having just replaced the centre spheres i gave the car a look over. unfotunately it looks like i have a nearly failed strut top. can someone confirm?

the picture is from the wheelarch looking up at the strut head. where you can see rust is where it looks like a solid rubber section has come loose. i originally noticed lhm on the base of the flexy strut protector and also that the plastic protector was no longer connected to the strut top.

is this on the verge or beyond?

help!

Hi Gav,

This is not actually the failure point so you're still OK. However, road salt and water will be getting into the gap in the photo. I think you'll get a bit more life out of it if you repair the bit you see in the photo and seal it from underneath to prevent further water ingress.

cheers

noz

thanks for the reassurance (and the supremely quick response).

i know i have read recently the various methods of protection so i will give it a go as i have a long fully laden journey to scotland in a couple of weeks.

i guess its a full strut out job to sufficiently get to where i need to?

thanks
Gavin

I believe my 2.0i tore the rubber away from the metal collar DUE to the fact
the metal had weakened with rust and had started to flex. From your picture
it is difficult to tell whether the peeling edge is simply the so called weather
protection losing it's battle with the elements or in fact a bigger slice of a
fragmenting collar.

I don't feel the rubber is the failure point on these but the metal collar itself
- it does appear though to be almost certainly the rubber in hotter climes from
what I've read along the way.

With this strut top I would certainly have a thorough prod about on the peeling
underseal/rubber and start looking for a replacement as a fall back asap.

The replacement job will likely be easier than trying to make good a weakened
top with rust protection and paint etc...

Andrew

Not unlike mine:-

http://www.flickr.com/photos/point_and_cli...l-xm_on_flickr/

There is also a shot of a failed one (not mine) in the same photo pool.

r

cheers rg,

i was looking on your site earlier trying to understand the design of these strut tops. after a prod or two the metal plate seems solid (from above) but the underside rubber is coming free.

is this a single solid rubber block right from the section underneath to the top of cone on the upper section?

another pic shows the rubber in more detail underneath which appears to show is parting company from the metal.

the used xm sources i know of have no struts or tops left. a trip to the stealer tomorrow which simply mean i leave it! but is this safe!!

anybody got a spared one kicking around? its for the 2.5td so the larger units. is the strut the 23mm? is the top plate common to both sizes or unique?

Hi Gav

How was the strut loaded when you took the photo. Was the front suspension under load or was the car jacked up by the subframe and the wheel/suspension hanging loose? What does the strut top look like?
With regard to replacement strut heads secondhand ones to suit the thicker piston rod are hard to come by and will most likely be nearly as bad as yours. The Russek Manual says:-
that it is only the rod size that changes not the piston,
that you cannot fit a thin rod head to a thick rod strut,
that you can fit a thin rod head and thin rod strut to a 2.5TD,
that you can have thin on one side of the car and thick on the
other because the piston size/hydraulics are the same in both types.


Regards

XMexc

now that makes for interesting reading - picking up on being able to use a thinner rod on a 2.5 even on just one side.

sorry, to answer your qustions, the car was actually sat by itself unaided in the normal position. so with strut and rubber under load. the original pic i took on the first post was again sat unaided but in high position.

the top looks OK and does not flake away excessively. see attached pic.

so to replace with thinner rod: i guess in principal hydraulically it should not matter about the rod size (with corresponding head). its just a bit weaker mechanically but still ok seemingly. has this been done by anyone as i think i do know a source of the thinner struts and heads.

Hi Gav

Forgot to mention that Left and Right hand strut heads are not interchangable.
Which side are you looking for?

Regards

XMexc

drivers side (RHD)

the left hand side was replaced a couple of years back (why didnt i do both at the same time i hear you say???)

Hi Gav

Sorry it is the drivers side one that is in a poor state on my deregistered silver 2.5 that I am slowly turning into a set of sorted spares.
So far I have not needed to try the mixed struts. I have not managed to sort out which Mk2's were fitted with the thicker rods but suspect that it was only the 2.5's and the V6's.

Regards

XMexc

it seems our 2.5td beasts are becoming as rare as rocking horse ****. All my known sources of parts have drawn a blank for a larger diameter strut. The general comment is "we dont get them for breaking anymore, everyone is hanging on to those that are left". Well, i am one of those - hanging on to a thoroughly decent car (with still no obvious replacement out in the car market).

i can only find used thinner struts with their corresponding top plates. Although its not that clear, the thinner struts were still used after '95 hence i also believe its only 2.5s and V6s that got the thicker struts.

has anybody used a thinner strut on a 2.5 or V6? From what i read the cylinder remains the same (only the strut rod and correpsonding rubber/cone/top plate are different) so the interface on the suspension arm and of the mounting plate onto the wheelarch of the car should be identical.

from my understanding of the design, hydraulically they operate identically, so there should be no problem with spheres. Does anybody know if there is a difference to the sphere fixing on the top plates?

I replaced my strut tops on my 2.5l hatchback last year with those from a late (As I remember 1998) front damaged 2.1l estate. These were definately the larger diameter type. I believed at that time that I could not use the smaller diameter ones and was pleasently supprised when I measured them before removal.