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dzignr_tastz

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
OK. I recently swapped my engine, and in doing so had to remove the lower strut knuckle bolts and pull the spindles back to remove the axles. Well when I first put everything back together, everything seemed fine... but a few days later, I started to hear a slight knock that sounded like it was coming from underneath the driver's side of the car.

Well I initially thought it was just the CAI rattling (maybe hitting the motor mount or inside of the wheel well), but upon further inspection found that both of my upper strut nuts (the center ones) were considerably loose. I mean - these things were supposed to have 50 ft lbs each on them, and they were backed out a few full turns a piece, with the driver's side being the worst at maybe or 6 or 7 full turns.

Now obviously re-torquing them solved the knock issue (go figure), but I'm just curious if anyone has ever heard of the top, self-locking nuts just randomly working themselves loose like that, be it from disconnecting the lower strut knuckle bolts or otherwise? And I'm absolutely sure I never loosened the top ones, so it just seemed a little "weird" that they would be that loose for no apparent reason.
 
Discussion starter · #3 ·
Yeah - but keep in mind, I disconnected the lower strut bolts and was then turning the wheel and whatnot while the engine was out (had to roll the car). I just didn't know if with the bottom being disconnected the top nut could loosen too? In other words, would it be possible to tighten the top nut even tighter (or vice versa) with the the bottom of the strut disconnected... and the torque required on the top nut depends on the allowed travel of the strut with the bottom connected?

Anyone else?
 
#4 ·
freakin weird man....good thing u caught it before any serious harm came of it!
 
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#5 ·
when i went to install my struts and springs, my rear ones were barely on. i could back them off with my fingers. who knows.... i figured it was from having snow lodged in the back wheels; violent shaking ensued on more than one occasion...i figured that did it? i had only had the nuts off once before to install the strut bar, and we re-tightened them fiercely at the time, not knowing what the exact tq specs were.. maybe you were using impact tools (and a good amount of force im sure) on the lower part of the strut and jiggled them loose?
 
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#6 ·
dzignr_tastz said:
OK. I recently swapped my engine, and in doing so had to remove the lower strut knuckle bolts and pull the spindles back to remove the axles. Well when I first put everything back together, everything seemed fine... but a few days later, I started to hear a slight knock that sounded like it was coming from underneath the driver's side of the car.

Well I initially thought it was just the CAI rattling (maybe hitting the motor mount or inside of the wheel well), but upon further inspection found that both of my upper strut nuts (the center ones) were considerably loose. I mean - these things were supposed to have 50 ft lbs each on them, and they were backed out a few full turns a piece, with the driver's side being the worst at maybe or 6 or 7 full turns.

Now obviously re-torquing them solved the knock issue (go figure), but I'm just curious if anyone has ever heard of the top, self-locking nuts just randomly working themselves loose like that, be it from disconnecting the lower strut knuckle bolts or otherwise? And I'm absolutely sure I never loosened the top ones, so it just seemed a little "weird" that they would be that loose for no apparent reason.
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That's weird, never heard nor seen that happen B4 especially on Hyundai's I work at Hyundai dealer never seen it happen. maybe they weren't tq to specs @ the factory and loosing the bottom end and shifting the struts around worked the loose enough to back off. Like i said never seen that happen B4
 
Discussion starter · #7 ·
Well they are Eibach dampers... and given the fact that I wasn't the person to install them (previous owner), I really can't say if they were originally torqued to spec. However, I never had any problems or noise out of them for the 20k miles I drove it before I swapped the engine, but they were loose a day after I put it back on the road.

Either way - they're nice and tight now, and it looks like I'll be keeping a close eye on them for the next bit. Just wondering if anyone had ever experienced this rather random occurrence...
 
#8 ·
i guess turning the wheel back and forth while swapping engines would have caused it
 
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#9 ·
if you talking about the two big stut bolts that hold the strut on.. they are tourqued to 95
 
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#10 ·
idk what it was exactly but when i first got my car they replaced the trans, clutch and flywheel. and after they did that i too got a knocking noise but only when i started moving. turns out it was a loose bolt/nut idk because they didnt say and at the time i knew nothing about cars. it may have been something that needed to be retorqued or maybe torqued under load even. idk
 
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#11 ·
Sounds like it was "torqued" down when it was out of the car (when it's hard to get leverage) and never properly torqued. Good catch!
 
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#12 ·
This is a common problem with the tibs. im surprised no one with this issue has chimed in yet.
From the factory the tibs come with non locking nut's that seem to work themselves loose for no apparent reason... a quick torquin usually stops the noise and keeps it from comming back....
the self locking nuts must have come with the eibach struts and should have stayed tight.
 
#13 ·
idk, the nuts that came with my eibach struts didn't seem as strong as the stock ones. i put my factory ones back on and have never had a problem with any of it coming loose.

dt, how's the tib coming along? haven't spoken to you in some time...
 
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#14 ·
I had this problem about a week after installing my Eibach struts,one of the nuts was barely finger tight after a few days and I made damn sure that there was a load on the suspension when I tightened them. To top it off Eibach sent me one shock that blew within two weeks of installing it. I reinstalled the stock shocks and nuts, and shipped the dampers back to Eibach. I never received any reason why the nuts were loose or why the shock was blown. I attributed to me not tightening the nuts enough...but never considered it could have been something physically wrong with the setup. Of course this was 3 years ago
 
#15 ·
JDOGG said:
This is a common problem with the tibs. im surprised no one with this issue has chimed in yet.
Click to expand...

*chime*

This occured on my Tib about 2 years ago. I fixed it on the spot with some low strength thread locker. No probs since.

-BRR
 
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#16 ·
interesting. this is the first i've heard of anyone having the issue.

maybe i did make a good choice in reusing the stock nuts lol.
 
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#17 ·
Mines Better said:
interesting. this is the first i've heard of anyone having the issue.

maybe i did make a good choice in reusing the stock nuts lol.
Click to expand...
It appears so....I sent mine back, went back to stock, then bought some used coilovers which turned out to be the FAIL...so back to Eibach Pro-kit's on stock shocks and no loose nuts FTW
 
#18 ·
I got new locking nylon nuts with my kyb struts. I havent had a problem.
 
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#20 ·
I've never had a problem with the stock nuts. I've done suspension work on about 20 different cars and generally the aftermarket hardware isn't as good imo. I try to reuse the old nuts whenever possible.
 
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