Strut top mounts

[Wrinkly57]

Good day all, long time since I've been here-so busy! Got a prob need help with. O/S/F spring broke while on drive overnight last week, got it all stripped down and finally reassembled yesterday but when turning the top mount by hand with strut in vice it's very stiff to turn. I did notice when in bits, that the thrust bearing (as service box like to call it or as I prefer the ring that sits between the spring top cup and the plate that bolts to the car) did have some rust pitting and part of the edge had gone a bit frilly with rust too, but it looked ok so I put it back. I'm now loath to pull all apart again and am considering waiting till tomorrow to order a new top mount. As an experiment I soaked said thrust bearing with oil and it seems to turn a little easier.
Question now is:- Are these top mounts usually stiff to turn when off the car (that is with the strut fully assembled with spring etc)? or should I replace the top mount and be done with it? Roughly how much should I expect to pay for such a part?
Regards to you all,
Wrinkly

[HimBigChief]

Funny you should say that, I was just looking at to pmounts for mine...
Euro Car Parts Linky

I can't work out whether the prices are for a pair or not. They say they are but I'm a bit suspicious at those prices. May be worth giving them a call tomorrow and finding out?

[Wrinkly57]

Ta very much Chiefy (if I may be so bold!) will give them a call tomorrow. Typical of me, I've just done a bit of checking on Service.Citroen (just the same layout and details etc as Servicebox for Pug) to see if I could find a similar vehicle that uses the same nuts and bolts as my 406, the reason being that I ordered a new bolt and nut for reassembly of the strut to swivel hub and had to wait three days for it from my nearest Pug dealer in Grimsby! Imagine my irritation when I find that using my Citroen C15 van as a starting point the said bolt is also used on this vehicle too and I have a Citroen dealer in the town of Louth fifteen minutes away! Could have got it from them and saved a lot of hassle. Lesson learned-cross check part numbers first before I go off half cocked spraying cash everywhere and putting up with appalling service. Going to have some coffee now, anyone care to join me?
Wrinkly

[Wrinkly57]

Mystery solved! Took spring off strut again and had close look at thrust bearing-the oil I had poured in had done its work, bearing starting to separate, casing top & bottom very, very thin and frilly due to water and subsequent tin worm. Off to the factors tomorrow, hopefully they can supply just this part, if not long trip back to Grimsby to Pug dealer. So in conclusion, when we say top mounts I would suggest that we don't mean all of the mount, just this part. Forgive me if you have already discovered this amazing fact but thought it worth mentioning. The parts HimBigChief pointed out on Euro Car Parts look as if they are manufactured by SKF (bearing manufacturers me'thinks) so £52 would appear to be for a pair and would seem to be the part I'm wittering on about.

Ta Ta for now
Wrinkly

[steve_earwig]

SKF (bearing manufacturers me'thinks)

Indeed, and founders of Volvo (don't let that put you off tho )