Strut Bearing Problem

'96 Ford Windstar; 3.8L

The "insulator" at top of the spring is not turning smoothly when the vehicle is on the ground. If the vehicle is raised, the movement is smooth. Because the insulator is not turning smooth, the movement is jerky and gives the sound of intermittent grinding.

I have replaced the thrust bearing, but no improvment was seen.

I have inspected the insulator/bearing/mounting bracket and do not see any interference that might cause this. I have also found the the bracket can be turned on the bench (with the help of a wrench) without any jerky movement.

I am at a loss as to what is causing this.

http://www.autozone.com/images/cds/gif/large/0900823d801d3d1a.gif

I forgot to add that this noise is temperature dependent. When the ambient temp is above ~55 F, there is no noise.

The isolator block and the thrust bearing are sold together at Advance Auto.

I have heard of a bit of "sag" in the block allowing the top of the coil spring assembly rubbing the inside of the shock tower. ???

When I purchased the bearing it came with the strut mounting bracket. I tried the strut with the original mounting bracket as well as with the new one, but no difference in the performance.

Regarding the isolator block saging, that was also my suspicion when I inspected the assembly on the bench. The clearance seemed sufficient, several tenths of an inch, but I suppose could replace it. It's hard to tell if there is contact between the block and the strut tower/body. I'll take a look at that to see if there's anything I can see if I specifically look for it. If I remove the strut (yet again), I'd expect to see some marks were there has been contact. I believe the isolator in place is original equipment, although possibly not. A few years back the thrust bearing was replaced due to damage from a pot hole (a relatively fragile design, I've found).

This line of thought has me wondering if the problem could have arisen should the isolator have been rotated to a different position when the bearing was replaced. I maintained it's position when I overhauled the strut assembly.

Thanks for the input.

I wonder if the thrust bearing is not bad. ??? Are you having the exact same results before and after replacing it?

Did you replace the shock unit also? (The shock piston is in a different location in the cylinder when the strut is compressed.)

I replaced the thrust bearing first, but saw no improvement. Then I changed the strut mount, since a new one was included with the bearing.

I have not replaced any other components in the strut assembly. I don't know if you're suggesting a bent strut rod (which is another suspicion that I've considered), but I can't see where that could cause this problem. I could be wrong, and it wouldn't be the first time.

I exercised the strut pistion when I had it dissasembled, but didn't notice any roughness or hang up.

I wonder if the Monroe "quick strut" might be the way to go.
I includes the whole assembly, strut, spring, bearing, etc.

I read about the "quick strut" on the other thread. Of course higher cost for more convience would be the main differentiation issue.

I haven't tried the following, but would if I had your symptoms ... just to make sure the problem is in the upper strut area.

Jack the vehicle up. Disconnect the tie rod. Disconnect the anti-sway bar link. Place a support (scrap wood?) under the lower control arm. Lower the vehicle until the strut is compressed, but the wheel does not touch the ground.

Twist the wheel about to see if you still have the apparent upper strut problem.

Of course, you could also remove the wheel and do the twisting on the rotor. A couple of lug-nuts installed upside down will prevent the rotor from being loose.

>Of course, you could also remove the wheel and do the twisting on the rotor.

Yes, I've done that without the spring compress and it moves smoothly when the steering knuckle is turned back and forth. Also, with everything assemebled and the tire on the ground, I can look up into the strut tower while a helper turns the steering wheel. When I watch the isolator plate, I can see it moving along in this jerky manner.

OK, one more (bad) suggestion:

It'd be a bit of work, but why not swap the strut units left-right. This would prove/disprove that the problem is in the strut itself.

Well when you find out whats causing this noise for sure let me know. My 1998 Windstar has the same problem and it only seems to do it when the weather gets cold. When warm weather returns the noise is gone. Mine is on the right side ( passengers side ) strut assembly. I had it back to Monroe twice after they had replaced the strut assembly but it has come back after a while. Not sure what they did other than replace the upper strut bearing plate.

I found out that this is caused by the upper spring seat rubbing on the underside of the shock/strut tower (as suggested above). TSB 02-13-02 recommends installing a spacer above the upper strut mount, below the tower sheet metal. The TSB even mentions the temperature sensitivity that I noticed. The part number of the spacer is 18A027. Thanks 12Ounce for a right on diagnosis.

i can 2nd all this. every time i do strut replacements i have to include the spacer. if i don't, i get the noise while turning. this has happened on my '98, '00 and '02

Does anyone know if this sound is just an annoyance or does it represent a safety issue? (Does it need to be fixed?)

Does anyone know if this sound is just an annoyance or does it represent a safety issue? (Does it need to be fixed?)
If it was a safety issue they would have to have a recall.. Ford does not want to get Sued no more than they are now..So its more of annoyance. Although i am sure some light wear may be taking place but no worries.

See my post http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=1059167