Hi,
Are the top spring seats / d-caps on coilovers meant to be loose without spring pressure on them?
I've torqued down my adjustable strut tops properly but the top spring mount is still free to move maybe 5mm up & down on the shock rod. It obviously seats under the strut top with the weight of the car on it, or if the lower spring platforms are wound up to achieve the same, but I'm not sure if that's normal or if the spacer between the top spring mount & strut top is too thin?
Probably not a big deal, mainly curious really, but if that's not how they should be I'd like to fix it all the same.
 
Cheers, Jason.
 

Jason, Has to be a torqued fit, otherwise your strut will still move up and down the 5mm

The strut won't move as the strut top is fitted & torqued down correctly, there's no play there.
I mean the spring seat underneath the strut top is free to float about 5mm unless there is spring pressure on it to push it up to the strut top. Just wondering if that is normal or if  I'm missing a washer or the spacer between the spring seat & strut top is too thin. Both struts are the same in this respect by the way.

My top spring mounts sit hard up against the step on the shock shaft.
 

 
Then the spacers (that were machined down to get more thread for the nuts) and the nuts hold it all solid once done up. Are your spacers too short or something?

Thanks.
I'm guessing they must be too short, although the struts came pre-assembled from GRP4, so that's how they were straight out of the box so to speak.
You'd never know they were like that with the springs fitted as they take up the slack & locate the top spring seat, but at the same time it just doesn't seem right to me.
I'll have to pull them out again anyway so will take some photos when I do.
 
The thing is, I seem to have one strut top that is binding, or possibly even seized (unlikely though being new) & I'm thinking the spring seat being the way it is may have caused that.
I needed to compress the spring slightly when fitting the helper springs & the spring compressor on one side let go when I went to remove them, slamming the top spring seat up. I think that may have cocked the spring seat over slightly instead of seating it properly & it's binding the spherical bearing in the strut top with an uneven load. When I turn the steering wheel there is no movement in the strut top on that side at all. All I know for sure is that something is not right, so I'll have to strip, inspect & reassemble. Will post pics of the top spring mount later.
 
As the 'to do list' for the rebuild shrinks, the 'problems to sort out' list seems to grow exponentially! Every new part fitted seems to have it's own unique problem, some I've never encountered before, or you would never think to even look for. At least it's entertaining. . . for the neighbours within earshot anyway.

Forgot I had this pic.
It doesn't quite show what I mean, but these are the struts.
 

 
The only thing you can't see is the small collar/spacer between the top spring seat & the strut top. . . but this is the part, plus the high angle top nut.