Father of Ford 702 Posted March 18, 2019 Report Share Posted March 18, 2019 I recently replaced the right front strut and strut mount. KYB strut and Motorcraft strut mount. I now hear a creeking type noise when I turn the wheel. Ill admit, I tightened the hell out of the mounting bolts as well as the bolt on the strut mount. Torque wrench broke during the job. Could over tightening it be the cause of the noise? The strut mount appeared in good condition when I installed it. Not sure what else could be causing this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WWWPerfA_ZN0W Posted March 18, 2019 Report Share Posted March 18, 2019 (edited) Check to make sure there is no crossthreading on the bolts. I know there is an orientation thing with KYB struts, so I would confirm with them directly on that. People installing H&R lowering springs have noticed creaking issues due to improperly seated springs. Edited March 18, 2019 by WWWPerfA_ZN0W Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Father of Ford 702 Posted March 19, 2019 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2019 Thanks.. Thats probably it. I actually re-used the bolt from my motorcraft on the KYB. I cant remember why though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bfazona Posted March 19, 2019 Report Share Posted March 19, 2019 So was the strut mount new when replaced? The bearing in them typically goes bad and causes the noise when turning the wheel. I had to replace mine when I bought my '11 Sport, and replaced everything with new Motorcraft. Creaking noise was gone afterwards. Learned my lesson after replacing the strut mount on my wife's Flex with Monroe. Ended up taking it back apart, replacing the mounts with Motorcraft and fixed the issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Father of Ford 702 Posted March 19, 2019 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2019 Yep, new Motorcraft strut mounts and KYB struts. Re used the old coil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bfazona Posted March 19, 2019 Report Share Posted March 19, 2019 Are you sure that the nut for the strut is tightened all the way on the strut mount? I assume yes, but I have had some that require getting hit quite a few times with the impact to cinch them all the way down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Father of Ford 702 Posted March 21, 2019 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2019 No Im not sure. I didnt have an impact. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bfazona Posted March 22, 2019 Report Share Posted March 22, 2019 The strut piston wants to turn when you tighten the nut, and you can't put vice grips or something on it, so the best option is an impact gun. The nuts usually have a nylon insert, so they won't thread on easily. If you do use the impact on it, just use short bursts. Hammering on it is not good for the strut internals. Let us know how you make out and if this was your issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Father of Ford 702 Posted March 25, 2019 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2019 I actually did use vise grips to prevent the piston from turning when I initially installed it. When you say I cant use vise grips, why not? Hopefully I didnt damage something but when I removed the vise grips I didnt observe any dents or damage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bfazona Posted March 25, 2019 Report Share Posted March 25, 2019 What you mentioned is why you do not want to use vice grips. Run the risk of damaging the strut piston. If you didn’t see any marks or marring, it’s probably fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Father of Ford 702 Posted March 28, 2019 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2019 Thanks. Just waiting on better weather to remove this and inspect it. Ill let ya know what I find if I find it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Father of Ford 702 Posted April 3, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2019 Problem appears to be fixed. After doing a little more research, others that had the same complaint simply loosened the nut to release some tension on the strut bearing resolved the problem. I ended up spraying some wd40 on the nut/grommet and then loosened the nut by one thread. No more noise. Ill update this thread if it comes back. So far so good! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bfazona Posted April 5, 2019 Report Share Posted April 5, 2019 Glad you got it figured out. And without spending any more money, so that's a huge win! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Father of Ford 702 Posted April 18, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2019 Spoke too soon.. Noise is back lol. I think it's a compatibility issue between KYB struts and the Motorcraft strut mount. When I spray WD40 into the rubber well where the strut passes through to the nut, the noise goes away for a few hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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