll need new struts too

Squirt some engine oil so that it soaks into the rust, that will stop it getting any worse. I have done both of mine. If its any consolation, I recently changed one as the rubber had become detached, it looked a bit like yours but was quite sound. Bash it with a heavy screwdriver or welding hammer, if it doesnt go through or bend, I would say its OK.

Peter.N.