Front strut nut removal trick

[m3f_YAOGinanM3_a6dcbd0afd]

Hi all,

I did my front struts this weekend, and ran into some difficulty with getting the strut shaft nut off & on. I've seen some cautions about using an impact wrench (and don't have one anyway), and BavAuto recommends using a combination of spark plug socket + wrench on the flat bits and a 6mm allen key to hold the inside of the shaft. That worked well to get the old one off, but the new nuts were a size bigger (22 mm) - and they don't make 22 mm spark plug sockets!



I ended up finding a new type of ratchet at Lowes that has a hollow head - they call it MaxAccess or something (actually I think that's Craftsman's name, but they didn't have a 22mm socket for it). That combined with a 6mm allen key + vice grips did the key for reinstallation. I also discovered that you can't use an allen key with a ball-end; they get stuck in the shaft due to the small mating surface. I think next time I do it I'll take my 3/8" drive 6mm allen and just dremel off the ball end to avoid using vice grips. Here's a pic of the final setup re-enacted after getting the coil and shock mount off - let me know if you have questions, as this job's lodged in my brain for the time being:



http://i.imgur.com/MBfroNM.jpg?1



If you are installing new struts who cares if you screw up the old strut rods? Gun those puppies off and toss them in the scrap pile. To install the new nuts gun them back on and call it a day. This is what almost every shop does if they are charging normal shop rates.



Those stupid keyholes like to strip if there is any rust on the strut nuts. I have done this job using a clean piece of radiator hose wrapped around the upper part of the strut shaft and extra large vice grips to hold the shaft and then a socket that fits the strut nut with a 1/2" breaker bar switching over to a 1/2" ratchet once the nut is loose. But this is quite unnecessary as the gun is the best practice but only if you have a very good 1/2" airgun with at least 750-850ft/lb. torque.

[m3f_drtwofish_aac1f2a5e1]

Hey, if impact wrenches work for ya'll, carry on. This post was supposed to be a tip for folks like me without access to a good air setup or who are skeeved by the *possibility* of stripping threads or seals. Yeesh. Everything's gotta be a competition in these parts...

[m3f_englishtom_70cc2c7eca]

Hey, if impact wrenches work for ya'll, carry on. This post was supposed to be a tip for folks like me without access to a good air setup or who are skeeved by the *possibility* of stripping threads or seals. Yeesh. Everything's gotta be a competition in these parts...



Yeah I don't know why everyone's saying blast it off with an impact when we're talking about people at home with no air but hey. Good job. You found one way and the belt/rag with vice grips as the other for no impact gun scenarios.

[m3f_YAOGinanM3_a6dcbd0afd]

Well, that's why I started this thread



I'm an average home mechanic, and I don't have a compressor powerful enough to drive an impact wrench. The $50 ratchet solution was much cheaper for an OEM-to-OEM strut replacement. Not intended to solve every aftermarket/coilover application...just a cheaper (and arguably less risky) alternative for folks without an impact setup.



Hmm, I consider myself an average home mechanic these days but with a little bit more experience (which is why I own a garage full of good tools) than some folks. I guess faced with your self-imposed limitations you did O.K. But the radiator hose method is cheaper than a pass through socket and ratchet, works perfectly if slower but way less easy than using my 1/2" IR 2135TiMAX airgun.



If for some reason you still feel you have to use the keyhole a good cheaper then $50 solution is to buy a cheap 22mm deep socket from HF and use some extra large Visegrips directly on the socket as a handle. You will need the larger Visegrips for leverage and the curved jaw style holds sockets better than the straight jaws. I also recommend using the cheap non-impact sockets so the socket material will let the Visegrips bite into the socket for good purchase.



The last method is to make a tool that works right. Buy a 1/2" drive 22mm impact socket and weld a piece of mild steel tubing to the socket. I used a 2" O.D. piece of mild steel tubing flattened in a press 12" long and milled a hole so the socket fit through the tubing and welded the socket to the new tubing handle on both sides. This tool worked great until somebody stole it from me.



Over the years I have used all of these methods but a big-ass impact gun is best, fastest and results in zero cursing.

[m3f_YAOGinanM3_a6dcbd0afd]

Yeah I don't know why everyone's saying blast it off with an impact when we're talking about people at home with no air but hey. Good job. You found one way and the belt/rag with vice grips as the other for no impact gun scenarios.



Wait a minute, are you saying people here don't have air at home? What kind of people are we talking about here? :facepalm:

[m3f_drtwofish_aac1f2a5e1]

I guess faced with your self-imposed limitations you did O.K.



Oh, how I love this forum. If you don't like my idea, don't use it. It worked great for me and doesn't involve some half-ass setup of sticking my arm through a loaded spring coil to wrangle one vice grip on some old tubing and another on a harbor freight socket, or spending hundreds of dollars on a compressor. Good grief. Can't imagine why I don't post on here more...

[m3f_fiveightan_7e37700daf]

Oh, how I love this forum. If you don't like my idea, don't use it. It worked great for me and doesn't involve some half-ass setup of sticking my arm through a loaded spring coil to wrangle one vice grip on some old tubing and another on a harbor freight socket, or spending hundreds of dollars on a compressor. Good grief. Can't imagine why I don't post on here more...

The rest of his post was actually quite helpful in providing some good info of a few different methods to complete this task and his experiences with each of them. It's a shame you chose to ignore that and focus on the one kind of snarky comment he made. Though I don't blame you much, I wouldn't dwell on it. And I certainly wouldn't let it sour the forums for you.


FYI, if it helps you in the future, air isn't THAT expensive. I bought my little Craftsman compressor brand new at Sears for $99 (normally like $140, but they have sales all the time), and I snagged a Snap-on 1/2" impact on eBay for $25. That's my setup and although it's far from the strongest thing out there, it's still quite useful for things like suspension overhauls (I also use it all the time with the self-reading tire inflation tool I have as well, very handy). Anything the gun can't handle, I can break loose with a breaker bar, or a 6-point wrench and some swift smacks with a 5-lb sledge.


But yeah, I spent $125 on my air tool setup. I don't think that's all that outlandish.


And FWIW, I think people are mentioning and preferring other methods, because many of us that have been through a lot of suspension overhauls have learned that the keyholes strip out pretty darn easily. When that happens, you can no longer use them and will have to resort to another method.


I don't want you to take my post as an attack at you. But, rather, a discussion. Thanks for posting the above info, which will be useful for people who were not aware of it. However, I don't believe it's as useful as it is now, with others describing other methods that are more effective, so future readers have their options in front of them to choose from.

[m3f_200kclub_e680bf9809]

If you are installing new struts who cares if you screw up the old strut rods? Gun those puppies off and toss them in the scrap pile. To install the new nuts gun them back on and call it a day. This is what almost every shop does if they are charging normal shop rates.



Those stupid keyholes like to strip if there is any rust on the strut nuts. I have done this job using a clean piece of radiator hose wrapped around the upper part of the strut shaft and extra large vice grips to hold the shaft and then a socket that fits the strut nut with a 1/2" breaker bar switching over to a 1/2" ratchet once the nut is loose. But this is quite unnecessary as the gun is the best practice but only if you have a very good 1/2" airgun with at least 750-850ft/lb. torque.



I like this, Can we sticky it?



I had to grind down an o2 socket to do my billys, but i would have rather used the big ass vice-grip rubber method to hold it. :thumbsup:

[m3f_drtwofish_aac1f2a5e1]

The rest of his post was actually quite helpful in providing some good info of a few different methods to complete this task and his experiences with each of them. It's a shame you chose to ignore that and focus on the one kind of snarky comment he made. Though I don't blame you much, I wouldn't dwell on it. And I certainly wouldn't let it sour the forums for you.



...



I don't want you to take my post as an attack at you. But, rather, a discussion. Thanks for posting the above info, which will be useful for people who were not aware of it. However, I don't believe it's as useful as it is now, with others describing other methods that are more effective, so future readers have their options in front of them to choose from.



Thanks, Nick - I appreciate your insights on this forum and elsewhere. I don't mean to be overly sensitive, but it's hard not to get tweaked when I'm only trying to give a tip that worked for me and people spend 2 pages telling me I did it wrong.



The fact is, I do have a small compressor (a Craftsman, maybe even the one you have) and a HF impact wrench, and it wasn't up to the task - it just clicked and wouldn't turn the nut. I assumed a bigger compressor was needed, but maybe my impact wrench just sucks. I also tried several vice grip methods, though not with a rubber hose, and I couldn't get anything to hold the shaft steady enough. And, though I said it in a snarky way, I am a little wary of putting things (like my hand) between compressed spring coils, and I was worried about marring the shaft on a new strut.



The method I suggested worked perfectly for me, cost maybe a couple bucks more than a HF socket and a giant vice grip, and to my thinking is a little safer way to go. Besides, if the keyway strips out, you're back where you started with no harm done. If folks want to do something different, that's fine, no skin off my back. My intention was only to suggest an alternative with a new tool I hadn't heard of before for people in my situation. Sorry for losing patience.

[m3f_fiveightan_7e37700daf]

Thanks, Nick - I appreciate your insights on this forum and elsewhere. I don't mean to be overly sensitive, but it's hard not to get tweaked when I'm only trying to give a tip that worked for me and people spend 2 pages telling me I did it wrong.



The fact is, I do have a small compressor (a Craftsman, maybe even the one you have) and a HF impact wrench, and it wasn't up to the task - it just clicked and wouldn't turn the nut. I assumed a bigger compressor was needed, but maybe my impact wrench just sucks. I also tried several vice grip methods, though not with a rubber hose, and I couldn't get anything to hold the shaft steady enough. And, though I said it in a snarky way, I am a little wary of putting things (like my hand) between compressed spring coils, and I was worried about marring the shaft on a new strut.



The method I suggested worked perfectly for me, cost maybe a couple bucks more than a HF socket and a giant vice grip, and to my thinking is a little safer way to go. Besides, if the keyway strips out, you're back where you started with no harm done. If folks want to do something different, that's fine, no skin off my back. My intention was only to suggest an alternative with a new tool I hadn't heard of before for people in my situation. Sorry for losing patience.

Yeah, we likely have the same compressor. Not sure what HF gun you have. When buying air tools, pay attention to the minimum CFM requirement for them. Most of the higher powered impacts require more air than a small compressor can provide (if you want the rated power of the tool). It'll work with a small compressor. But if you use a gun with a less power, at its max rating (or slightly above, as I use mine :shifty, you're likely to get more power than you would running the bigger gun below its minimum required air flow.



I've found that a little spritz of PB makes it much easier to spin the strut nut off in the few cases where they wouldn't come off first try. I use the gun in conjunction with vice grips/old belt. It makes it easier on the gun if you hold the shaft steady. Don't worry about getting your hands in there as long as your spring compressors are seated properly. Be cautious. But, you can get the vice grips in there without putting your fingers in. Just loop the belt in a U shape and put it in the vice grips, slip those in past the spring and onto the shaft.



You won't harm the shaft at all as long as you have a belt on there. I stray away from using hose, as it's easier for the teeth to get through the rubber and possibly harm the shaft. You have to keep an eye on it if you want to use the same piece over and over again. Though, you should be holding it up as high as possible, so as to get it in a place that will never slide passed the oil seal under use.



At the end of the day, whatever method works best for you is fine as long as it gets the job done safely. :thumbsup2:

[m3f_propchef_a4c19a6d03]

FWIW, my impact is rechargeable electric, not air. I bought it to do the job described in this thread and it has paid for its self many times over. I struggled without it for nearly an entire day before I broke down and spent the money.


And coil compressors can be borrowed for free at many auto parts stores.

[m3f_Richardspe_ff9fba485e]

One more note. Even if you have a small compressor, you need to use a hose bigger than 1/4" Use a 3/8's. (and connectors) A small compressor will handle an air impact gun. You may have to wait a few times for it to catch up. But an impact uses very little air in the big scheme of things.



A DA sander or die grinder or HVLP paint gun on the other hand, are real air hogs... That's why I've got a big IR ompressor in the garage. I've killed several air cooled Sears units.

[m3f_fiveightan_7e37700daf]

One more note. Even if you have a small compressor, you need to use a hose bigger than 1/4" Use a 3/8's. (and connectors) A small compressor will handle an air impact gun. You may have to wait a few times for it to catch up. But an impact uses very little air in the big scheme of things.



A DA sander or die grinder or HVLP paint gun on the other hand, are real air hogs... That's why I've got a big IR ompressor in the garage. I've killed several air cooled Sears units.

Good point Richard. Yeah, mine was useless with the little yellow telephone cord they provide with it.


I did kill one of these little Craftsman units. They have a 1 year warranty, and it died about 18 months after purchase. They still gave me a replacement, free of charge...Just pulled a brand new one off the shelf and carried it out to my car for me, no questions asked. The current one has been good for a few years now. I've gotten my $99 out of them.


They don't have the best stuff by any means. But I have to say, they've always been fantastic when it comes to standing behind their products. I've walked in there with old beat up ratchets that i've destroyed from slamming on them with a sledge hammer while on stubborn suspension parts, and walked out with newer upgraded replacements, no questions asked.

[m3f_drtwofish_aac1f2a5e1]

Ah, that could be it - I still have the telephone cord attached. It's been good enough for filling tires


propchef, good call on the free coil compressors - I'm amazed they do that, but it worked great. Got mine at Advance with a $50 deposit.

[m3f_EricSMG_87c5092dff]

Yes, yellow telephone cord is a no-go with an impact.