Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Strut mounts toast?

Just a quick question concerning my front suspension.

The front struts, mounts, etc are entirely original, and I have ~167,000 km (~104,000 miles) on the vehicle. The ride isn't too bad considering the mileage, and I have replace the rear struts.

Anyway, my question is:



Are the strut mounts toast? Have a look at the picture. The top plate is sitting up off the tower about 1/4" (same on both sides), and there are witness marks on the tower where the rubber ring on the top plate has obviously been in contact with the tower. Should the top plates be in contact with the tower? I was under the impression that they should be, however a recent post by Stazi suggested otherwise.

Basically, if I'm replacing the mounts, I'm going to replace everything (struts, mounts, LCA's, etc) while I'm in there, but I don't want to throw money away replacing parts that aren't worn out.

Personally I'd replace it. Whenever overhauling an area like suspension I replace any rubber. Even if wear isn't too bad at the time you're giving yourself an extra lease of life, and getting the job done while you're in there.

Then either replace when you do the LCA, or wait until you replace the struts.