Did I install rear struts incorrectly?

[Thomas]

2009 honda elment. I installed the struts and lowered the jack then torqued all bolts with full weight of vehicle on them. Now the shock bushings are looking disfigured. I know for sure i put the right shock on the right side and the left on the left lol. Either way i turned them it seemed to fit perfectly and let the bottom bolt go through with easy. If the right side gets off the ground cause of a speed bump it will sound like metal on metal. It makes the sound with or without the sway bar as a test. Any help would be nice.

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[Todd Smith]

Any chance we could see some pictures?

[Thomas]

I should be able to get pictures this weekend. Just got a new phone that is not activated yet and I will have to take pictures with the phone. I mounted them like the ones that were on there, I just don’t get it. If they fail somehow I might just buy another set and let a shop do it and see what they do.

[Thomas]

Is the blue mark supposed to inside or outside or is it decoration? lol

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[Todd Smith]

The blue mark is probably just a reference point for the strut assembler. All that looks right.

[Thomas]

I tried to speak with someone at the Honda dealer and got someone I believe to be clueless. He said that you leave the suspension hanging while you torque the bolts. He also said that the blue marks should face toward Vehicle. I wish I could ask Eric what he thinks. The metal on metal sound is louder now but I don’t see anything wrong.

[Todd Smith]

Yeah, I don’t agree with that guy. First off, the rear struts are symmetrical! Blue paint mark or not, rotating them 180 degrees is the same as rotating them 360 degrees. Its just plain math, not sure what else to tell him. Second of all, and I’m sure you know this, bushings that rotate within that which they are mounted, must be torqued at load. Unless you don’t like the bushing, then you could torque it unloaded and watch it fail sooner. I guess that’s just installer preference….
Anyway, if I were in your shoes, I’d be putting a jack stand under the control arm to hold the car up. Get a few friends to hop in the back, to “simulate” the suspension’s upward travel as it “hits a speed bump” and then rotate the wheel by hand. You should be able to spot the problem that way.

[Thomas]

The last thing I tried was to check the top of the strut mount. The driver side mount seems perfectly centered but the passenger side looks shifted a few centimeters. I Don’t think that should cause the metal on metal sound but I will try to find someone to help. With just me jumping on the back I can’t get the sound.

[Thomas]

Whatever it was has stopped. Bushings are not getting any worse. Struts have a lifetime warranty.

[Author]

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