I have several issues with my passenger rear suspension/knuckle. I already replaced my wheel bearing, and I have a lower control arm to go in since my bushing is shot on the original.

The other issue is that when I push up on the bottom of the tire, there is about 1/2 inch of travel before the spring starts to compress. Contrast this with the driver side, which has no movement. The shock bottom bushing looks good, so is this an issue with the strut mount being worn out?

 

Dead bottom (actually top when the
wheel is down)1/2 inch is not too
unusual in shocks. How it does in
the rest of the travel is much more
important. Get the other stuff sorted.
How many miles on the shocks?
Maybe it is time for new ones while
you’re working on the rear suspension
anyway.
Maybe not.

 

Not sure that's what he's referring to. Sounds like something mechanical either isn't tight, or has some wear. What does the lower shock mounting bolt look like? Is it tight? Is it seated properly into the control arm?

 

I played with all the connections and nothing else is loose or looks wrong. The components all look original, with 98k miles on them, and I know the shocks at least need replacing. I have just never had a car where I could lift up the wheel like that and have a dead spot.

I will be revamping my suspension in the near future, and I expect to find my shock mount destroyed at least!

 

The upper shock bushing is high density foam and will disintegrate over time. Depending on driving style and environment, at 10 years, you are probably overdue for a refresh of the suspension.

 

yeah, I think I misread the post.