Strut mounts are not lining up

XNOTCH

MEMBER
2003 HONDA ACCORD
2.4L
4 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
172,000 MILES

Hi, my passenger strut wasn’t lining up. So I compared the strut mount to the old one and saw that they aren’t in the same placement. I tried looking this up but only got information on other Honda vehicles hinting that a strut mount can be rotated without compressing the springs by securing the top to the car and rotating the strut from the bottom, into the right position. Is this possible for 2003 Honda Accord Struts?

1 Reply

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,873 POSTS

If you're referring to the front strut, both sides use the same upper mount. Those must be free to rotate so you can steer the car. Once everything is assembled, just grab that mount and spin it by hand if you want to turn it. If it's already close, you can bolt it to the inner strut tower, then turn the spring and strut body by hand if necessary. It can take some effort to rotate the mount, but it can be done by hand.

If this is a rear strut, the lower end of the coil spring sits in a pocket on the lower plate to index it, then the upper mount and rubber isolator also line up with the upper end of the coil spring. That sets the upper mount in the correct position for installation.