Help needed, Cannot get the front left strut back in the car.

[NateWorrel]

I have been going at this front left strut all day, and i cannot get it back in place. I screw it into the tower but it won’t go back into the knuckle at all.

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[calonzo]

Can you post a picture, or better yet, a video? Something like this happened to me once and it was because the axle had come partially out if the transmission. I tried getting it back in, but had to enlist professional help to fix it. Lol

 

[TriangleHeat]

Likely what Calonzo said, if the geometry has changed you have to look at all of the points to see whats different. Most of the stuff attached to the knuckle are not flexible enough to change the geometry like the control arm, the compliance bushings that connect it to the subframe, tie rod ends, etc. The one thing that is flexible is the axle. The other end could have popped out of the transmission, which takes some effort since it's held in by a snap ring, almost like a hog ring on the end of a ratchet drive. If it did pop out the fluid would have probably leaked out too.

Another more common thing is that the inner CV joint (at the end of the axle where the transmission is), has come apart inside the boot. You'll notice this if you see the boot is all distended and deformed. Common practice is to avoid this like the plague, we usually use something like bungee cord to keep the knuckle from falling outward toward you, for example putting one end of the bungee cord through the knuckle bolt holes and the other end to one of the holes where the strut bearing mounts to the body of the car, to simulate the strut holding the knuckle upright. If you just let the knuckle fall out toward you and bring the axle with it, that's going to take the joint apart, because the other end of the joint is held firmly by the transmission so if you pull on the outer end, they come apart.

If this happened to you, some people have success popping things back into place, you might have to look at a diagram of the actual CV joint you're working with because you're going to be working blindly by touch and feel since you're not taking the boot off. You might have to take the whole axle out to work it at a better angle or take the boot off and put a new one on after you fix it.

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