190 front passenger strut busted, safety?
 

Hi folks,

I have an internally broken passenger front strut, and by broken I mean you can twist the nut and bracket clockwise/counter clockwise easily, and a 1-yr old stut mount is starting to tear because of the extra play...is it safe to drive?

I'd like to defer new front struts until the fall.

But by virtue of the twistable nature of the top bolt and attached arm, I don't run the risk of it popping through the hood do I? I know handling and stress on other components is affected but I was wondering if I can get a few hundred out of it or fix ASAP !!

TIA!
Mike/'93 190E

The strut mount will restrain the strut from coming through the hood. If your mount is tearing, you've got another issue to deal with....

Jim

I'm either missing something or isn't it supposed to rotate to allow you to steer the car?

No it doesn't twist, it's quite stationary. If a mount fails, the arm would release and could poke a hole through the hood.

My theory is if the nut/braket over the mount twists like a dial (and squeaks), that the strut is broken internally, pressure has been released and it' can't do any damage.

So does twistability=pressure release?

I'm trying to decide how long I can defer repair; I don't drive it much.

mike

If you don't drive it ever again, it doesn't need to be serviced. Seriously, being the attachment point for the load bearing strut in the front suspension, it is a life safety issue.

OK, bigger picture seen..The nut on top of the strut is tight, when you steer the motion is in the upper strut mount, tearing it up, because the strut piston cannot rotate in the strut body, Correct? If so, its new strut time, including a new upper mount, NOW. I don't think no motion necessarily equates to no pressure.

Thanks for the replies. It's definitely an ASAP sort of situation, regardless of forecasted miles.