Compare the gland nut that was already on the car with the new one that came with the strut cartridge. If I'm thinking correctly the old one should be shorter. The threads may not be cut far enough into the tube to fully accomodate the new gland nut.

If that is the case you have your answer.

As far as fit goes, does the new cartridge seem to hang up when you install it in the tube? It should slide right in with no hang ups. You can tell if it bottoms out or not. When I installed TC's in my '89 several years ago I didn't experience any issues as mentioned by CineMan but others have. Like he suggested it may depend on the cartridge.

Once the insert fits completely in the tube run the gland nut on until it's snug. Maybe back it off and tighten a bit more but caution is the word. If I am right about the new gland nut being longer there's the possibility you could strip the threads. So please be careful.

Having accomplished that, is there any up and down movement of the cartridge? If so you will need to take up the slack. Like 42 stated, one or more flat washers can be used under the cartridge. I think you need an outside diameter around 1 5/8" but I can't remember. Measure across the bottom of the cartridge. Hopefully the fit will be snug enough without these. Just make sure there is no movement of the cartridge in the tube.

Now I must get up on the soapbox about something. Some people will have you believe that the top nut that fastens the damper to the strut mount requires a lot of torque. I do not subscribe to this. I believe 15-25 lb ft is plenty. It's a self locking nut and it will turn with the bearing in the mount. It is not going to come loose. In my experience if you see about 12-13 threads above the nut, you're good. If, for some reason, there is a bit of clearance under the nut I would use a washer to eliminate it. The excessive torque value recommended by some people (as much as 100 lb ft) is overkill and will make it difficult to remove the nut later. I, and some others, find this to be unnecessary. All you need to do is secure the rod to the bearing.


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'80 DL 2 door, '89 DL Wagon