Strut Question

[95metro]

So, my aunt recently moved to town. She has a '95 Metro sedan with the 1.3L 4-cyl. She's worried that there's something wrong with it, but I took it out for 20 minutes last night and my car is falling apart compared to hers.

I could believe the huge power difference between the 1.3L and my 1.0L. Feels like a rocket! lol

Anyway, I did notice that one strut seems to be leaking...air...??? As it compresses you can hear air being forced out the top. I haven't heard this before and am wondering if it's a sign of the strut beginning to go or what?

[SVOboy]

Eww, air. I'd say it's prolly dead if it's leaking, :p

Have you tried the old jump up and down on it/drive over some bumps and see what happens? If you feel like putting the hour of effort in you could take off the strut, compress it, and make sure it decompresses smoothly, if not, it's shot.

[95metro]

Well, that's just it, the strut reacts fine. It just makes this little "puff of air" sound when you push the corner of the car down.

[Gary Palmer]

95metro: I'm not sure what could be making the rushing sound, but from the standpoint of the strut, if it seems to handle the shock absorber portion, Ok, then I would just leave it be. All of the struts I've had, all of the failure's are in the shock portion just giving up, so that it get's very bouncy when you hit bumps. Other than that, I've never had any significant failure of any kind with them.

[95metro]

Yeah, it's just a weird thing that I have never heard before. If the strut goes, it goes. I replaced all of mine so I feel pretty confident about it now.