1G Blown Rear Strut Seat?

[brewcrewfan28]

Good morning! I was driving home from on a Friday afternoon, and all of a sudden I started hearing this terrible rattling noise coming from the rear of the car. I made it home, and upon inspection, I found that the strut sticking up through the wheel well into the trunk area of my Eclipse. A quick search on the internet revealed that this appears to be a blown strut mount, or seat.

So, I'm coming here hoping to confirm that's what I am looking at. Would this repair be as "simple" as replacing the mount / seat that went bad, or do I need to plan on replacing the struts as well?

Added context - the person that I purchased this vehicle from put Evo wheels on it, which are too wide and were rubbing / peeling on the outsides when I would go over a bump. I installed some coil spring spacers on all 4 wheels to raise the height by about 2" and it alleviated that issue. However, if I do need to replace the struts, I'd like to get something that would raise the height of the car without the spacers. Does anyone have recommendations for a product that would accomplish this?

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[BLACK'98DSM]

There is supposed to be a washer on the top and bottom. I only see the washer on top and you appear to be missing the lower washer. If your strut isn't damaged, you may just be able to add the washer.

 

[steve]

Assuming it is a 1G AWD.

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[19Eclipse90]

The cup is what retains the shaft and prevents it from popping through the spring pad and bracket assembly. If the cup is not there, worn through, or the shaft sheared through the cup, or improper assembly to begin with, that’s how this might have occurred.

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[brewcrewfan28]

There is supposed to be a washer on the top and bottom. I only see the washer on top and you appear to be missing the lower washer. If your strut isn't damaged, you may just be able to add the washer.

Added a couple additional photos. There is the washer on top of the bushing but definitely not one underneath it.

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The cup is what retains the shaft and prevents it from popping through the spring pad and bracket assembly. If the cup is not there, worn through, or the shaft sheared through the cup, or improper assembly to begin with, that’s how this might have occurred.

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Would I have to remove the assembly to verify whether or not this cup is in place? Not sure if it's visible from above, or in any of the pictures I posted?

Assuming it is a 1G AWD.

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It's a 1G GST with FWD, would this setup differ much though?

 

[19Eclipse90]

It looks like the cup is not there, as the shock’s shaft has the collar that the cup should sit on showing in your last couple pictures, so the shock should be okay to reuse, from that standpoint.

AWD and FWD are similar in this regard:

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The assembly needs to come out to either install a cup or replace it if you find one is actually there. This picture shows the cup sitting as far down on the shock’s shaft, relative to the threaded end, as it should be able to go:

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The good news is rear shock assembly removal for a FWD is very straightforward, I’d even dare to say “easy”. It can be done without a spring compressor and should not take longer than 2-3 hours from start to finish for a first timer, assuming you have all the tools, and that you’ve turned a wrench before in your life.

 

[brewcrewfan28]

It looks like the cup is not there, as the shock’s shaft has the collar that the cup should sit on showing in your last couple pictures, so the shock should be okay to reuse, from that standpoint.

AWD and FWD are similar in this regard:

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The assembly needs to come out to either install a cup or replace it if you find one is actually there. This picture shows the cup sitting as far down on the shock’s shaft, relative to the threaded end, as it should be able to go:

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The good news is rear shock assembly removal for a FWD is very straightforward, I’d even dare to say “easy”. It can be done without a spring compressor and should not take longer than 2-3 hours from start to finish for a first timer, assuming you have all the tools, and that you’ve turned a wrench before in your life.

This is awesome! Thank you so much! Feels weird that I put about 400 miles on the car before this issue popped up but I'm glad to know it shouldn't take much more than elbow grease to resolve.

Any idea if just the cup can be purchased?

 

[19Eclipse90]

Should be able to just buy the cup, part number is MB388614. Finding somewhere that has it in stock may be another challenge. I’m not seeing that it’s discontinued, so that is reassuring.

You may try reaching out to one of our supporting vendors, JNZTuning or ExtremePSI, for example.

 

[brewcrewfan28]

Should be able to just buy the cup, part number is MB388614. Finding somewhere that has it in stock may be another challenge. I’m not seeing that it’s discontinued, so that is reassuring.

You may try reaching out to one of our supporting vendors, JNZTuning or ExtremePSI, for example.

1989-2012 Mitsubishi Cup MB338614 | OEM Parts Online

1989-2012 Mitsubishi Cup MB338614

mitsubishi.oempartsonline.com

Looks like this should be the correct part?

 

[19Eclipse90]

Yup, seems to be.