Strut bearing question

[r.c.brown@ieee.org (Roger Brown)]

> There should be a minute amount of play as the sleve that sits inside the
> bearing, btwn the base of the mount and the thrust washer (just below the
> really tight 22mm nut) is a fraction taller than the strut bearing. This is
> to allow the suspension to rotate when you turn the steering wheel.  If this
> clunking is not caused by this , check the ball joint, tie rod ends, wheel
> bearings, and believe it or not loose brake pads... (that last one drove me
> nuts for months until I figured it out).

I find it necessary to grind down the inner bushing/sleeve too eliminate the play in the bearing.  In fact my Bilstein strut
inserts came with the exact same instructions.  I wrote up the procedure at:

http://4crawler.cruiserpages.com/Diesel/CheapTricks/index.shtml#StrutBearing

Since doing so, I have about 6 years on my current set of bearings and they still seem tight and smooth.