The OEM GXE Rear Strut has a small rubber oil seal within the gland nut. I want to re-use the old gland nut because of the strange gland nut that came with the new Sachs strut - it's not hexaganol, it needs some OEM tool to install.

Anyways, the new strut is sealed at the top with it's own seal ring...unlike those strange OEM guts that seemed to just disassemble apart when I pulled it out, so should I pull out that old oil seal in the nut before I install the Sachs into the cylinder - so there aren't 2 seals....which could maybe screw up the motion of the piston rod?

 

reuse the seals.
the insert goes into the old housing with a little oil inside. it shouldn't leak out since the insert has it's own seal. just don't nick/scratch the piston.

 

Exactly what he says I just just changed mine on my SE today....... Ur just putting in cartridge right?

 

Realistically the only way it'll leak is if you're upside down.
at that point you have more to worry about than your strut oil.

 

this is an interesting thread seeing as i just purchased a set of koni reds and eibachs for my 91 maxima...the koni's are comeing as cartridges and i was just wondering how hard it is to remove the stock cartridge with the koni's...

 

As long as you have the tools it shouldn't be hard I just did my rear cartridges bout 2hrs time and that's flat rate for experience tech

 

Removing the stock cartridge can be very time consuming depending on where you live - ie. did your car go through salty winters and deal with all that corrosion for 16 yrs. I had to cut off the parallel link bolts to remove the struts....that's what consumed my time. If I had a gas cutter it would have went way faster...instead I used a zip wheel. My rear strut assemblies are in great condition...I'm going to take a photo once they are cleaned off. As well, I had to use 2 huge pipe wrenches at my friends shop, to get the OEM gland nut off, instead of the bolting to a tire on the ground method that I tried, and didn't work.

 

yea rustung is a factor mine bolts where in there but came out ok

 

Yea im expecting the fronts to some complete spring on strut and in stock housing... and the rears are coming as the cartridges and the springs seperate cuz there off of a guys maxima in california but my struts and stock i suppose and i live in maryland where we have had some bad winters and i am inbetween the chesapeake bay and the atlantic ocean so those rear cartridges should be fun getting out.....

 

The front will be easy as you don't have to replace the cartridges just the assembly but the cartridge is not really hard 2 remove only but the fact you have that hex bolt to get off

 

Guys I completed it, but to remove the passenger front OEM strut, I had to drill out one of the fixing bolts with a pneumatic drill (left hand turn). After removing the hex nut, and pounding the bolt outwards with a iron mallet (the bolt isn't even threaded), after torching it several times, then hitting with penetrant, after sitting on a flex bar, impact wrench....the drill was the only way. Once drilling through the head, it collapsed the part that was corroded on the bolt shaft to the inside of the knuckle hole, then pounding it out with the mallet again got it out. Both struts are out now.