well, I followed everyone's advise and got myself some Strange adjustable shocks and maximum motorsports cc plates. I got the upper and lower spring isolators as well.
Ever since the replacement, when I go over bumps in the road, I get an annoying clicking sound from my front suspension. At first I missed the isolators, noticed the sound, and I got them installed. But the noise is still there.
I read on maximum motorsports that they sell the urethane bumpstops for the front struts. I went and checked and it looks like there are bumpstops there. I can feel them above the strut and right against the strut tower. Any ideas? Its driving me nuts.
I just installed lowering springs (Ford Racing B) and maximum motorsports C/C plates and I am getting the same thing. I had two different sets of springs on already and two different sets of shocks previous to installing the current springs and C/C plates.
Is it something with the C/C plates? Everthing is tight.
I would double-check how the plates were installed, and that the springs are seated properly (there is a place where the tail end of the spring should rest).
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tripleblack
"You can never be free until you let yourself go."
Did the spacers get installed for the C/C plates. There should be spacers if you used the stock length shocks. If you didn't use the spacers, you will have extra travel which will cause that. I will find a picture of my C/C plates installed to show you the spacers I am talking about.
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"Ignore that whistle, it's just a vacuum leak."
2000 Mustang GT:
Saleen Series IV Twin Screw, Chicane I/C, AFCO Extreme H/E, 2.8" pulley, FMS 42# injectors, Dual Catted 2 1/2" UPR X Pipe, UPR LCAs/UCAs, 2 1/2" Flowmaster American Thunder kit, 90mm LMAF, 112" Goodyear Gatorback, Kenne Bell BAP, Mosaleen idler, T-56, Detroit TrueTrac w/ 373s, Demolet 100mm CAI, SCT XCal2 with JDM Engineering 93 Octane "Race" tune.
You can see the spacers make the strut arms sit where they used to when the car was at its normal height. If you get shorter struts/shocks you can remove these spacers.
__________________
"Ignore that whistle, it's just a vacuum leak."
2000 Mustang GT:
Saleen Series IV Twin Screw, Chicane I/C, AFCO Extreme H/E, 2.8" pulley, FMS 42# injectors, Dual Catted 2 1/2" UPR X Pipe, UPR LCAs/UCAs, 2 1/2" Flowmaster American Thunder kit, 90mm LMAF, 112" Goodyear Gatorback, Kenne Bell BAP, Mosaleen idler, T-56, Detroit TrueTrac w/ 373s, Demolet 100mm CAI, SCT XCal2 with JDM Engineering 93 Octane "Race" tune.
You can see the spacers make the strut arms sit where they used to when the car was at its normal height. If you get shorter struts/shocks you can remove these spacers.
LOL, ok, so much for my subtle hints!
I consider this a likely scenario, grn 00. Good guess, even if it turns out to be some other thing.
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tripleblack
"You can never be free until you let yourself go."
I consider this a likely scenario, grn 00. Good guess, even if it turns out to be some other thing.
What did the issue for the OP end up being? When I bought my C/C plates used, the seller forgot to mention the spacers and it wasn't until I had the exact issue the OP mentioned that I asked him for them and I installed them.
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"Ignore that whistle, it's just a vacuum leak."
2000 Mustang GT:
Saleen Series IV Twin Screw, Chicane I/C, AFCO Extreme H/E, 2.8" pulley, FMS 42# injectors, Dual Catted 2 1/2" UPR X Pipe, UPR LCAs/UCAs, 2 1/2" Flowmaster American Thunder kit, 90mm LMAF, 112" Goodyear Gatorback, Kenne Bell BAP, Mosaleen idler, T-56, Detroit TrueTrac w/ 373s, Demolet 100mm CAI, SCT XCal2 with JDM Engineering 93 Octane "Race" tune.
The OP hasn't signed back on with the news yet. Maybe he is out there swapping the spacers as we speak.
That was the reason I was asking who did the install - I figured they needed to re-check their setups.
My car uses the uglier (but stronger) Steeda chrome moly steel plates (I had an idea when I installed them of doing a lot of laps around Road Atlanta). I love how I can setup the car for handling when I want to.
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tripleblack
"You can never be free until you let yourself go."
I installed the springs and C/C plates myself (didn't trust anyone else as the last springs were not installed correctly). Springs have new OEM rubber insulators top and bottom. End of pigtails sit between two holes in spring perch. C/C plates installed as per mfg. instructions, with spacers installed as per mfg recommendations.
However, this noise is before I've been in to have the front end aligned (it's still winter here in WI and this is a no-salt car) and the noise is based on going back and forth over bumps on the frozen driveway and into the garage. I set the strut tops to the same dimensions as before the lowering based on distance measurements from the firewall and fender.
Perhaps it's just the springs needing to settle in, but it sounds to me like metal on metal transferring up into the cabin (strut is tight too, top and bottom). I was wondering if the MM C/C plates transfer that much sound up into the cabin, as they do not have rubber bushings/mountings anywhere to dampen the transfer of sound?
It sounds like the struts on a Ford Explorer, if you know what I mean.
I recently installed MM caster/camber plates(along with springs, struts, etc) in my 02 GT and have had no clicking or other noises, fortunately. Maybe you could block the frontend of the car up under the Kmember and use a flloor jack under the tires to raise and lower the suspension, and try to locate the source of the noise that way. Don't twist the body of the car too much and be careful! Nag nag nag.
I suggest that you call MM and ask them if the Strange struts are a snug fit in the bearing. I have read other posts where there is a tiny amount of clearance between the strut rod and the bearing and the rod will "click" against the bearing. [**edit: If you have the tools, you can measure the ID of the bearing and the OD of the rod and check if a gap is present. **end of edit] Not flaming Strange (they make good struts) but it is something to look at. Last thing I can suggest is to tighten up the retaining nut. I'm not talking about using a 3/4" impact driver, just good and snug. My Bilstein struts clicked a little when I first installed them and I found that the retaining nuts needed to be tightened more than the recommended torque.
HTH,
Chris
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* 98 GT w/4R70W, black/grey
Comp Cams XE268H's, PI intake (Livernois kit), MAC CAI, Accufab 75 mm TB & plenum, Steeda pulleys, SCT ProRacer tuning, Steeda springs, MM c/c, FRPP 3.73 gears, SVO girdle, Denny's Driveshafts 3" HD d/s, J-mod, FRPP trans cooler, VRS catted X, MagnaFlow exhaust, Hawk HPS pads, OEM Cobra headlights, fog & tail light re-wire, some other stuff…
I'm actually the second poster on this thread (the OP was a couple of years back, I found it using the search function). I actually have Monroe struts on, but that is an excellant thought. Now I wonder if the spacers need to be oriented a certain way. I don't remember in the instructions, or in my looking at the spacers, anything that indicated they were directional (chamfered, etc.). But the sound could be the strut banging on the spacers/bearing. I did however check the tightness of the nut before I responded to the original post.
It's easy enough to take the mount apart and check the spacers to see so I'll do that. I'm sure it's something in the install somewhere as the MM seems to be a high quality unit. I'll just have to track it down. It could be as simple as the strut settling in to the spacers/bearing and then the nut needing a little tightening. Thanks to all for your ideas.
FYI - I checked the top spacers (the car is tucked against the wall for a winter nap and the battery is dead so I'll have to inspect the bottom spacer later when I can get the car up on a jack) and I found that the short spacer is definitely beveled on one end. I'm pretty sure that the strut shaft was beveled at the top also. I may not have noticed this when installing but it would reason that I should have installed the short spacer bevel down on top of the strut shaft. The directions don't mention this bevel and actually show the taller spacer which is not beveled, below the short one on the bottom side of the bearing for my setup. At any rate, I'll call MM and see if this is the case. Hopefully that's all it will take. Regardless, if everything is drawn up tight between the top nut and the strut shaft I wouldn't think it would matter, but it would definitely be a "point" load on the strut/spacer mating point, rather than the male and female bevel mating correctly.
Just for others information, I called MM about the noise. They said there should not be any noise when installed correctly and suggested:
1) Did I install the spacers as instructed (yes)
2) Did I do the final tightening of the strut with the weight of the car on the wheels (yes).
3) Did I tighten the nut securely. (yes, as tight as I could with a wrench and a breaker bar in the slot on the strut rod).
They said that they recommend using an air impact (nyuk98gt, you were pretty close!) for tightening the struts like that as they said the tolerances of the spacers can create some play if not tight enough. They need to be real tight or those little clearances can cause that sound. They said not to over-do it, but the air impact should suck it up tight enough to eliminate the problem.
I still have to do this to make sure that's it, but again, just wanted to share the suggestions.
clicking sound after new front shocks / cc plates 
that the short spacer is definitely beveled on one end. I'm pretty sure that the strut shaft was beveled at the top also. I may not have noticed this when installing 
but it would reason that I should have installed the short spacer bevel down on top of the strut shaft. The directions don't mention this bevel and actually show the taller spacer which is not beveled, below the short one on the bottom side of the bearing for my setup. At any rate, I'll call MM and see if this is the case. Hopefully that's all it will take. Regardless, if everything is drawn up tight between the top nut and the strut shaft I wouldn't think it would matter, but it would definitely be a "point" load on the strut/spacer mating point, rather than the male and female bevel mating correctly.
