Can anyone recommend a way to get the cap off the rear strut? It's a hex disk, but it's about 2 1/4" in diameter.. do I need to unscrew it or can I just pry it off?

Couldn't find any wrenches that large at kragen or sears, the closest thing I saw was a pipe wrench, but the angled on the jaw would probably just strip the thing.

Any suggestions?
thanks..

 

heh, it took me three days to do the struts on my '89 because of one of these SOBs.

I ended up taking an air chisel to get the hex part off. Then I cut the hardened steel strut rod off and pushed the remainder back into the whole. I took a dremel with cutting wheels and cut an X into the rest of the nut. The legs of the X were about 1/8 of an inch when I couldn't cut any deeper. At this point, I used a cold chisel to pound the sides od the nut into it self. After this point, it pretty much fell out.

The other side was much easier. I used a 2 foot and an 18 inch pipe wrench. I braced one by sticking it under the wheel of another car, and I pulled the other one. After a grunt or two it came right off.

When I did this same job on my last Max it was much easier. They pretty much came right off.

Have fun!

 

go ahead and use the pipe wrench. Thats what I used because my new strut inserts came with new pieces to screw in I believe. If your inserts didnt come with a new nut then I guess try to go buy a semi truck repair shop and ask them to remove the nut since they have large tools to work on the trucks.

 

oh that big a$$ hex! couldnt figure out what you were talking about. If you have a bench vice, clamp the assembly with it and use the pipe wrench with both hands and body weight behind it and that should get it off. Didnt take me 5mins to do that and i weigh about 140..i'm punt. lol.

 

Okay it sounds like I should use a pipe wrench then. I'll go out tomorrow and buy myself a pipe wrench and hope it works.. I'll let ya know how it turns out.

Thanks for the advice.. good to be reminded that I can destroy that sucker since the KYBs came with a replacement, I had forgotten that.

In the chilton's manual they suggest bolting the assembly to a wheel to keep it still (since I don't have a vise -- no place to put one), so I'll try that. Or a heavy friend and a pipe.

 

be careful not to mess up the inside thread. changing suspensions is fun aint it?

 

Yeah really.

Everybody says its a four hour job.. I knew it'd be longer for me since I knew I'd hit roadblocks and end up needing to get more tools etc.

My car has been out of commission for like four days (it's okay though, have another ride), as I only have a few hours to work on it each day. On the first day I couldn't budge the front strut-to-knuckle bolts.

Got it loose the next day after using some PB Blaster and getting a nice 4 foot steel pipe from Home Depot, but one of the bolt stripped, so I've had to spend time calling dealerships to get a new bolt. No one has it in stock, but I managed to talk one guy into ordering it for me overnight from a warehouse (where they said they had 1, and only 1 bolt).. anyway, next day it isn't there, but at least they refund my expedited freight charges (still waiting on the bolt).

But otherwise the fronts are done.. then I get stuck trying to remove the wheel spindle grease cap from the rear, now on the strut cap..

Anyway hopefully if I can manage to get the strut cap off tomorrow, it should be done tomorrow.

Anyway, end benefit, increased patience, and a lot more tools. Now I have a full set of 1/2" drive tools in addition to the 3/8th" I had before, including deep sockets, a bunch of misc large sockets like 24mm for the spring compressor and 30mm for the wheel hub lock nut.. and of course, some more experience (little as it may be, heh).

thank goodness for the org!

 

Well, the pipe wrench did it. thanks guy.
All the struts are in now.

This may be a silly question, but as I was puting the rear struts back in, I was wondering what stops the struts from being put in at a slightly wrong? Say you seated the spring 3 degrees off (possible even if you marked it), since the parallel links / radius rod / stabilizer bar have so much play, iti seems like it would still link up. Or say even 9 degrees. Since the wheel spindle is attached directly to that, your wheel would end up angled and dragging..

So what stops that? If you were off a couple degrees, does the normal driving action/bumps slightly reseat the spring to be straight? Or is it somethign that could be completely fixed with alignment? I'm not sure how the alignment would turn the whole strut though. hmm

Anyway, just wondering.

Just have to swap in one replacement bolt tomorrow morning (when the dealership receives it), then I can give her a test drive.

 

Well, just as a followup for anyone who comes across it in the archives on a search or whatever..

Everything is good now. Aligned without a problem, no funny noises, and the new stiffer ride is fantastic. No more crazy body convolution upon hitting a bump in a curve at 85.

Definitely recommended. 130k miles on stock GXE strut to KYB GR2s is great.

 

130K? wow, I noticed today that all four of my '92SE struts are making noise... I was never so happy in my life! Koni here I come!