How do you remove the cover without breaking it? Do you just hook something under the lip and pull up, or is there a fastener on the underside that has to be unscrewed first? Don't want to break it 'cause I'm sure I'd never find a replacement easily.

Nope, I don't have the buttons on the console for ride adjustment, just shift points and TC off.

Until the nut grabs? What, was yours backed off all the way? Yeesh.

The plastic cover should be easily removed by had, it'* fairly soft actually, and the nut is had to get fully tight because the shaft that it threads onto is actually the shaft that runs inside the strut. so the whole shaft tends to try and spin on you, you could see this if you tried to tighten it with, say a ratchet instead of the impact gun, it would just keep spinning.

Oh, gotcha.

So I pop off the plastic cover and there'* the top of the strut. Am I going to see obvious looseness while the car is sitting on its wheels (e.g. I try rocking the car from side-to-side, or turning the steering wheel), or am I going to need to jack up the nose so the front wheels are hanging and the suspension is unloaded?

(I know a lot of this may be obvious when I just go ahead and do it, but I won't be able to get to the car until tonight, and that point I won't have Internet access again until tomorrow, so...)

I grabbed the top of the fender inside the hood and got the car going up and down pretty good before I could see the play in the top of the tower, it'* had to simulate the harsh impacts of daily driving, but if your strong enough you can really get her bouncing (hydraulics anyone?) and you will see and hear it move in there.

I'll check it out as soon as I can, thanks.

Had a new distraction this morning: the brake warning light and ding-ding-ding chime went on all of a sudden, while I'm just cruising along @ 40 mph. I've had a slow fluid leak somewhere for a long time and would just top up the reservoir whenever I remembered to, but usually didn't get a warning light about it, so wherever it'* leaking, it'* now leaking quicker.

I wonder if it'* at the front left wheel, since the empty strut has been allowing it to get slammed around anyway. Sigh...

Come to think of it, the seal between the master cylinder and the vacuum booster was showing a slow leak there. If that'* my problem, maybe the car'* been snorking up the leak through the vacuum lines...? That might explain why I'm not finding puddles anywhere.

Okay, I had a chance to check out mine again last night, while I was under the hood refilling the master cylinder _again_, but that'* a whole 'nother headache.

Got the dust cap off the top of the left strut and everything looks pretty clean, dry and tight. The thick rubber bushing in there looks solid. I know the strut itself is bad, sounds like it'* partially empty (makes gurgling noises when I bounce the car), but right now I'm trying to track down the heavy clunking noises.

The main nut is 24mm, and seems to be solid. I got the car bouncing really hard on the left corner while resting my fingers in various spots around the top of the strut, and nothing seems to be shifting or loose. I can't feel anything moving more than maybe a millimeter, where the rubber bushing is, but when I got the car bouncing in a major way, I _did_ hear something clanking a little bit down at the bottom, like maybe a sway-bar link bolt. It wasn't an empty-tin-can noise; it was something heavier.

It was just me in the garage last night so I'll need to get someone else in to bounce the car while I check underneath. This weekend I'll get a chance to put it up on ramps, too...

lemme know what you guys find... i have a 97 SSE... really bad clunnkin on left turns along with hard rights..... my steering wheel has some play in it before responding around center too... i nailed a pothole, dont think suspension is damaged... any ideas???

jerseykid686-

I chased a clunk on left-hand turns and left-hand back-ups for over a year. If you research you will find MANY of my posts on this topic. Some of them are noted above. Finally found a bad driver'* side wheel bearing. Bearing was only 1 yr. old too!

Funny thing is once I replaced the bearing assy. my ABS started working again. I NEVER related the two problems. Man, was that a surprise. OF COURSE I FOUND THE CURE AFTER A NEW RACK AND STRUTS. LIVE AND LEARN!

Mine finally turned out to be dried-out bushings on the antisway bar link bolts, which were allowing the bar to bang around on bumpy roads. After I replaced the old link bolts with a new Moog set, everything was nice and tight and the clanking completely disappeared. I still have a leaky left-side strut, but now that the bar is solidly connected again, some of the load is transferred over to the still-functioning right-side strut.

Full details on the replacement are at http://www.bonnevilleclub.com/forum/...pic.php?t=5791