How did you get the top locknut loose. On mine the small square that you hold to break the locknut loose is below ,not above or even flush so it's a mother facker
to get this **** loose. did you make a tool, buy a tool,?
This is my first time really working on a Mc Phearson strut.all the other setups,,no problem. just need to hold it,,,thats it,, ideas ??

 

Yeah, that nut is a *^%$$ to get off.. What I used was an air hammer to get it loose. Hopefully someone else has a better idea for you.. sorry =(

 

to do it safely, take it to a shop. you need a spring compressor.

 

I've got a strut spring compresser,,a good one even.
when you say hammer, are you meaning an impact type unit with a socket ?

 

Air impact hammer with an 'Oxygen Sensor Socket' attached. No kidding.

The top nut that secures the strut rod to the mounting pillow is on there really tightly, and you'll screw up the top rectangle very quickly unless you use the right tools.

An air-impact hammer will bump the nut at a rate faster than the rod can turn, resulting in it loosening the nut without too much effort. The problem with the nut being below the top of and inside the mounting block is that you can't reach it with much, which is where the O2 Sensor Socket comes in.

Be very careful doing this job, however, because as soon as you get that top nut off, the whole spring/strut assembly is going to come shooting out of there. You MUST compress the springs correctly prior to working on the top mounts. I even recommend taking the struts off of the car to work on them with a bench vise as recommended in the FSM.

Let us know if this works,

 

I've got the spring(s) compressed, and the strut is in the vise, i've got an electric impact wrench i guess i'll try it..

 

Big vice grips on the shaft, if you don't want to keep the strut's your removing...

 

I compressed the spring, then wrapped the strut in a shop towel and held it with a pair of vise grips(shop towel keeps vise grips from marring the strut.) Then just used an impact gun and zipped the nut off.

 

He is not talking about the nut that holds the top mount to the shock shaft. I think he is talking about the "nut" that secures the insert into the strut tube?

If this is correct - Most have a hex on top. I have seen the ones you are talking about. They screw inside the tube - right? If I remember there are two small holes on the face. Use a hammer and a round punch. Hold the punch on an angle and hit it.


-billy

 

Nope, top nut, anyway,,,,impacts work awesome, came right off. thanks guys.

 

Nope, top nut, anyway,,,,impacts work awesome, came right off. thanks guys.

 

FYI, now that you already got it off...

I tried using a rag with a bench vice on the strut shaft. Couldn't get it tight enough. Tried wood in the vice, first pine then oak. No worky worky either. I finally said to hell with it and put the strut shaft directly into the vice (it has a set of pipe clamps in a "v" shape) and beat the vice crank with a mallet until the shaft quit turning when I took the nut off. Surprise, surprise! No damage at all. Not even a scratch. The strut shafts are super hard. I think it's the same alloy we used to make hinge pins for large lifts when I was a machinist. Couldn't damage the stuff if you tried. Eats end mills and drill bits for lunch.
In any case the impact hammer thing would have been nice to know too.

 

I used this really old electric 1/2 drive impact gun,or wrench,hammer,whatever.with the strut in the vise,
i used a pair vise grips that i dipped in that stuff to coat the jaws or 'teeth' so, no scratching.

 

I used this really old electric 1/2 drive impact gun,or wrench,hammer,whatever.with the strut in the vise,
i used a pair vise grips that i dipped in that stuff to coat the jaws or 'teeth' so, no scratching.

 

whats up with the double post's

 

myclassic garage .com sells a tool just for this... a 2 nut shaped socket sleve deal... eazy to use also....but didnt fit my koni's i hit it with a impact 4 b i even jack up the car... they seem to come right off when a load is still on them... then i finget the nut back on so i can remove it as a whole unit