Hey Guys,
Have done as suggested & poured a little LHM through the holes at top of strut (each strut has one hole open anyway, is that I normal?)
Two questions. What's best, LHM, WD40 or 3in1? (have read LHM & 3in1 here & WD40 from Citroen specilaist... And does it matter what height setting car is at?
cheers
Lubing front struts
While LHM is good for its intended purpose its useless for general lubrication purposes.
I tried grease (awkward and messy to apply) and various other things like engine oil (which I keep in pump type oil can) but found 3 in 1 (which I used for convenience when a strut got very stiff when I was on holiday) seemed to last longest.
WD40 may be good temporarily but even one of its cousins claiming to have added teflon didn't last long nor did a silicon spray.
The best cure was a new pair of struts which gave a much better ride than lubricated old ones.
I tried grease (awkward and messy to apply) and various other things like engine oil (which I keep in pump type oil can) but found 3 in 1 (which I used for convenience when a strut got very stiff when I was on holiday) seemed to last longest.
WD40 may be good temporarily but even one of its cousins claiming to have added teflon didn't last long nor did a silicon spray.
The best cure was a new pair of struts which gave a much better ride than lubricated old ones.
This one goes back a long way.
Over here we don't have the strut problems you guys have due to us rarely getting water on the road let alone salted snow, so what works permanent for us doesn't always work as long over there yet a few have reckoned it does.
The small hole at the top of the strut is simply a hole through the top mount retainer on the gator and relies on fluids travelling hopefully along the right path to get there.
As Jeremy says, LHM is a great hydraulic fluid; hopeless lubricant. Water would be almost as effective.
To do it properly, firstly set the suspension on high, jack the car up and take off one of the front road wheels. Use an axle stand just to be safe then, grab the gator and pull it downwards wriggling it as you do. What appears as a plug in the mount on the opposite side to the hole you talked about dribbling LHM through, is in fact part of the gator also and can be pushed back into the top mount to help release it. The gator will pull down to the bottom of the silver part.
I then spray WD40 over the silver section and wipe off with a clean rag; that just gets rid of any scum build up on the stainless steel section. My preferred option is then silicone grease over the silver section. Then take the two return lines off where they connect onto 2 metal pipes attached to the subframe again whilst the wheel is off. Pour some LHM into a small coffee bottle and dip the two hoses into this LHM. Run the suspension adjustment up and down a couple of times; you'll see the level fall, then rise as you do. If there still seems to be some binding, repeat the dose until it comes smooth. This is using the LHM to again rid the internals of scum rather than lubricating them. Normal grease will work in place of silicone grease incidentally. I have also heard it suggested that a rag wet with engine oil and wrapped around the silver section of the strut to act as a wick is also successful, however, whichever is used, when it feels right, push the gator back up into position and carefully ping the two retaining lugs back into position in the upper mount.
Refit road wheel and repeat the procedure on the opposite side.
I do mine every 2 or 3 years and have no problems between times.
Alan S
Over here we don't have the strut problems you guys have due to us rarely getting water on the road let alone salted snow, so what works permanent for us doesn't always work as long over there yet a few have reckoned it does.
The small hole at the top of the strut is simply a hole through the top mount retainer on the gator and relies on fluids travelling hopefully along the right path to get there.
As Jeremy says, LHM is a great hydraulic fluid; hopeless lubricant. Water would be almost as effective.
To do it properly, firstly set the suspension on high, jack the car up and take off one of the front road wheels. Use an axle stand just to be safe then, grab the gator and pull it downwards wriggling it as you do. What appears as a plug in the mount on the opposite side to the hole you talked about dribbling LHM through, is in fact part of the gator also and can be pushed back into the top mount to help release it. The gator will pull down to the bottom of the silver part.
I then spray WD40 over the silver section and wipe off with a clean rag; that just gets rid of any scum build up on the stainless steel section. My preferred option is then silicone grease over the silver section. Then take the two return lines off where they connect onto 2 metal pipes attached to the subframe again whilst the wheel is off. Pour some LHM into a small coffee bottle and dip the two hoses into this LHM. Run the suspension adjustment up and down a couple of times; you'll see the level fall, then rise as you do. If there still seems to be some binding, repeat the dose until it comes smooth. This is using the LHM to again rid the internals of scum rather than lubricating them. Normal grease will work in place of silicone grease incidentally. I have also heard it suggested that a rag wet with engine oil and wrapped around the silver section of the strut to act as a wick is also successful, however, whichever is used, when it feels right, push the gator back up into position and carefully ping the two retaining lugs back into position in the upper mount.
Refit road wheel and repeat the procedure on the opposite side.
I do mine every 2 or 3 years and have no problems between times.
Alan S
By the time you're old enough to know it all, you can't remember why you were learning.
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stuart_hedges
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