New Rear strut and mount - defective mount or missing kit?

[milty60]

I replaced both rear struts in my son's car about a month ago - bought new struts and mounts from RockAuto, I pulled the struts and brought to a local car shop to pull apart and install coil spring on new strut/mount. I don't recall any install kit included with new struts or mounts.  Only thought is was a washer or cap or something suppose to of been pulled from old strut. 

 

So here's whats happened - last week my son heard a knocking noises from the back of the car - I pulled the cap off the strut in the trunk and the strut rod and nut move up and down and extend above the mount by at least an inch when the car is rocked on the passenger rear side - the driver rear side is quiet and the rod/nut barely sits above the mount. I took the "bad" strut/mount out and brought back to the car shop that assembled it. I said I think I bought a defective mount but they were not so sure. They thought a washer or two or cap shaped washer was missing or not pulled from the original strut. They tried to fashion assumed missing parts from stuff in the shop but when washers etc are placed on the rod not enough rod length was left once threaded portion was covered by mount to tighten nut - so mechanic, shop owner and I assumed mount was bad although its hard to logically understand how mount works - it has what looks like a sleeve that fits around the strut rod that is surrounded molded into the rubber mount -  it seems it would bounce up and down in the mount and break the sleeve away from the rubber mount after hitting enough bumps - thats why we thought some kind of washers or metal caps should sit on the lip on the rod inside the bottom of the mount and then a washer on top of the sleeve on top of the mount before the nut goes on. Again the left side is working fine to this point - I'm just thinking in enough time both sleeves will eventually break away from the mount.

 

Any thoughts? Are some mounting parts missing? Or is the strut/mount constructed by design? 

 

Thanks, 

 

Milty

[Fairtax4me]

No washers on the rears. The strut shaft goes through the center and a flanged lock nut goes on top.

If the sleeve in the center broke its because the mounts are crap and should be tossed out.

If you still have you old used mounts re-use those. Or buy new KYB.

[idosubaru]

Found it:

bought new struts and mounts from RockAuto

 

There's your mistake. Aftermarket top mounts are awful. 

 

If you still have you old used mounts re-use those. Or buy new KYB.

 

+1.  That's what you want to do. 

[milty60]

Thanks for the tips - if either mount goes again I'll get better quality - the originals were shot.

 

...Milty  

[heartless]

highly recommend the KYB mounts. very nice units - bought complete set of 4 for my 95 Legacy