1998 S70 Broken Strut Mounting Bracket Bolt

styoung94 · Post by **styoung94** » 22 Nov 2015, 09:28

Hey. Yesterday I was replacing the driver side wheel hub/assembly and the passenger side cv axle. The work on the drivers side went smoothly, I was hoping to replace that CV axle as well but couldn't free it from the transmission. The driver side CV axle was in good condition so I wasn't too upset.

But the passenger side didn't go too great. I replaced the CV axle, lost 6 oz of fluid in the process, and got it back together. But I broke one of the three bolts for the strut mounting point when I was torquing it down (25 ft-lbs). I was able to get the nut back on, but as you can see its only grabbing two or three threads.

How big of an issue is this? I was hoping to be able to make it home for Thanksgiving (5 hr drive) and don't have a ton of time to work on this before then. It didn't seem too bad to replace that bearing/mount, I'll just have to get a spring compressor from HF & work in the dark. Any tips when replacing the mount? Should I replace the spring seat as well? If I do do this before thanksgiving I'll have to go with generic napa/autozone parts and won't be able to order from FCP. Would that be an issue as well? Thanks for the input.

Post by **kahl** » 22 Nov 2015, 10:13

On some of the bearing plates those bolts are studs that are pressing in to the plate. You can remove and replace the stud without having to tear apart strut assembly.

Post by **cn90** » 22 Nov 2015, 10:41

With only 2 nuts keeping the Spring Seat in place, it is probably safe to drive at speed below 60mph.

Options:

a. Ghetto repair until you have time to do the proper job: drill the remaining stud out and use standard nuts and bolts to hold the Spring Seat in place.

b. Do the proper job: overhaul the suspension (new Strut...I use Bilstein TC, Spring Seat etc. etc.).
I wrote a suspension overhaul a while back in forum, you can search for it.

styoung94 · Post by **styoung94** » 22 Nov 2015, 11:01

Yea I figured it would be safe at low speeds. I don't have the tools to drill out the stud (no drill) but I'll look to see if I can press it out at all.

I saw your writeup actually, it was good and thorough.

Post by **abscate** » 22 Nov 2015, 12:14

The load of the car is taken by the strut tower, not those bolts. They just locate the strut and keep it in the right place. safe to drive, paying attention to the other nuts and hardware.

Replace all of the front suspension parts if you want to drive the car for a long time

Post by **RussB** » 22 Nov 2015, 13:48

Why did you remove the strut to replace the axle?

Post by **benpineapple** » 24 Nov 2015, 08:49

styoung94 wrote:I'll just have to get a spring compressor from HF & work in the dark.

I'm not trying to be a tool snob, but don't get one from them. I have had breaker bars snap in half from HF. Don't trust their tools. Using a spring compressor is a dangerous task, you're going to want to make sure you use the best components possible when compressing it. You can always loan a much higher quality one from AutoZone or some such.

In regards to what you want to replace versus keep, it's not a bad idea to replace as much as possible while you've got the suspension components out. Definitely replace the shock mount while you're at it.

youngin9494 · Post by **youngin9494** » 24 Nov 2015, 11:15

RussB wrote:Why did you remove the strut to replace the axle?

Didn't remove it completely. Just loosened the top a little and then removed the bottom two bolts. It was they way they did it in the fcp video (maybe it was the 1-A auto I can't remember). It defiantly gave me more room to work than just removing the frame side of the control arms.

benpineapple wrote:
styoung94 wrote:I'll just have to get a spring compressor from HF & work in the dark.
I'm not trying to be a tool snob, but don't get one from them. I have had breaker bars snap in half from HF. Don't trust their tools. Using a spring compressor is a dangerous task, you're going to want to make sure you use the best components possible when compressing it. You can always loan a much higher quality one from AutoZone or some such.

In regards to what you want to replace versus keep, it's not a bad idea to replace as much as possible while you've got the suspension components out. Definitely replace the shock mount while you're at it.

Yea I understand, it turns out my cousin has one anyway so I'll just be using his the weekend after thanksgiving.

I noticed a slight leak from the passenger side CV axle seal (95% sure its from there), so I ordered a new one of those along with flexible brake lines and new strut spring seat & mount. All that should be here tomorrow so I'll do it the weekend after thanksgiving. Anyone have any advice for replacing that seal? It looks like it just comes out, but I can't find a ton of info on its replacement.

Post by **kahl** » 24 Nov 2015, 12:32

Passenger side seal pops out and insert a new one. I put a coating of grease on the outer part of seal and wet the inner seal with tranny fluid.

Post by **dosbricks** » 24 Nov 2015, 12:58

What kahl said. A very large screwdriver will pop it right out. Just be sure not to scratch its mounting surface on the transaxle.