Trying to remove my Bilstein 5100s from the rear...

[gmcmanus663]

I'm in the process of putting an e-locker into my 02 and I wanted too remove everything from around where the axle sits so that I can clean up all of the frame to prevent rust (has surface rust I want to stop).

My biggest priority is cleaning up the upper rear shock mounts. I lifted my runner about a year and a half ago and I put Bilstein 5100s all around. I started to remove them, and got about 3/4 of the left shock undone but now the inner section of the shock just spins when I try and undo it.

I just learned that the top of my shock has an allen key head. I have a 5mm Allen on it but mine are a combination of too short and maybe not the right size. I couldn't get any other Allen to fit any better.

Can anyone conform the size of the Allen on top of the 5100s and does anyone have any tips for keeping the Allen still to hold the part of the shock that is spinning?

Thanks in advance

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[phattyduck]

Yes, it is a 5mm on the Bilsteins. Here's how I did it:

That's an offset box wrench (17mm?) and a allen socket on a ratchet. Since you want to re-use the shock, you can't use the normal method of vice grips on the shaft...

-Charlie

 

[I_bRAD]

Yes, it is a 5mm on the Bilsteins. Here's how I did it:

That's an offset box wrench (17mm?) and a allen socket on a ratchet. Since you want to re-use the shock, you can't use the normal method of vice grips on the shaft...

-Charlie

I'm impressed you were able to get such a good picture of that!

 

[gmcmanus663]

Yes, it is a 5mm on the Bilsteins. Here's how I did it:

That's an offset box wrench (17mm?) and a allen socket on a ratchet. Since you want to re-use the shock, you can't use the normal method of vice grips on the shaft...

-Charlie

I think I'll have to get some Allen sockets then. My 5mm "normal" Allen key seems to be slipping and at this point I'd like to be able to just tighten them but I'm kinda stuck. Hopefully that works!

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[gmcmanus663]

Welp sure seems like the Allen piece on top of the shock is stripped. I didn't want to, but did try using a vice grips on the shaft of the shock near the top. Just spun. Didn't mess it up at all even though it was very tight. Running out of ideas. And I really don't want to but new shocks right now especially since I need to make a 1000 mile road trip on the 18th... Running out of time

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[I_bRAD]

Welp sure seems like the Allen piece on top of the shock is stripped. I didn't want to, but did try using a vice grips on the shaft of the shock near the top. Just spun. Didn't mess it up at all even though it was very tight. Running out of ideas. And I really don't want to but new shocks right now especially since I need to make a 1000 mile road trip on the 18th... Running out of time

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Impact ratchet might work?

 

[2ndhandyotaman]

Measure the diameter of the shock shaft with calipers. ( you want a reasonably close measurement ) Drill a hole through a square piece of wood that same size, then cut the wood in half so that each half of the wood has a semi-circle shape running through it. Now clamp those 2 pieces of wood back together around the shock shaft with a big C clamp and use that clamp as a handle to hold the shaft while using a wrench on the upper mounting nut.

This is a way that I was shown years ago to hold a hydraulic cylinder shaft in place when nothing else would work while rebuilding motorcycle forks and rear shocks. It's worked for me at other times as well.

 

[gmcmanus663]

Impact ratchet might work?

I tried an air ratchet, which was the only other thing that would actually fit up there. It just wasn't strong enough

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[gmcmanus663]

Measure the diameter of the shock shaft with calipers. ( you want a reasonably close measurement ) Drill a hole through a square piece of wood that same size, then cut the wood in half so that each half of the wood has a semi-circle shape running through it. Now clamp those 2 pieces of wood back together around the shock shaft with a big C clamp and use that clamp as a handle to hold the shaft while using a wrench on the upper mounting nut.

This is a way that I was shown years ago to hold a hydraulic cylinder shaft in place when nothing else would work while rebuilding motorcycle forks and rear shocks. It's worked for me at other times as well.

This sounds promising! I'll try that as soon as I can get back to the garage

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[eurasiaoverland]

I did it differently.

On my 4600s you can pull the plastic dust shield off the collar which keeps it on the top of the piston, exposing the metal piston. I then got about 10 sheets of paper, tore a small portion off and used locking pliers gently on the piston with the multiple layers of paper to protect the piston. You don't need to grip it very tightly to get the nut off, and you won't damage anything.

 

[gmcmanus663]

I did it differently.

On my 4600s you can pull the plastic dust shield off the collar which keeps it on the top of the piston, exposing the metal piston. I then got about 10 sheets of paper, tore a small portion off and used locking pliers gently on the piston with the multiple layers of paper to protect the piston. You don't need to grip it very tightly to get the nut off, and you won't damage anything.

I tried this work done electrical tape and when I got desperate with nothing at all. It didn't work for me. The shaft would just spin and luckily it didn't do any damage even though it was on there as tight as I could get it. I'm going to try the wood method mentioned above and if that doesn't work I may have another idea

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[gmcmanus663]

Okay, I tried the wood method using three c clamps to spread the force on the shaft of the shock. The shaft still spins underneath it.

I have an idea however and I would like some input. I think it makes sense for these still shocks to be able to accept an open end wrench somewhere on that shaft. Does anyone think it would be possible to grind a little slot on opposite sides of the shaft so that an adjustable wrench, vice grips or even a normal wrench would fit on it. I don't want to take much material off for obvious reasons, just enough so that it is not round and that you could get a tool onto it.

I think if I were to do this I would do it at the very top of the shock shaft, so that it would be nowhere close to where the shock would actually compress to.

I know it sounds crazy but let me know what you all think. I'm running out of options and I think this may be one of the last ones I've got.

Thanks!

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[I_bRAD]

Okay, I tried the wood method using three c clamps to spread the force on the shaft of the shock. The shaft still spins underneath it.

I have an idea however and I would like some input. I think it makes sense for these still shocks to be able to accept an open end wrench somewhere on that shaft. Does anyone think it would be possible to grind a little slot on opposite sides of the shaft so that an adjustable wrench, vice grips or even a normal wrench would fit on it. I don't want to take much material off for obvious reasons, just enough so that it is not round and that you could get a tool onto it.

I think if I were to do this I would do it at the very top of the shock shaft, so that it would be nowhere close to where the shock would actually compress to.

I know it sounds crazy but let me know what you all think. I'm running out of options and I think this may be one of the last ones I've got.

Thanks!

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If you're going to do that then you might as well just grab the shaft with vice-grips. Why don't you try the wood thing again, but with some rubber between the shaft and the wood. I'm thinking bicycle innertube or similar thickness.

 

[2ndhandyotaman]

Sorry it didn't work, I've used the trick as a last ditch effort on small hydraulic shafts on mountain bike and motorcross rear shocks. The hole in the wood needs to be the same as the diameter of the shock shaft, so when you cut the wood in half, the thickness of the saw blade removes just enough material so that the half round slots in the wood are now a tiny bit smaller in diameter than the shock shaft. making it a slight interference fit when the clamps get tightened down.

Maybe the inner tube rubber wrapped around the shaft before the wood clamp might help. Those rear upper shocks mounts are a miserable design to work with. If it really came down to it, I guess that you could cut away at the lower rubber isolater on the upper mount ( the one that you can see ) in order to take some of the tension off of the nut.

 

[phattyduck]

I started to remove them, and got about 3/4 of the left shock undone but now the inner section of the shock just spins when I try and undo it.

If the nut was already somewhat loose (it is nylock, so there should be SOME resistance) then tightened up on the way out, you may have galled threads. The only fix there is to replace the shock if the threads are too messed up...

-Charlie

 

[gmcmanus663]

If you're going to do that then you might as well just grab the shaft with vice-grips. Why don't you try the wood thing again, but with some rubber between the shaft and the wood. I'm thinking bicycle innertube or similar thickness.

I already resorted to vice grips and they just spun. I'll try that, thanks!

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[gmcmanus663]

Sorry it didn't work, I've used the trick as a last ditch effort on small hydraulic shafts on mountain bike and motorcross rear shocks. The hole in the wood needs to be the same as the diameter of the shock shaft, so when you cut the wood in half, the thickness of the saw blade removes just enough material so that the half round slots in the wood are now a tiny bit smaller in diameter than the shock shaft. making it a slight interference fit when the clamps get tightened down.

Maybe the inner tube rubber wrapped around the shaft before the wood clamp might help. Those rear upper shocks mounts are a miserable design to work with. If it really came down to it, I guess that you could cut away at the lower rubber isolater on the upper mount ( the one that you can see ) in order to take some of the tension off of the nut.

I accounted for the saw blade and the wood fit nice and snug but I'll try that rubber trick

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[gmcmanus663]

Well with nothing else left to try except my idea of grinding a little bit on either side of the shock shaft to fit a tool I decided I had to just bite the bullet and do it. As I mentioned before, I already tried vice grips on the shaft directly, even though I didn't want to and I tried every suggestion already mentioned above too. This really was my last resort. I'm glad to report that it worked!

Here's what I decided to do:

I just cut a piece of painters tape that perfectly fit around the shock shaft. I used it to mark exactly where I wanted to grind it down, one on either side of the shaft. I ground the shaft down as little as I could, just enough so that there were two little flat spots on opposite sides of the shaft. The idea was to be about to get an adjustable wrench, or vice grips (what I used) on this so that they wouldn't slip, holding the center shaft of the shock in place so that you can remove the nut up top.

I think it makes most sense to grind at the very top of the shock, where it will never actually compress to. This way it's not going to make it leak etc. Once you grind it down all you have to do is take whatever tool you are using on that piece of the shock and position it against the frame, then get a ratchet and socket on the nut up top and loosen it. I found that a swivel head ratchet with a deep 17 mm worked best.

Now I know some may not like the idea of grinding like this on your shocks, especially like in my case when they're still practically new Bilstein 5100s. Even though mine weren't old or even rusty, this was still the last resort and the only thing that worked to get them off. I took very little material off and I am confident that they will perform like normal still. If anything happens I'll report back here.

Now it's time for me to keep moving forward with my e-locker swap. The whole reason to get these shocks out was so that I could clean up the upper rear shock mounts to keep them from rusting thanks to the salt belt that I live in. I'll throw some pictures of my shocks below so that you can see that it really did work. What a relief it was that it did because I've got a big road trip ahead of me in less than a week.

I hope this helps anyone in the same situation as me. Of course I'd recommend trying the other suggestions listed above as they might work better for you.

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