Rear strut removal

[DieselMk1]

Any tips or tricks to remove the rear struts? My tools consist of a variety of odd spanners. So far I've figured I can /just/ get a 17mm spanner on the nut and a 9mm spanner on top but it's almost impossible to move

[h100vw]

Any tips or tricks to remove the rear struts? My tools consist of a variety of odd spanners. So far I've figured I can /just/ get a 17mm spanner on the nut and a 9mm spanner on top but it's almost impossible to move

From memory, clouded by a lot of time. All you have to do is undo the top 17mm nut. That then gives you access to another 17mm nut which is on top of a 25mm or so long spacer, this goes through the rubber bush. Leave this one on until the strut is removed from the car.

If you are changing the shocks, you can take the lot out and work on it off the car. Please use a spring compressor I don't want to be hearing from your dentist!

If the second nut is really tight and the 9mm spanner does nothing. Slide the bump stop down and grip the piston with some vice grips.

Hope that helps

Gavin

[DieselMk1]

From memory, clouded by a lot of time. All you have to do is undo the top 17mm nut. That then gives you access to another 17mm nut which is on top of a 25mm or so long spacer, this goes through the rubber bush. Leave this one on until the strut is removed from the car.

If you are changing the shocks, you can take the lot out and work on it off the car. Please use a spring compressor I don't want to be hearing from your dentist!

If the second nut is really tight and the 9mm spanner does nothing. Slide the bump stop down and grip the piston with some vice grips.

Hope that helps

Gavin

Cheers for that mate, it's the initial 17mm nut that's causing dramas at this point in time, because as I'm turning it the inner bit with the thread at the top is spinning with it (the one I'm trying to hold with the 9mm spanner) so I'll try your method on Monday. The reason I'm changing is I'm upgrading to coilovers

[h100vw]

Get the vice grips out early then!!!! If you are junking the struts, no need to get them near the top. Just watch yourself, them standard springs go a mile, they are so long when uncompressed. Made Schoolboy errors in my yoof.

Gavin

[DieselMk1]

Yes we made that mistake today taking the hats off the front struts. First one we didn't even think about the spring until it hit me in the gut, and the second one we thought we had safe with a spring compressor but it shot off anyway ahah all in a laugh...until someone loses an eye

[h100vw]

Yes we made that mistake today taking the hats off the front struts. First one we didn't even think about the spring until it hit me in the gut, and the second one we thought we had safe with a spring compressor but it shot off anyway ahah all in a laugh...until someone loses an eye

That's right. "How we laughed, all the way to casualty"

[DieselMk1]

That's right. "How we laughed, all the way to casualty"

Hahahah