How can you tell if your strut bearing plate is bad

[Intlcutlass]

I have been rebuilding the 96 monti knuckles....

 

I used Shawns meathod to derust...

 

Fresh coat of paint...

 

But before I put everything back together , how can I tell if the strut bearing plates are good?

[Intlcutlass]

Nobody????

 

 

They turn in my hands... but is there anything else I should be looking at?

[Pabz]

I just made sure the points of contact were flat and clean. I didnt replace mine with new ones and used the old isolators too, but i wish i had.

[Guest TurboSedan]

i'm currently rebuilding '96 strut/knuckles. i'm replacing mine because they are rather hard to turn with my hands and don't feel smooth at all.

[GnatGoSplat]

They should turn smoothly with weight on them. They'll seem bad if you don't put weight on them when turning them, because the retainer on the top will rub against the plate (the clearance is very tight). Push down and turn, and hopefully it'll feel smooth.

[Intlcutlass]

Do you think it would help (seens on how I have them out of the car) to use some of that white spray grease on them??

[GnatGoSplat]

I don't recommend white (lithium?) grease for anything. It gets very sticky and gummy after awhile, and not a very long while.

 

I just cleaned all the gritty dirt surrounding mine by flushing it out with motor oil.

[Intlcutlass]

Thanks man!

[Guest TurboSedan]

They should turn smoothly with weight on them. They'll seem bad if you don't put weight on them when turning them, because the retainer on the top will rub against the plate (the clearance is very tight). Push down and turn, and hopefully it'll feel smooth.

 

i just tried, and they still don't spin very freely at all. wierd because these strut/knuckles came out of a 49,000 mile car. i may not have been pressing down hard enough though. looks like new sturt bearings are around $30/ea made by Monroe. that's not too bad i guess.

[joey b]

I got one 2.5 years ago and it was 50 bucks. It was from NAPA though and they are more pricey.

[Guest TurboSedan]

i just found out i was pushing down on them the wrong way Shawn. i thought you meant pushing down on the bearing itself doh! this time i placed the strut bearing plate over the strut/knuckle and then pushed down on the spring seat. they turn very smoothly. i think i'm just going to save my money.

[GnatGoSplat]

Good deal!

 

Yeah, you can push down on the bearing and turn it too (I'm assuming you mean if holding the plate upside-down), but if you do that, you have to hold the plate up to make sure nothing touches the moving silver part on the other side.