Re: Play in top of front strut.... what could it be? is it dangerous?

[Neal Tovsen <ntovsen@piper.hamline.edu>]

Ordinarily, I might think that the bouncing steering wheel is a sign of
bad motor mounts, but there are two things that make me think otherwise.
First, does the dash bounce with the wheel, or is it *just* the wheel?
Also, your explanation makes it sound as though you don't get this bounce
when you aren't moving. If that's true, there is definitely something
wrong with your steering/suspension/wheels. If your wheels are balanced,
that leaves your steering and suspension.

I didn't quite understand your initial explanation of the play in the
strut, but I would say that *any* play is probably bad! If your alignment
is slightly off, the periodic cycle of the bouncing could be attributed to
worn steering joints in combination with the strut play. The worn
steering joints may cause your car to cycle through periods of
alignment/misalignment at high speeds. Moving between states of
alignment/misalignment would cause various loads/stresses to be placed on
your struts. At some point in this cycle, the load on the strut may be
such that the strut is allowed to jiggle in that bit of play at the tower,
causing the bounce in your steering wheel.

This is all hypothetical, of course, but from your explanation I would
deduce that you should get your strut issue fixed and check for worn
steering joints. Replacing your joints would also mean an alignment,
which would fix your alignment issue, too.

Again, I can't quite picture where you say the play is in your strut, but
you really need to take a look at it to determine if it is still safe to
drive. If it's worn, you're probably OK for another week. If something is
*loose*, then you definitely want to tighten it up. Having a strut fall
off while your driving would probably be a bad thing. ;-)

Good luck! Let me know if I was on the right track...

Neal
88 16v

On Fri, 2 Jul 1999, Paul J. Dorion wrote:

> The shaking is like a bouncing going on in the steering wheel, it comes and
> goes in a periodic cycle at steady speeds above 70mph. the wheels have been
> balanced and checked for crookedness.
> 
> The alignement is a wee bit off... but it is very negligeable... could that
> really be it?
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Brian Honnold <bhonnold@pac-cap.com>
> To: 'Paul J. Dorion' <pjdorion@comnet.ca>; Scirocco List
> <scirocco-l@scirocco.org>
> Date: 2 juillet, 1999 12:50
> Subject: RE: Play in top of front strut.... what could it be? is it
> dangerous?
> 
> 
> >The shaking is more likely caused by the alignment being slightly off or
> >the tires not balanced correctly or unevenly worn.
> >
> >Could you describe the shake.  If you feel it in the steering wheel it is
> >probably the from suspension somwhere.  If you feel it in your butt it's
> >probably the rear tires out of balance.
> >
> >Brian Honnold
> >'78 Rocco Ragtop
> >'99 Passat GLX
> >
> >On Friday, July 02, 1999 8:54 AM, Paul J. Dorion [SMTP:pjdorion@comnet.ca]
> >wrote:
> >> Here's the poop, anyone that can answer this would be a great help..
> >>
> >> There is less than 1/16 of an inch play on the top of the strut between
> >the top mounting plate and the bottom of the nut that fastens it. Is this
> >dangerous, I have to drive about 400 km today and I don't have the
> >ressources to fix my suspension until next week.This Roc is Stock. Help!
> >>
> >> Could this be causing the shake I experience at 125-140 km/h (70-85 mph)?
> >>
> >>
> >> 86 8V Stock Rocco (Maroon)
> >>
> >> Paul J. Dorion
> >> Pro Audio Consultant
> >> Dexx Design
> >> pjdorion@comnet.ca
> >>
> >>  << File: ATT00000.html >>
> >
> 
> 
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> 

			Neal Tovsen


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