I am going to replace the front suspension legs can anyone tell me how the top of the leg is attached to the body, it appears to have no bolted on attachment to the car.
Technical Fiat 500 1.2 Suspension Leg
- Thread starter sammy19
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Technical Fiat 500 1.2 Suspension Leg
The front suspension strut isn't bolted to the body at the top. Once the upper top hat bump stop is removed, it just falls out.
That's why you can't test for play in the top mounts unless the weight of the car is on its wheels.
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Thanks for your reply does this mean that the top of the leg is able to move in use.
Providing the top mount is in good condition, it fits snugly into the wing, and the weight of the car on its wheels prevents significant movement. If there is noticeable movement here with the car standing on the ground, the top mount is excessively worn and should be replaced.
If you're renewing the struts, it's good practice to replace the top mounts at the same time.
Note the top mounts are handed and must be fitted the correct way round.
Some unscrupulous garages would show a customer play in the top mounts with the car jacked up and then replace them unnecessarily.
There's now a specific mention of this in the MOT testers manual:
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Thanks for your help I bought this car 12 months or so ago and it has always had this problem on full lock or so there is a noise from the front suspension not unlike a worn cv joint , I think the wheel maybe locking up or skipping briefly, both egs had been changed by the selling dealer, I have changed the nearside drive shaft as this is where the noise mostly comes from this has made no differance the joint seen ok anyway so I am wondering if one or both of the legs has been incorrectly fitted and what to look for when I remove them.
The top mounts are handed; it's been known to find them fitted incorrectly.
They're not expensive; also available here.
Similar prices once the 10% forum discount is applied.
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Thanks for your help.
Hope you have a garage, this is my guide from 6 years ago
www.fiatforum.com
Front shock absorber replacement
I had to replace our 2009 front shocks due to corrosion, this is how I did it, hopefully if you do this it will help you? What you may require, normal DIY workshop tools including odds and evens in spanners and sockets. Shock absorbers, drop...
www.fiatforum.com
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When re-assembling the legs into the car a very light coating of RED RUBBER GREASE! on the rubber parts will help stopping undue squeaking and groaning! in use, and help prevent moisture ingress!
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Thanks for your reply, the rubber top was covered in some form of lubricant.
I notice they threw away or never replaced the dust cover, that will bust the seals as grit gets in the top of the shock, also noting that there's no bump stop as a result
Shock Absorber Dust Cover Kit fits FIAT 500 312 Front 1.2 1.4 1.3D 2007 on Febi | eBay
(Type Dust Cover Kit, shock absorber. YXN11, 312. YXN1A) Hatchback Petrol 12/2013 12/2018 FWD 8 80 59. FIAT 500 C (312_) 1.0 Mild Hybrid (312. AYD1B) Convertible Petrol/Electric 01/2020 on FWD 6 69 51.
www.ebay.co.uk
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The Panda Nut
Nutty about Pandas Infected by Panda virus and OPD
Underneath the rubber strut top bush is the strut top bearing. The strut top mounts often but not always come with new bearings. The bearing should be visible from underneath without removal. Its important to make sure all the nuts and the bearing are under the correct tension (torqued correctly) or you can have over tight steering and the bearing under tension. Loose nuts cause knocks and rattles. Each nut has a slightly different torque figure. I had to modify a couple of sockets to retighten s the nuts. Over tight bearings can be noisy and will prevent the steering from self centring properly. The torque figures are as per Panda and are in a download under Panda Torque sttings. Your top mounts look new. As you say the gaitor and bump stop are missing. Buy original parts from S4P as a lot of pattern parts do not have the correct top fitting and slide down the strut rendering them useless. Bump stop is a vital component.
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Hi John 202020,I am going to remove again to fit the dust cover kits that where not fitted by the sipplying garage, I have read your article on reasembly with referance to the 27mm nut that secures the top mount to the shaft you recommend to tighten as tight as possible, but somewhere I have read that it should be 41 ft lbs and is important not to overtighten as it could stiffen up the bearing, I would like to just tighten as you describe because if I use a 27 mm socket with my torque wrench I am unable to use an allen key to hold the shaft at the same time.
Your issue is tightening the nut you only have a 6mm Allen head to hold the shaft, a Torx or simple flat would be better
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Yep, I'd say, you need to press it into the metal top cup
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Thanks
The Panda Nut
Nutty about Pandas Infected by Panda virus and OPD
Panda Torque figures are in the Guides in the Panda Mk 3 section and will be the same as the 500, Follow the recommendations to avoid damage, The top nut is very difficlt to get right. I do them by hand now. If you do a wheel nut to the right torque value to get a feel you will not be far off by hand. Overdoing some of these nuts over tightens the stut top bearing and makes the steering very stiff and risks damaging the bearing.. I have modified a socket. Ground two flats on it so I can use a crows foot spanner on the socket with my torque wrench while holding the top of the strut with allen key and mole grip through the top of the socke . The change in the leverage affects things so the wrench isnt accurate but its pretty near as far as I can tell. I finish by hand.
To right! once you know your car its more about "feel" than fact! 
especially when you consider designs like this which Gueseppie dreamt up after Friday lunch and three bottles of Vino!!
especially when you consider designs like this which Gueseppie dreamt up after Friday lunch and three bottles of Vino!!
