Hi, Can anyone tell me how to remove that pesky nut on the bottom of the front shocks . I just don't seem to be able to loosen it. The shock absorber follows it around.I've tried to hold it with stillsons without success.There's not much room in there and the manual is devoid of tips. Any tips will be helpful Cheers....David :) (I'm relativly new to car maintainance so need some guidance)
Plan A : Grip the buttom half of the shock absorber with some pipe grips (large plummbers pliers type things). Plan B : Weld a bar to the bottom half of the shock absorber (make sure the oil doesn't boil) Plan C : You may be able to get a hacksaw blade in to cut it off. Takes ages though!
Plan D : Cut it off with an oxy-acetelene torch.
Plan E : Split the nut with a chiesel - takes a long time and is often painful though! (the rubber bushes make it very bouncy) Richard
On or around Sun, 06 Aug 2006 09:57:09 +0200, Kilted enlightened us thusly:
big stilsons. 's the only way. try to wedge the stilsons (and make sure it's on the right way round!) and lean on the nut. Failing that, you have to cut it, which is a pain, or get a nut-splitter on it if there's room. If all else fails, take it to someone with a gas-axe (oxy-acetylene cutting torch) and get it burnt off.
They normally come by holding the damper casing with stillsons and undoing the nut though.
|| big stilsons. 's the only way. try to wedge the stilsons (and make || sure it's on the right way round!) and lean on the nut. Failing || that, you have to cut it, which is a pain, or get a nut-splitter on || it if there's room. If all else fails, take it to someone with a || gas-axe (oxy-acetylene cutting torch) and get it burnt off. || || They normally come by holding the damper casing with stillsons and || undoing the nut though.
Raising the vehicle by the chassis rather than the suspension so that the spring is fully extended helps - you probably wouldn't get a decent-sized pair of Stilsons in if the spring was compressed. Someone large and immoveable (or a clever arrangement of straps and ties) to hold the Stilsons while you spanner away at the nut is almost essential IME.
Whatever you do, don't use a ratchet spanner to undo the nut. If you get it half off and then it won't turn any further, you are stuffed big time, as you can't wind the nut back the way it came, or get the spanner off the nut. Use an open-ended one.
It helps if you can heat the nut up before attempting to loosen it, but if its stripped and you have access to a welder, try welding a small bar onto the remains of the nut (sometimes just the welding heats the nut enough to loosen it). Another method is to use a nut splitter if you can get one that fits into the gap, it is tight but i have one i bought out of machine mart that does the trick. There's also the old favourite persuader and chisel. Some shocks have key slots in them too but you obviously need the correct key for this. I've also drilled a shock (it was leaky and thus empty!!) and put a bar through it but i can't advise anyone doing this, it was a last resort for me.
Oxy/acetylene is by far the easiest and quickest, but if you don't have access to burning equipment then the next easiest, quickest and safest way is to hold the shocker to stop it from turning whilst drilling a small hole (say 1/8") through one flat of the nut and straight through the other side, then fit a larger drill (say 5/16" or 8mm) and enlarge the hole with this. You will find it will practically fall off now if you hit it with a small chisel or try to turn it with a ring spanner. Any problems enlarge the hole until it *does* fall off. If you haven't got a steady hand and can't drill through the centre then turn the shocker through 180 degrees and drill the opposite side of the nut independently.
HTH Martin
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