I'm trying to the the caliper bracket off so I can get the disc plate out, and to do this I need to remove the lower bolt. My problem is the knuckle arm that connects to the tie rod is right in the way of the bold head. Anybody know the 'right' way to handle this?

 

Easiest way to get the knuckle out of the way, is to remove the two 17mm bolts that hold the knuckle/arm assembly to the bottom of the strut housing. Look under the control arm, behind the brake rotor.

 

I have removed that lower bolt for the plate without removing the 17mm's in an emergency roadside situation. It just took alot of patients and knuckle skin.

But the correct and easiest way is to remove the 17mm lower strut bolts like RW said.

 

An offset head wrench will allow you to get that bolt out without disconnecting the strut from the knuckle... Honestly I find removing the strut from the knuckle more trouble than its worth, unless the car is totally free of rust they are usually in there pretty good...

 

My problem is that to get the top bolt, I had to take a torch to the bracket to get it out. That 17mm is a LOT longer and even more stuck, so I'm going to go pick up an offset (I don't have one? I know it's crazy, but I'm too poor to buy a proper set of tools yet) and see how that does me. Thanks for the help, every time I think I have this car sorted out I gets me with another curve ball. This is my last set of repairs before she's road worthy!

 

It's not that crazy that you wouldn't have offset wrenches, I bought them like 5 years ago (for this very task) and thats more of less all I use them for. Every so often I'll find a random use for them, but very seldom....

 

That's one set of wrenches I haven't bought, but I have managed to remove that bolt without one. Takes a bit of time since one can only turn the bolt a tiny bit each time.

 

So that lower bolt will actually clear with removing the strut bolts? I always thought it was too long, so I'd remove the one strut bolt and loosen the other, so I could pivot the unit.

Related question: does removing the lower strut bolts from the knuckle significantly disturb the alignment? I always played it safe and got re-aligned after messing with it, but alignments are serious money these days.

 

Also, when its nearly out and you can't move it anymore, loosening the hub nut will give you the extra clearance needed.

I don't believe so. It can only go back in one position, there isn't much room for slop.

 

Nope. Alignment is set with 3 adjustments. The tie rods, the tension rods and the rotation of the strut tops.

 

Bueno; good to know.

 

I just did this a few days ago. I was perplexed as to why engineers would put the bolt in such a bad place. Anyway, I took a box end wrench and got the bolt loose, then flipped it over to the open end and worked it out. Really wasn't too bad.

 

It's a tight fit for sure, but yes it will come out without moving the strut assembly around, I've done it plenty of times, it works.

 

It will come out without removing the lower strut bolts, but it's a bitch to get to it.
As for Mazda designing it this way, well, it wasn't a problem at the assembly plant. The rotors and mounting brackets were installed on the strut housings, before the struts were mounted in the car.

 

It's also still in the first gen years, on a car that's goal was to be less than ordinary. So I can see how the engineers would think 'it was a good idea at the time' not thinking about what a pain in the *** it might be for someone 23 years later.

 

A Craftsman box end wrench will work - if you grind it down to make it thinner.

 

i just grind the lip down just enough with my angle grinder and this enables me to get a 14mm wrench in there to loosen the lower bolt

 

Yea I forgot about that trick, I did that on one of my FB's years ago before I got the offset head wrenches....

 

That decreases the structural integrity, the lip is there for a reason. Although it may not have any actual effect, it still wouldn't leave me with good feeling.

 

Unless you have 10" wide slicks and try to go from 200mph to 0 in 5 feet I think you'll be alright

 

What, you mean you don't?

 

My father in law and I made our own set of offset wrenches from a set we bought at a garage sale. It was a lot cheaper than buying them, especially since we've only used them to remove the hubs on the 7 and the alternator on a Morgan +4. It definitely made the job easier but It's totally doable without them

 

Oh yea man, like everyday on the way home from work just to blow off some steam LOL


lfd75: Not a bad idea, and I agree the job is doable without them, but at least if those bolts haven't moved in a while they help reduce the risk of rounding off the bolt head...