Help! Shock Removal From Strut
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wv_lx450
Member
you will probably have to hold the top of the shock shaft (above the nut) with pair of vice grips and use a wrench to loosen the nut.
ScooterMD
New member
Try heating it up moderately well with a torch - not too much to damage the rest of the shock. Then let it soak overnight in your favorite lube. Then heat it again the next day and do as wv_lx450 says.
It could be rusted on. you got pics of the assembly?
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Soneill
Member
PB Blaster works great. Do you have an impact? If so use vise grips on the shock shaft like said above and hit it with the impact, I should come right off.
I do have an impact. Where would you suggest vicing the shaft since it would then be covered by the socket on the impact?
Sorry I am usually not this challenged lol but this one has gotten to me
Soneill
Member
Forgive my crude picture. But put impact at #1 and voice grips on the shaft at #2 between the spring coils. Usethe work bench to hold the vice grips.
Soneill
Member
Looks like he plans on doing that, there is a spring compressor to left in the one pic. At least I hope he plans to use it first.
Absolutely plan on using the spring compressor.
So what your saying is put the spring compressor on but don't compress it and hit it with the impact to get it free and then compress and remove fully?
Just didn't want to do that and impale myself
Soneill
Member
No, compress it first. Once you compress it enough that it is loose from the top hat and you can tell all the pressure is off. Once you do that there will still be room to grab the shaft with the vise grips. Then hit it with the impact.
ScooterMD
New member
Whoa there!
1 - Compress the springs so there is no pressure on the nut you want to remove. Be safe.
2 - Try removing the nut with an impact. Use a 6-pt socket. If that doesn't work:
3 - Hold the top of the strut with a vise grip or a vise and then use a good wrench on the nut (suggest a 6-point rather than 12-point; definitely don't use a crescent)
If you try to remove the bolt while the springs aren't compressed, you may lose an eye.
That whole setup looks like it's seen many salty winters. I would still suggest heating gently, followed by a good lube soak and another heating, before trying to remove that bolt. I like PB blaster but anything should be good. It will delay you a day or even just a few hours, but it looks like that bolt is already being stripped. If you strip it too much further, you may have to grind it off, which will be hard to do without damaging the strut.
When I had compressed it the first time, I did get any gap in the top hat but down on the seat of the strut. If I continue to compress will I see a gap at the top hat?
Spring compressors are a little dicey so I didn't want to compress more than needed.
Soneill
Member
The spring should move around freely.
Ahh! So maybe I did not compress enough? I have PB Blaster soaking right now so I will give it a little longer and then try to compress more than I had the first time around
Soneill
Member
Possibly, use your impact on the spring compressor as well it will go alot faster. The spring compressor will be about 3/4 of the way screwed down.
There is a few way's to accomplish this.
One way that is easiest to manage without risking hurting yourself is this. Place the strut assembly back into the truck. Get the nut's started on the top plate stud's an the bolt through the lower strut eyelet. You don't need them tightened, just finger tighten the nut's to the stud's an bolt. You can now use the open end of a box wrench to hold the top of the strut on the flat spots. I believe a 6mm wrench is what held my 5100's still. Hit it with penetrating oil, use the 6mm wrench or vice grip's, while getting the nut started loose with a wrench. Ratcheting wrench would be ideal.
From the point it starts to loosen, you can either place a jack under the LCA, lift the LCA until the truck almost come's off the jackstand under the frame rail, so the suspension is "loaded". While it's loaded, the pressure come's off the spindle an UCA. You can loosen an remove the two lower balljoint bolt's. Once those are out, you can fully remove the top nut from the strut. Then, SLOWLY lower the jack under the LCA, this will let the pressure off the coil spring without using your compressor an the LCA will separate from the spindle as the UCA pulls it upward. The LCA will swing down vertical to the ground an you can safely drop the strut down an the shaft will swing towards you to remove the spring. Swap them out, then slowly jack the LCA into place paying close attention to the strut shaft an the hole in the top plate. When you line that up, jack the LCA back up into "loaded" position with vehicle weight on the jack. You can now tighten the nut down onto the strut shaft, tighten the top plate nut's, tighten the lower shock bolt, the LCA will be back up against the spindle/hub, line up the balljoint retainer plate an thread those bolt's back in.
The LCA cam bolt's get 100 ft lb's (you'll need an alignment which I'm sure you knew), the lower shock bolt get's 100, the lower balljoint bolt's get 116 ft lb's. This is safer then any spring compressor in my opinion, plus you don't have to fight loosening stubborn hardware on a loose object that can roll around. Hope that makes sense from my head through the keyboard. I can throw a front end together in minutes on these truck's now. I may have skipped a small step, but you seem like someone who will pick this up quickly once you start seeing it come apart.
One way that is easiest to manage without risking hurting yourself is this. Place the strut assembly back into the truck. Get the nut's started on the top plate stud's an the bolt through the lower strut eyelet. You don't need them tightened, just finger tighten the nut's to the stud's an bolt. You can now use the open end of a box wrench to hold the top of the strut on the flat spots. I believe a 6mm wrench is what held my 5100's still. Hit it with penetrating oil, use the 6mm wrench or vice grip's, while getting the nut started loose with a wrench. Ratcheting wrench would be ideal.
From the point it starts to loosen, you can either place a jack under the LCA, lift the LCA until the truck almost come's off the jackstand under the frame rail, so the suspension is "loaded". While it's loaded, the pressure come's off the spindle an UCA. You can loosen an remove the two lower balljoint bolt's. Once those are out, you can fully remove the top nut from the strut. Then, SLOWLY lower the jack under the LCA, this will let the pressure off the coil spring without using your compressor an the LCA will separate from the spindle as the UCA pulls it upward. The LCA will swing down vertical to the ground an you can safely drop the strut down an the shaft will swing towards you to remove the spring. Swap them out, then slowly jack the LCA into place paying close attention to the strut shaft an the hole in the top plate. When you line that up, jack the LCA back up into "loaded" position with vehicle weight on the jack. You can now tighten the nut down onto the strut shaft, tighten the top plate nut's, tighten the lower shock bolt, the LCA will be back up against the spindle/hub, line up the balljoint retainer plate an thread those bolt's back in.
The LCA cam bolt's get 100 ft lb's (you'll need an alignment which I'm sure you knew), the lower shock bolt get's 100, the lower balljoint bolt's get 116 ft lb's. This is safer then any spring compressor in my opinion, plus you don't have to fight loosening stubborn hardware on a loose object that can roll around. Hope that makes sense from my head through the keyboard. I can throw a front end together in minutes on these truck's now. I may have skipped a small step, but you seem like someone who will pick this up quickly once you start seeing it come apart.
