I just replaced front struts on my 98 Grand Caravan. Got em out and back in without to much trouble. Now I have a rattle that drives me nuts.(both sides) Ran it down to the shop and they lifted it up and found nothing wrong. I replaced the swaybar bushings as well. Mechanic said it was probably the upper spring seats and bearing. They do not come with the new struts? Now I need to go back under the van and pull the struts again to replace the upper seats and mounts. Does anybody know the proper spring placement on the bottom seat for a 98 Grand Caravan? Or where I could go to find out. If you get them out of place they will either not go back in or will bend and twist when a load is put back on them. I got the driver side back in properly but the instructions I was working from gave me the wrong placement for the passenger side. I had to pull the strut back out,recompress the spring,and realign by eye the strut. It went back in but Im not sure it is as it should be. Im pulling both struts out again as I need to replace the upper spring seats and mounts.(did not do them when I replaced the struts) Live and learn. Please let me know if there is a spring alignment spec somewhere. Thanks!

 

Strut mounts are more of a knock than rattle. From what I understand, rattle is more likely to be the sway bar end links. Did you make sure to re-tighten the control arms that you said you loosened?

 

Ya I did. I guess it is a knock. It only knocks when I run over a seam in the pavement or hit a pothole or manhole cover. When Im driving on good road it is like new.

 

Then yeah it's probably the mounts.