upper strut bearings

[NC325iC]

hey guys, as some may know im trying to find a clunking noise in my front suspension, i seem to have found half of the problem which was sway links, but there is still more, i think sometime soon im going to take the front strut out and try to tighten the gland nut at the top of the strut to permanently rule it out, i was wondering if it could be the strut bearing?
also i was wondering if these things go bad easily, if they are prone to going bad i would like to go ahead and replace it but if itll be ok then ill just keep the ones i have.
edit: and what brand should i get if i replace them, BMA has febi and meyle for really good prices
Thanks for the help
Chris

[e304me]

just tighten it while its on the car....100x times easier and faster

[NC325iC]

that would be nice, but i cant, its more than hand tight but i cant tell if its good enough how it is

[e304me]

I just jacked up that one wheel, then lifted up the boot, stuck a pipe wrench on it and turned

[NC325iC]

i dont wanna get teeth marks on it but i guess ill give it a try

[NC325iC]

back to this topic though, really want to know if they have a problem with wearing out

[fretburnr]

strut bearings do wear out over time. i replaced mine when i installed my cupkit struts and springs, and it made a huge difference in steering response (read:feedback and return-to-center) as well as noise. fyi, i still have a clunk but i haven't inspected my endlinks yet... certainly the strut bearings helped some; however you'll need to compress the springs to replace 'em.

as a sidenote, i've tightened gland nuts while on the car, using a long large screwdriver as a drift and a hammer

[NC325iC]

yeah i know id have to compress the spring, i dont know if ill do it now or not
what do you mean a drift, more explanaition

[fretburnr]

the gland nut has 4 or 6 "ears" on it... just move the dust boot out of the way, point the tip of the screwdriver up against one of the ears in a clockwise fashion, and whack the back of the screwdriver (not enough to shatter it)

[NC325iC]

mines only got 2 "ears" if by ears you mean little indentations on the top, ill see if i cant find a picture

there you go

[fretburnr]

ah, mine are different as they came with my Cupkit...

same idea though. imagine though instead of having 2 indentations, it has 4 flaps that radiate outward like a propeller.

either way you should be able to tighten as necessary

[155///MPH]

I'm chasing the same problem currently. I'm leaning towards the strut bearings as I cannot find any play with any of the ball joints.

[e304me]

My strut bearings have no play side to side, but if I twist them, (not turn them around, pretend you are looking at the bearing from the side and rotating it clockwise and counter clockwise) then there is a tad bit of play. Is this normal or bad? I was planing on getting camber plates in the next several months

[Digitalwave]

mines only got 2 "ears" if by ears you mean little indentations on the top, ill see if i cant find a picture

there you go

I have the same gland nuts. Just jack up the car and use a long flatheaded screwdriver and a hammer to make sure they are super tight. They can be hand tight and still be loose, if you know what I mean.

[rs4pro3]

what you need is spaner wrench, then you can get it nice and tight.