Did I destroy my strut bearings?

[tnorman5828]

I'm building all new struts for my 1999 Camry and was putting together both of my new struts today. In doing so I realized after assembling the first strut that I put the strut mount bearings in upside down. I miss read a graphic but when assembling the second strut I realized my error. So I took the first strut apart and switched the bearings into the correct position. Now I'm worried that I might have killed the bearings on the first strut by initially assembling them upside down.

Any body know if doing this would kill the bearings?

I can move the strut mount by hand but it does take a bit of force where as on the second strut it takes less force to turn the strut mount.

Is there a way to know if I need to get new bearings for the mount?

Thanks!

[JohnGD]

I find that a new or repacked bearing with grease is harder to turn than a dry bearing.

If you are concerned that the load bent the bearing case then you can always clean out the grease and see how it turns. Then measure it with a dial caliper and compare with a known good bearing. I inspect and repack old ones with Redline CV-2 synthetic grease.

If you can't sleep at night, just buy a new bearing. It's worth the peace of mind.

Originally Posted by tnorman5828

I'm building all new struts for my 1999 Camry and was putting together both of my new struts today. In doing so I realized after assembling the first strut that I put the strut mount bearings in upside down. I miss read a graphic but when assembling the second strut I realized my error. So I took the first strut apart and switched the bearings into the correct position. Now I'm worried that I might have killed the bearings on the first strut by initially assembling them upside down.

Any body know if doing this would kill the bearings?

I can move the strut mount by hand but it does take a bit of force where as on the second strut it takes less force to turn the strut mount.

Is there a way to know if I need to get new bearings for the mount?

Thanks!