I think I have a bad left front strut. After a few really rough bumps on the highway my car developed a strange rattling noise that I have narrowed down to either a strut mount or a bad strut. My question is -- is there any reason why it would be a bad idea to do koni yellows on just the front until I have funds to do the rear? It just doesn't make sense to replace with oem when I know they are going to fail with my H&R springs. I just cant afford all 4 right now.

 

I don't think that putting koni's on only one axle will hurt anything or make the car unstable. Others have more experience than me, but I think that you will be fine.

There happens to be a pair on the marketplace for $300, I don't know if that is a good deal or not.

Mike

 

Thanks for the tip. I'm going to try and check the strut mount first, but $300 is a great deal so if I need them and they are still available I am definitely gonna pm the seller.

 

It should be fine to just put Konis on the front. Just be careful with the adjustments. And no aggressive driving till you get the rears put on. The handling at the limit could become pretty unpredictable.

 

It won't make the car inherently unstable in normal conditions, but I'd avoid spirited driving until you've replaced all 4.

 

I've done it (new shocks up front and old ones in the rear), and it's not a pleasant ride. It's not unsafe, but it causes the back to bounce ever so slightly as you drive and hit bumps and dips in the road. It feels like you're on a boat rocking on waves. It will also add to under steer ever so slightly.

The rattle could just be a loose bolt or loose or broken end link. A bad strut will leak and be very bouncy and that corner of the car might sag noticeably lower. You'll know when you have a bad strut, a rattle or clunk is something else.

 

Thanks for the input. I think I am going to try the strut mount first. Everything seems to point there. The noise I am getting is only under hard bumps and really hard cornering and the car doesn't respond any differently than it ever has. I have had the car on a lift and absolutely everything looked fine. The only thing I didn't check was the strut mount, but it looked fine from up top so I didn't investigate any further.

 

On the first gens you can check the top mounts without even raising the car. Just pop the plastic tab and tighten that top mounting bolt, inspect the surrounding area for cracks. Don't know if it's the same for you...

 

I would like to get the car back on a lift and check to see if it drops any when being lifted. A technician friend tells me that if you have a bad mount then it will drop down in the strut tower farther than the opposite side when you lift the car on a standard 2 post lift. I may have a chance today. I'll post up with the results later.

 

That's probably true, but it's not needed to check the mounts. Pop the covers and take a look. Grab the fender and move the car around a bit and see if the noise happens.

 

I wish I could duplicate the noise like that, but it only happens when I'm driving. I guess I just cant move the car enough by pushing and pulling on it.

 

If you have a helper, you could keep a finger on the nut (where it touches the mount) while the car is jacked up. If the nut is loose (even a little), you should feel it shift when the weight comes off the wheel. You can feel the other side for comparison.

It is not uncommon for the upper strut nut to loosen after changing springs. It is tough to get any significant torque on it because of the shaft rotating, and there is usually less preload with lowering springs.

Have fun,
Mike