How to Inspect your Front Suspension

[Rob@WretchedMS]

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G8 Suspension Check & Alignment Tips


To Check the forward most Ball Joint in the Radius Arm

1. Raise the car, allowing the wheels to hang.
2. Grab the tire and try to move it front to rear
3. look/feel for play in the forward ball joint while doing this.

To Check the rear most Ball Joint in the Control Arm

1. Raise the car, allowing the wheels to hang
2. On the drivers side place your left hand on the inside of the tire at 7 or 8 oclock, and your right hand on the outside of the tire in the same place
3. push and pull towards the center line of the car, while looking/feeling for play.

To check the Strut Mounts

1. With the car on the ground,
2. open the hood,
3. Remove the 24mm nut on top of the strut tower
4. Remove the retainer plate
5. You can now see the top nut and washer over the strut mount
6. Do Not remove that nut,
7. Look for tearing of the strut mount
8. Using the 24mm socket on a breaker bar, try to turn the nut clockwise about 45-90 degrees.
9. It should spring back to the spot that you started at
10. while you have it under pressure, look for tearing/cracking of the mount rubber.
11. if you have tearing or cracking, or if the breaker bar doesn't return to the starting position replace the mount and bearing.
12. Also look to see that the top washer (cup shaped) over the mount is centered in the strut tower hole, and that there is no marks from it contacting the Strut Tower. If it is you either have a bad mount or the upper spring plate is indexed incorrectly and needs to be turned to point the W notch to the inside.

Check the Swaybar Links

1. Raise the car and allow the wheels to hang, or drive up on ramps or a lift.
2. the wheels must be straight.
3. Grab the swaybar where the end link bolts to it,
4. force it up and down
5. it should feel tight and no clunking or noise.

Checking the Tie Rods

1. Raise the car, allowing the wheels to hang.
2. Grab the tire at 3 and 9 oclock, it should feel tight, if you feel clunking or looseness check the tie rods (sometimes you will feel the control arm ball joint too if it's bad)

Checking the Strut Mount Bearing

1. With the car on the ground,
2. open the hood,
3. have someone start the car in park with the ebrake on
4. place your hand on the retainer plate on the strut tower
5. have the other person move the steering wheel left to right,
6. It should feel smooth with no shuddering or binding, if it's not it's likely bad
7. if you can see the tire move left to right, and the retainer plate doesn't move, it's likely bad

Camaro-G8_Alignment_Techsheet.pdf
Camaro-G8_Bushing Timing-1.pdf

[Steve]

Great info Rob!

[Doug Hilliard]

Thank you Rob; just used this to check my front LCA's - all good!

[Panzer Leader]

Thanks Rob....... The most clear and concise checklist on the front suspension yet...... It would be great to have something like this for the rear and for the drive system... great post!!!

[Tuclis]

Id likely say this should be a sticky thread...

[G8marineguy]

Thank ya Rob. Saved me a bunch of money for diagnosing and labor sir.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337

[silver6.0L]

Good info.

[Rob@WretchedMS]

Glad I could help

[I12XLR8]

I think my LCA's are going and knew this would be the place to come for info. It's good to see some familiar names too!


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[Rob@WretchedMS]

updated with PDF Links