1G Are my front strut assembly brackets too rusted to be safe?

[XC92]

I'm taking apart the front suspension members on my '92 Talon TSi AWD to derust and paint them, and looking at the strut assemblies, there appears to be an unsafe amount of rust damage on both sides and I want to get peoples' opinion on whether I need to replace the ASAP or if it can wait a while.

Here are photos of each assembly's lower mounting bracket, from the rear-facing side. The front-facing sides are almost as bad.

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I'm guessing that each would probably hold under normal driving conditions for a while longer, but if I hit a bad pothole or series of them, or took some tight turns at speed, either or both could buckle, and in any case should be replaced. Also, at 28 years I'm guessing that the struts themselves are pretty shot and not doing that much good and would have needed to be replaced anyway. Thoughts?

And, if I do replace them, what do you recommend? As I've stated elsewhere, I don't race and my car is stock, but I do drive somewhat aggressively. I'm leaning towards these:

https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=4367370&cc=1103094&jsn=7017&jsn=7017

But am also considering these:

https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=1382038&cc=1103094&jsn=7019&jsn=7019

I assume that with the proper tools I should be able to handle it, right?

 

[Mello]

I would replace them. From the looks of things they are old & probably should be replaced anyway. Dampers will deteriorate over time even when not driven.

 

[XC92]

I would replace them. From the looks of things they are old & probably should be replaced anyway. Dampers will deteriorate over time even when not driven.

That's where I was leaning. I think I'll do it. Would you recommend the KYB or Sachs?

Of course, nothing works out quite the way you'd hoped with a car this old. While trying to get the knuckle off the left strut assembly, the upper nut and bolt came out fine but the lower nut was seized tight and I stripped most of the hex flats on it with my impact socket and wrench.

I switched to the bolt head but it too wouldn't budge. I sprayed it with the little penetrating oil I had left and hit both sides a few times with a hammer and called it a day.

Hopefully something will give way as the oil does its thing. If not, I'll probably have to cut the nut off with a rotary tool. But if I'm replacing the strut itself, I have a bunch of other options to get the knuckle off.

 

[Mello]

Heats your friend. Get a torch & heat the nuts, spray with penetrating oil (PB Baster), try again. Use new hardware on the install & not from HD, these are hardened bolts & nuts.

 

[2Gjunkie]

MAP (or hotter) is your friend.

 

[XC92]

Heats your friend. Get a torch & heat the nuts, spray with penetrating oil (PB Baster), try again. Use new hardware on the install & not from HD, these are hardened bolts & nuts.

Do new struts come with hardware, and if so for the top mounts or also for the knuckles?

 

[AWD-Tony]

Upgrades won’t come with hardware. Some replacement struts will come with nuts for the top mount.

 

[XC92]

Upgrades won’t come with hardware. Some replacement struts will come with nuts for the top mount.

Ok, thanks. I found at least one source, RTM Racing. I'm sure there are others, probably Mitsubishi.

 

[Mech Addict]

I replaced the nuts on mine with oem ordered from Amayama. If you can still read the markings on the original struts through all that rust (Yeesh!) you could see they actually are KYB, so the new KYB have the best chance of exact fit. Sachs is a well respected brand too, and either will be way better handling than your 28yo ones.
You will need a spring compressor for sure, they come in pairs. I’ve not done this job, but the FSM indicates a special four-pin fork spanner to hold the upper spring plate while working the end nut. I’m sure folks have developed “other” methods without it, though I picked one up on ebay for like $15 when I saw it. Have yet to do my own struts (30yo!) but certainly on my list (long list, btw).
Definitely use heat.

 

[XC92]

Thanks. Alas, as with air, I have no heat, and I'd just as soon not mess with it. I might be able to save the bolt but the nut it shot and I can just cut through it with a rotary tool. If I cut into the bracket it won't matter since it looks like I'm replacing it anyway.

This is on the driver's side, where I've had all sorts of problems. The right side has been fine so far, strut bolts, ball joint, stabilizer bar links, etc. But on the driver's side, in addition to the bad strut nut, the ball joint nut is stuck, the links aren't coming off, and I even had a hard time removing the tie rod castle nut.

I'm guessing that over the years various leaks got into everything and mixed with rust and dust and other road crap plus heat and cold and all that to glue it all together. There's a lot that can leak on the driver's side, engine oil, t-case oil, power steering fluid, brack and clutch fluid, etc. The right side is a lot cleaner that way. I'm going to have to cut through a bunch of things to get it all out.

Interestingly, the control arm looks like it's in decent shape, for its age. Hopefully I can keep it and just have to derust and rust-protect it.

 

[Mech Addict]

I agree about d/s leaks. My car has leaked so much p/s fluid over the years that the entire underbody is greasy black all the way to the gas tank (not a lick of rust, though).

 

[Mech Addict]

Found the photo of an OEM strut

 

[XC92]

I just cleaned the underside of the oil pan and nearby components and they were really greasy and grimy. I don't know if it was engine oil, t-case oil or PS fluid, and I never got under my car over the years and let service stations take care of it, but something's going on there on the DS, or was in the past.

Btw, if I replace the struts, and I'm pretty sure I will, should I get new mounts as well? I've read that it's a good idea. It's just that I'm encountered all kinds of deferred maintenance parts that need to be replaced soon if not now and I'm trying to determine if some can be put off till next year, so I don't have to spend too much up front. But, safety first, plus I want to enjoy the car and not cause further damage.

 

[Mech Addict]

I’d say mounts are a good call, but if the rubber is not terribly cracked and the bearing feels ok, it should be fine to defer till another time. Means more labor overall, but doesn’t seem that bad of a job. This definitely falls into the scope-creep of “while its apart” temptation.

 

[XC92]

Thanks. I'll probably wait till everything's out and take a look and decide then.

Btw, it just occurred to me that perhaps the reason one of the two strut-knuckle nuts isn't coming off the bolt is because the top strut nut that's supposed to compress the spring has come loose or otherwise failed, thus transferring the compressed force of the spring from the bottom "seat" of the assembly to the struct bracket and thus bolts, with the spring also pushing against the strut tower on top.

If so, once I managed to remove the seized bolt, wouldn't the whole thing kind of "explode" with violent force as the spring suddenly decompressed in an uncontrolled manner, and therefore wouldn't it be safer to secure a spring compressor to it just in case?

Or is this scenario not physically possible and I shouldn't worry about this?

 

[Mech Addict]

I don't think that is what's happening with the bolts being stuck. One way to check is to remove the three nuts holding the spring mount to the frame. Then the whole assembly, including the lower control arm, should be able to droop lower. The big single nut on top of the strut is what holds the spring in the strut; that's the one to keep in place until the compressor is used. If you remove the top three nuts, and the two bolts attaching strut to knuckle, and the brake line, then the entire strut assembly should come free. Then disassembly requires the compressors and something to hold the upper seat while turning the strut end locking nut (which is supposed to be a single-use type). You keep the spring compressed, and reinstall on the new strut. The FSM describes it pretty well. If you don't have the Factor Service Manual, there is a pdf copy available to download through the the Maintenance post in the Tech Forums on this site.

 

[XC92]

It was just a theory, that turned out to be wrong when I finally got the lower strut-knuckle bolt and nut off. I used a rotary tool with a cutting wheel. Once I cracked the nut the bolt came off with my impact wrench. Not sure why it seized since the threads were pretty clean. Anyway, it's off. I also managed to get the ball joint nut off, and the stabilizer link ball joints. I got one off with the rotary tool and the other with a mini hacksaw. I also had to chase the threads on the tie rod end castle nut. Nearly all the fasteners on the driver's side were bad in some way, but at least I'm putting all the tools I've acquired to good use, including a tap and die set I got a few months ago and wasn't sure I'd ever use.

I have the FSM. Bought it 15 years ago figuring someday I'd need it. I also have the PDF. But sometimes it's a bit unclear or leaves out steps. There's much that's implied in it, the thinking likely being that since it's meant to be used by experienced mechanics they'll be able to fill in the blanks on the universal stuff, like how to bleed brakes or unstuck seized parts. I'm not a mechanic so I need some help here and there. That's where you guys come in. Of course once I've figured something out, I try and pass it on to others. Anyway, nearly everything's off except the control arms and struts, and that's next. Then it's clean and paint the parts I'm reinstalling, ordering the parts I'm replacing, and putting it all back together.