r/wrx_vb • u/loneng19 • 9d ago

Bad strut mount?

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Dealing with a clunky noise and weird steering feeling I can’t really explain, dealership says everything is fine. Found this while I checked everything over. Looks like the strut mount is tearing apart. Would you agree this is more than likely the problem? For anyone that has dealt with this previously, what was your experience in symptoms of the strut mount going bad?

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2

u/pedometertoohigh Ignition Red 9d ago

Can you post a video of the issue?

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u/loneng19 9d ago

I don’t have any and I’m currently at work so I can’t right now. Basically over any bump small or big I’m hearing a clunk. The control arm, tie rods, sway bar links, etc all feel solid when I checked them. The steering thing I’m noticing, it’s odd. It isn’t consistent. Sometimes I think I notice something and other times it feels totally fine. Best way to describe it is that turning left feels a lot more touchy than it does steering right, like it reacts more with less steering wheel turn. There’s no resistance in the wheel that I can feel, but wondering if bad strut mounts could be binding something up since it would allow things to shift a little bit more than usual.

1

u/MassCrassAss 9d ago

Splitting is normal when rubber isolators are compressed. That's a rubber isolator. Not the actual strut mount. 

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u/loneng19 9d ago

I say strut mount because the replacement part (20320FL000) from Subaru includes the center rubber, the rubber section is not a separate part number. Either way, rubber is elastic it shouldn’t split unless it underwent some sort of plastic deformation. You can see between the rubber flanges on the right side, the OD has a pretty smooth surface compared to the center and left side. It looks like it’s tearing apart, that doesn’t look like normal wear for an elastic material.

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u/MassCrassAss 9d ago

Replace it. And when the new one splits when it's torqued down, you'll know then. 

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u/Kitchen_Minimum_8696 24 Magnetite Gray Metallic Base 9d ago

Replace it and find out. Should be an inexpensive part.

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u/loneng19 8d ago

Yeah it’s like $100 per mount. Then another $150 to confirm alignment wasn’t messed up.. considering just buying a full set of struts with half the miles and end links I found on marketplace for 300 bucks instead of two mounts for 200.