My 98 OBW driver side strut bearing (top hat) has developed creak and croke noise, especially when turning the steering wheel when barely moving. It is prolly OEM original strut, so I guess it is entitled to a bit of play to make noise. I don't experience any looseness in the steering or suspension, so I don't think it is worth a tear down to replace the strut bearing and strut. Question is........Is there any way to lube the top hat to eliminate the noise?

Do you mean the strut mount?

easy - get a needle fitting which are at any auto parts store and costs a couple dollars and fit on any grease gun. inject some grease down into the bearings. noise gradually goes away and is completely gone in a week or two. they're just dried out, no need to replace.

 

i believe there are some "spray in" style greases too - you spray it in and then it coagulates into actual grease, but i've never seen it for sale in a store.

Thanks for the responses. Yes, it is the strut mount at the top of the strut tower. Is there access under the hood to inject grease with a needle fitting? I remember white lithium grease in an aerosol can with a narrow soda straw wand attachment. Will that work?

Under the hood? The engine hood?

Under the hood? The engine hood?

 

 

Thanks.........Larry (Rooster2)

i've seen a couple different styles sort of - not sure what yours will look like. but yeah, pop hood and there's the strut tops, might be a small plug/cap to pry off to see the bearings. get grease down in there. have a look first and then decide which way you want to go. it took me like a minute, it's really easy.

i've seen a couple different styles sort of - not sure what yours will look like. but yeah, pop hood and there's the strut tops, might be a small plug/cap to pry off to see the bearings. get grease down in there. have a look first and then decide which way you want to go. it took me like a minute, it's really easy.

 

Thanks for the advise, I will give it a try! Larry (Rooster2)