2001 olds alero 3.4 project

[dream on mcss]

Are you positive it's actually the strut? It's likely that you are hearing swaybar bushings or end links.

It was the strut. I swapped em yesterday and went for a drive today, now the noise is coming from the left side.

 

[dream on mcss]

so i figured out what was causing the problem with the strut. the top bolt was loose that holds the whole damn thing together and the thing was rattling around in the retainer! how do i tighten this down, because when i turn the nut the whole strut rotates around.

 

[DRIVEN]

If you have room or if the strut is out of the car you can use an impact gun. Just momentarily hit the trigger repeatedly until it's tight. If you don't have an impact you can grab the shaft below the top plate. Since the strut never fully compresses you can grab the shaft at the very top with some vice grips or pliers without worrying about seal damage. Just make sure it's as high as possible where you grab it.

 

[dream on mcss]

If you have room or if the strut is out of the car you can use an impact gun. Just momentarily hit the trigger repeatedly until it's tight. If you don't have an impact you can grab the shaft below the top plate. Since the strut never fully compresses you can grab the shaft at the very top with some vice grips or pliers without worrying about seal damage. Just make sure it's as high as possible where you grab it.

well id have to take the thing out. i tried using a bigass pair of channel locks on the top but the damn coil and boot got in the way lol.