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Why? What is happening? I'm so tired of replacing them 
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Upper strut mounts lasting 12 months
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311 Posts
Can you link me to higher quality parts then the ones I got from ebay and then Napa 12 months after eBay? I installed these napa ones a year ago-
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311 Posts
So they are all crap and now I just have to replace them every other oil change?
An obvious problem for sure,Might be caused by something else. Have you checked the rest of your suspension parts ?
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311 Posts
Ya I’ve replaced about every part that can be replaced over the counter by now. The entire suspension including front arms.
The only thing I can think of is my 19mm sway bar is too stiff and that’s making the rear no longer independent suspension…?
I really got nothing. It professionally aligns perfectly on a laser rack.
The only thing I can think of is my 19mm sway bar is too stiff and that’s making the rear no longer independent suspension…?
I really got nothing. It professionally aligns perfectly on a laser rack.
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9,516 Posts
unfortunately yes, most of the a/m support for these 'older' vehicles isnt really a big money maker. companies that do make them are cutting every corner possible. might be worth reaching out to some of the poly bushing companies and see if its something they could make
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7,801 Posts
See how it's crooked? I had same issue.
Design flaw. Ford needed some sort of sealer between the strut mount and body. There's no airflow up there and when (salt) water is flung from the tire and makes it on top of the strut tower, it just sits... promoting rust. That eats away at the reinforcement plate welded to the body, lying in between the body and strut mount. When the old strut mount is removed, pieces of that badly deteriorated reinforcement plate go with it... leaving a horribly uneven surface. People think that's just pieces of the old strut mount. Actually that includes pieces of that reinforcement plate. That's the crookedness you see. I had a body shop guy fabricate and install reinforcement plates; and mitigated the design flaw by piling a crapload of high temp gasket maker on top of the strut tower, right before pushing them up there for install. Note, that gasket maker does some significant expansion during the cure process.
Photos...
Thread...
www.feoa.net
Design flaw. Ford needed some sort of sealer between the strut mount and body. There's no airflow up there and when (salt) water is flung from the tire and makes it on top of the strut tower, it just sits... promoting rust. That eats away at the reinforcement plate welded to the body, lying in between the body and strut mount. When the old strut mount is removed, pieces of that badly deteriorated reinforcement plate go with it... leaving a horribly uneven surface. People think that's just pieces of the old strut mount. Actually that includes pieces of that reinforcement plate. That's the crookedness you see. I had a body shop guy fabricate and install reinforcement plates; and mitigated the design flaw by piling a crapload of high temp gasket maker on top of the strut tower, right before pushing them up there for install. Note, that gasket maker does some significant expansion during the cure process.
Photos...
Thread...
Q: Protecting the Strut Tower ?
I was weighing the better option. RTV sealant, or one of the various (non-paint) spray-on undercoats. Any difference between the "aero-rubber" (Bondo) and "rubberized" (EverCoat) ? Anyone with any experience with these brands ? Who's best ? EDIT...
www.feoa.net
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15 Posts
See how it's crooked? I had same issue.
Design flaw. Ford needed some sort of sealer between the strut mount and body. There's no airflow up there and when (salt) water is flung from the tire and makes it on top of the strut tower, it just sits... promoting rust. That eats away at the reinforcement plate welded to the body, lying in between the body and strut mount. When the old strut mount is removed, pieces of that badly deteriorated reinforcement plate go with it... leaving a horribly uneven surface. People think that's just pieces of the old strut mount. Actually that includes pieces of that reinforcement plate. That's the crookedness you see. I had a body shop guy fabricate and install reinforcement plates; and mitigated the design flaw by piling a crapload of high temp gasket maker on top of the strut tower, right before pushing them up there for install. Note, that gasket maker does some significant expansion during the cure process.
Photos...
Thread...
Q: Protecting the Strut Tower ?
I was weighing the better option. RTV sealant, or one of the various (non-paint) spray-on undercoats. Any difference between the "aero-rubber" (Bondo) and "rubberized" (EverCoat) ? Anyone with any experience with these brands ? Who's best ? EDIT...
I am not discounting your experience, but from the pictures, the OP's car does not appear to come the salt belt area. I could see it might be a problem in the midwest or NE, but most cars in those areas are long gone due to environmental issues. I don't see any evidence of rust, and if that was the issue, you would see the dust and corrosion along with the rubber. There is no evidence of that I can see at all.
My ZX2 has lots of rust in the rocker panels and on the strut hats in the rear (which is why it is a donor car for my 323). Despite that, the rubber bushings at the top are rather pristine. My 323 has (southern car) has zero rust and the bushing is perfect. I have crawled through many an escort at the local u-pull over the years and I have never seen anything like that. Yes the strut is off center, but that is because the rubber bushing is shredded. Something else is going on here, in my opinion, which is why I suggested the strut top bolt has been over-torqued.
Interestingly, the 323 use a lock washer and nut while the ZX2 use a flanged nut. But neither need much torque at all.
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7,801 Posts
Salt water just greatly accelerates the process. Outside of the rust belt, the same process just takes longer. (as mentioned prior, water just sits in the gap) The ass-end of that car rusted out and haven't had that car several years at least. (the strut towers held fine post repairs but the rear trailing arm mount points were done) Note, no rust was visible from the top of the strut tower when one of the two OEM strut mounts failed. Those photos were taken after the replacement strut mount quickly failed and I had to investigate why. The rust progression was after the replacement mounts were installed, was shockingly fast 😮. Without removal/replacement of the OEM reinforcement plate, it would've punched through. Interestingly, just looking at the ass-end, you couldn't tell it was rusted out because the undercoat was still intact. But just knocking around back there with your fist, it was obvious.
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311 Posts
This is what I did. This is what I recommend.
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