hey guys ... I was woundering what kind of oil do you guys use to put in there? can you use just grease?

 

What kind of oil do we put in what? The wheel bearings? The ball joint? What part are you talking about.

 

haha .... that was dumb on my part ... inbetween the new struts and the housing?

 

Hmmm. Still a little confused. I've never really disassembled a 7 strut, but I don't think you need any oil or anything like that.

 

i was reading this on this forums search ... apperently you're suppose to fill oil inbetween the sturts and the sturt housing so that under heavy use the sturts won't heat up from the friction made.

 

There shouldn't be any friction. The strut insert should not move inside the housing.

 

The instructions that came with my Koni strut inserts said to use antifreeze

 

It's for heat transfer, to keep the struts cool.

I used gear oil, 'cause it was around. I think any weight oil would work, and so would antifreeze. The problem with antifreeze is that it sloshes out the top nut, whereas the gear oil stays put.

Just my .02

 

I actually did not fill mine up at all. When I took the factory ones apart they had nothing in them. So, oh well.

 

It is recommended that you put standard 'gear oil' or '20-30wt Engine Oil' in with the struts when you reassemble them - this allows for better heat transfer between the strut cartridge and the strut housing - and could lengthen the life of your struts.

As you're likely aware, the struts work by converting the kinetic energy of motion (the strut rod and pistons through the strut oil) into heat. When this heat is generated, it needs to be carried out somewhere or else it gets 'stored' in the strut cartridge. The more you drive, the hotter it gets, and the oil inside the strut is designed to operate at a specific temperature range. Overheat the strut and you will A) lose performance, and B) shorten its lifespan.

You only need about a 1/2 cup of oil in the strut tube before you insert the strut itself. You want enough in there that the strut cartridge is in a bath, but not so much that it's leaking out the top as you're putting the spacers and lock nut in place. Get that locknut tightened to spec, BTW - it's important.

Reply back if further questions,