Quote:
Originally Posted by LivNLearn
Here's a picture, couldn't upload the video. The strut is actually compressing very easily for an inch or so between the green lines that I added to the picture. It's like there's no preload. Is this just a worn out strut or does the adaptive strut have this much "play"? I've never seen one with this much play before dampening occurs and I've checked a fair amount of them out. Was a mechanic in a previous life. If it were off of the car and you stood it upright I think you'd be able to easily depress the piston by hand an inch or so. With these being electronically controlled do they have the same preload that a gas-charged strut would have?
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Something is not right. The spring should be in contact with the lower spring seat on the strut. It doesn’t contact the full circumference because it’s the end of a coil spring but it’s in contact with roughly 1/2 the circumference - I can’t even see where they’re in contact in your picture.
The adaptive struts/shocks are a conventional monotube gas charged damper with an electromechanically controlled valve stack on the piston. Except for the electromechanical valve actuation, the edc damper works just like any other monotube damper. For the front strut, the spring will be preloaded/compressed between the top strut mount and the strut lower spring seat. There should be zero play in the axial direction between the spring and the strut piston rod. If you can move the strut body any distance without the piston rod immediately moving the same amount then it suggests either the strut is blown or the top mount has failed. Does it do this on both front struts or just one side?