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General 500 top mounts & suspension

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General 500 top mounts & suspension

Hopefully this diagram helps you check you've got all the parts Screenshot_20200407-223422_Chrome.jpeg
 
Hi - I too have a 10 year old 500 with low mileage (24,500) and it sailed without any minors through it's MOT. However there were various "clonks" when hitting potholes or speed bumps so decided to replace the top mounts and also the struts. Got Bilstein struts and mounts from GSF, sorted out most of the noise and much improved ride. Agree with all comments about soaking nuts etc. beforehand.

However some lesser "clonks" remained so then replaced the drop links (£11.00 for a brand new, good quality, pair off a well-known internet site) - this removed the vast majority of the remaining "clonks".

However there is still an occasional "clonk" which I'm sure is now coming from the lower wishbones so will replace them, again for about £25 - £30 each if you shop around.

There are plastic covers available that stop water building up in the top cups - I use silicone around the rim of the plastic to ensure watertight seal as rust in these cups could lead to an MOT fail.

Hope this is useful to you!
 
Pugglt Auld Jock said:
Reference the wee wire spring clip which holds the brake pipe grommet to the strut. Both mine were seriously corroded so I temporarily secured them with cable ties whilst I sourced new ones:

Then I forgot about them! Still looking absolutely fine - MOT man not in the least worried.
Click to expand...

I'd suggest you keep forgetting about them.

Replacing those stupid spring clips with cable ties was one of the first things I did after I took delivery of mine when new, whilst they were still easily removeable.
 
jrkitching said:
I'd suggest you keep forgetting about them.

Replacing those stupid spring clips with cable ties was one of the first things I did after I took delivery of mine when new, whilst they were still easily removeable.
Click to expand...
After seeing how well they are doing I fully intend to JR. I noticed the other day that the ties I used to lace together the coax cables from my roof aerial and satellite dish - they run down the side of the house to a junction box and then along to the hole in the living room wall where they enter the house so there's quite a number of them - are just beginning to degrade enough that they've become brittle and you can snap them with your fingers if you get physical with them. They've been there for a good 15 years. So I'm not going to worry about the two on Felicity. Probably ought to renew the ones on the coax leads though before the bad weather comes. Oh dear, there's another "to do" to add to the list.
 
Ok so successfully replaced rear shocks n springs everything back as it should be & nice and tight!

Tried the front top mounts & so far as expected no joy they just keep spinning!!

Tried hex & torx in the top but doesn’t seem to be any groves for them to connect so just spins [emoji19]
Am I using the right tools? May need a ratchet that has the hole in the middle but not sure it would make a difference!
Any ideas??IMG_4996.JPGIMG_4997.JPGIMG_4998.JPGIMG_4999.JPGIMG_5002.JPGIMG_5004.JPG61600685303__BC482CED-BB98-4693-A26D-DD79FE860622.JPGView attachment 1
 
At a guess the Central hex is too rusted to allow your hex key to grip into it hence why it's now just spinning

If you fitted new shocks you should be able to attach a pair of molegrips the the shock shaft to stop it spinning around
 
Last edited:
chris3234 said:
At a guess the Central hex is too rusted to allow your hex key to grip into it hence why it's now just spinning

If you fitted new shocks you should be able to attach a pair of molegrips the the shock shaft to stop it spinning around
Click to expand...



What are mole grips Chris? Just looked on Halfords no joy!

Just been out in the car! The difference is clear just on the rears being done so you can imagine how eager I am to do the front!
 
John202020 said:
You can see why in my guide I drilled down the side of the(soft) nut to split it with a cold chisel ? Note the central shock rod is hardened it's very easy to snap the drill if it catches the threads, holding the top of the strut may also be an issue due to the hardening.
Click to expand...
A strip of heavy duty (fabric backed) Emery cloth in a course grit (maybe 80?) wrapped round the top of the damper rod (under the wing - you can get at it through the spring coils) - with the rough side towards the damper rod before you tighten the self locking grips, (Mole is a well known brand name of this type of grips) will let the grips get a better "bite" on the polished damper rod. These nuts can be very challenging, Good luck!
 
Pugglt Auld Jock said:
A strip of heavy duty (fabric backed) Emery cloth in a course grit (maybe 80?) wrapped round the top of the damper rod (under the wing - you can get at it through the spring coils) - with the rough side towards the damper rod before you tighten the self locking grips, (Mole is a well known brand name of this type of grips) will let the grips get a better "bite" on the polished damper rod. These nuts can be very challenging, Good luck!
Click to expand...



Thank you! Yeah I wasn’t looking forward to this bit ? all I can do is keep trying!
 
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