DIY strut replacement question

You can use vice grips on the old one. The new one should have a hex above the nut to hold the shaft.

operation.

Air tools. It will spin the nut so fast the shaft doesn't have time to move. If you can't do it yourself, take the assembly to a shop and they'll do it for a few bucks.

JM

Works for the old one, not the new one obviously.

That's how I've always done them although many cars use a keyed = D = shaped end on the strut shaft and a similar = D = shaped hole in the strut cap that keeps them from turning while tightening. But then some don't...

The job is now under way and it turns out that there is indeed a D-shaped key so loosening the nut was not an issue. Pulling out the struts was a piece of cake. Now I'm off to figure out how to do the same with the shocks.

Another tip, always either leave or put some oil, like ATF into the strut housing before installing the insert. This fluid transfers the heat from the insert to the outer housing so it doesn't overheat. If you don't, this air space acts like a thermos bottle and overheats the insert.

You can loosen it while it's still in the car. Don't remove it (obviously), just enough to break the tension, and then remove the three top mounting nuts. Another method is to use vice grips, but very high on the shaft and wrapped with a shop rag to prevent scoring.

OK, the shocks have now been removed. The official shop manual calls for an elaborate procedure to drop the whole axle assembly after disconnecting the ABS assembly and removing the brake caliber and rotor. WTF? I simply placed a jack under the bottom of the shock to support it while I removed the bolt that passes through the bushing. Then I loosened the two nuts on the top shock absorber mounting bracket and pulled out the shock with easy as can be. The hardest part about removing the rear shocks was to remove all the interior stuff necessary to get to the shock mounting bracket.

So far, so good . . . Now its on to compressing the springs and replacing the shock and strut cartridges. BTW: At 100K miles the dust boots for both shocks and struts were totally ripped up. I had to special order these from the dealer (why these aren't commonly stocked parts I have no clue) at a cost of around $100 dollars. I bet that the service writer who quoted me a price to have the shocks and struts replaced by the dealer didn't include the boots. Bottom line: dealer quote for the job including parts and labor (with $100 added for the dust boots) was $1600 bucks! My actual cost for parts alone was $525. Wahooooooo!

Thanks for the tip Steve, however I don't think it applies in my particular case as the struts came as an integral assembly including the bottom mounting bracket, etc. (Tokico HP)

OK, the shocks have now been removed. The official shop manual calls for an elaborate procedure to drop the whole axle assembly after disconnecting the ABS assembly and removing the brake caliber and rotor. WTF? I simply placed a jack under the bottom of the shock to support it while I removed the bolt that passes through the bushing. Then I loosened the two nuts on the top shock absorber mounting bracket and pulled out the shock assembly as easy as can be. The hardest part about removing the rear shocks was to remove all the interior stuff necessary to get to the shock mounting bracket.

So far, so good . . . Now its on to compressing the springs and replacing the shock and strut cartridges. BTW: At 100K miles the dust boots for both shocks and struts were totally ripped up. I had to special order these from the dealer (why these aren't commonly stocked parts I have no clue) at a cost of around $100 dollars. I bet that the service writer who quoted me a price to have the shocks and struts replaced by the dealer didn't include the boots. Bottom line: dealer quote for the job including parts and labor (with $100 added for the dust boots) was $1600 bucks! My actual cost for parts alone was $525. Wahooooooo!