Weird issue with new strut bearing

[Cephas]

Alright, gotta love it when things just don't work the way you expect! I am in the middle of a suspension refresh and have run into a few snags, one of which is the following that I need some help with.

I took the strut assembly out of the car, compressed the spring, removed the bearing and put the new one on, but when I tighten the shock nut down on the new bearing, it gets so tight that I can't move the bearing anymore. I can't even torque it to spec before the bearing won't move. Is this normal? Should I be able to spin the bearing once it is torqued down, or is it normal to not be able to?

The old one would spin pretty freely, but it was about 10 years old, so I don't know if that's normal or not.

[jlevie]

There is a large washer that goes between the upper spring hat and the bearing. Make sure you have it in place.

[Cephas]

Thanks Jlevie.

I have part #7 for sure, but I might be missing #8. If I am missing it, it definitely wasn't there before - weird.

[jlevie]

#7 is just a dust cover, #8 is the critical part. Any similarly sized thick washer will work.

[robo_trigger]

It's true, if the washer is missing the steering will bind.

[Cephas]

Yup, that makes sense. What's really weird is that the old strut bearings that were on the car move freely without the washer. Scary!

I guess whoever installed the Cup Kit on here 10 years ago figured it wasn't needed for some reason.

[Cephas]

Well, I think I found #8. It was UNDER the spring perch. From what I can see on real oem, there's not supposed to be a washer there. Is that right? No washer under the spring perch, only on top?

[jlevie]

Correct, the washer goes between the spring hat and strut bearing like the diagram shows.

[Cephas]

Thanks man. Can't wait to get this thing back on the road!