Struts possibly not properly installed

[tridangertoluene]

I recently replaced the struts on my 05 vibe. The back were a breeze but the front with the spring compression and everything was difficult. In addition the struts did not seat properly at the mounting point inside the engine compartment. I couldn't get the spacing even on each side like it was when I first took the struts off. I replaced all the rubber goods on the strut in addition to the mounting plate. Does anybody have any suggestions for fixing this?

This is the left side and as you can see it is canted pretty severely.

left side

left.jpg (192.57 KiB) Viewed 1184 times

This is the right side and it is canted less.

right side

right.jpg (196.08 KiB) Viewed 1184 times

[keithvibe]

my guess is when you tighen down the nut that the top hat was not seated correctly in the notch.
leave the weight on the car, losen the center nut a bit (caution doing this because of the preload on the spring)and see if you can twist the strut.

[tridangertoluene]

Ill give it a shot. Might just let firestone fix it since it needs to be aligned anyway.