suspension struts top mounts

[john 4d]

I'm querying the assembly of sleeve, bearings and washers in the top mount.

I'm reusing the above mentioned components in new mounting rubbers 138876. The rubber in the original mounts, both sides,had become detached from the internal liners and had to be replaced, all the other components were seized in place which probably explained why the rubber had sheared from the liner.All the component parts however cleaned up well and I'm quite confident in their reuse, however I'm puzzled by bearing 138598. It was a swine to press out of the old liner, even though it is a split or spring bearing; it should have been easy to remove. The thought is that it was fixed in place by loctite or something similar. Was this correct? Or should it be free to float between the liner and the sleeve 138599?

[Sheepdip]

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John, the sleeve that fits in the rubber top mount is a press fit. I renewed mine a few weeks ago, I don't recall asplit but stand corrected. It is meant to be tight as the inner beraing rotates in it. Thus (according to your numbers), 138598 is pressed into the top mount, 138599 fits neatly inside it and free to rotate as a bearing. 138599 also fits over the strut rod but will be sandwiched between the thrust washers and thus turns with strut.

Hope that helps.

Paul

[Dave L]

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Indeed it is a tight fit. I have recently changed the top strut mounts on the Stag that is restored and the one that is being restored. One set of strutsI used the sleeve from the old struts and on the other I used new sleeves. In both cases ,after the sleeves were pressed in ,I used my brake cylinder hone with lots of varsol (parafin) for lubrication ,to bring the sleeve to the correct I.D. for the bushing.

Hope this helps

Dave L

[john 4d]

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Thanks for the replies. See the attached photos of 138598, note the split line, which enables the bearing to collapse slightly allowing the bearing to be pressed into the rubber mount steel sleeve. Now when I say pressed I mean by hand! The result is a tight fit in the sleeve, but not one that took tons of force to get out. The fit of 138599 is a relatively easy slide, rotational in final assembly when sandwiched between thetwo 'tanged' washers.

The question still stands, stick orcan I rely on the spring loadinherent in the bush?

[NickA]

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I can see that it's a seperate part in the part's book but when I bought new top mounts [1] I don't remember press fitting anything. I sure they were supplied with the sleeves already in place. If they weren't the inner sleeve would have been a rattling fit. Has there been a change in the supply of top mounts?

[1] 10 years ago :shock:

[Dave L]

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I was told by a leading parts supplier that the Struts that I received were re-manufactured in Australia. But no question that the sleeves in all four strut mounts needed to be pressed in,and not by hand either as it took considerable force.

Dave L

[john 4d]

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Paddocks sell the top mounts as OE which I presume to include bearing, sleeves washers and all... for more than double the cost of vulcanised rubber mount alone. I chose the later! Of course if I had chosen the former I wouldn't be in this slight quandary.

John

[Stevekid1]

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Hi John,

When I did mine last year I bought the front replacement kit for each side from paddocks and yes they are expensive. The sleeve is already in place in the top mount and appears tight. I greased up the smaller sleeve, the bush which slides inside the sleeve and is held in place by the tabbed washers. When fitted over the strut insert the top mount can spin round the strut insert. I am no expert but would think that once you press home the sleeve, whilst it might be initially free to move in the top mount this freedom is likely to disappear once the complete leg is fitted and under load. There will be slight compression of the top mount rubber against the sleeve and therefore it will be gripped more tightly. The inner bush will then be the bit that allows the stut leg to turn in the top mount.

I do remember that I had to reuse the old bushes because the new ones supplied by Paddocks simply would not go in the sleeves and would also not go over the strut inserts. Hope this helps, Steve

[NickA]

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john 4d wrote:

Paddocks sell the top mounts as OE which I presume to include bearing, sleeves washers and all... for more than double the cost of vulcanised rubber mount alone. I chose the later! Of course if I had chosen the former I wouldn't be in this slight quandary.

John

Phew; that's where I bought mine from. I do remember they were expensive at the time

[MB]

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I think the Thrust washer fit around 138599and clamp against 138598. 138599 is clamped by the two plain washers 138601 (lower) and 138906 (upper).

When I rebuilt my top mounts recently I spotted in the Haynes manual something that is not mentioned in the workshop manual or any other article I have read. The thrust washer have a plastic coating on one side, the lower thrust washer has the plastic side facing down and the upper thrust washer has the plastic side facing up.

138599 is slightly longer than 138598 by the width of the thrust washers and a smidgen more, this in mine when assembledleft a smidgen of play.

138599 turns with the insert and 138598 turns with the top mount the bearing as such is between these two.

As clear as mustard !my brain hurts now I need a beer:?

[polly]

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hi,ive just done this, got my new mounts from robsport they didnt have the bush in them and robsport couldn't supply new ones i tapped mine out regreased (no loctite)tapped em in the new ones and refitted no probs.mind you what a poxy job getting the leg bolts back in again.

cheers steve.