Can I remove the top strut mount nut (the center nut on the main shaft of the shock) with an air ratchet (~50 lbs of torque)? Or do I need an impact gun (~200 lbs of torque)?

Thanks for the help

 

After you have relieved the stress of the spring it doesn't take much to remove that nut. I did it with a hand tool.

 

TropicCat,
Be careful if the shock is the Adaptive version. If you disconnected a wire plug, then it has CATS and JTIS recommends using a ring spanner on the nut and a Hex key down the middle to stop the shaft rod rotating.

 

Thanks, I don't have the active suspension.

I asked about the impact tools because the last car I tried to remove the shock nut from I couldn't remove. I compressed the spring & removed the tension but turning it with a hand tool or a cordless impact gun only resulted in spinning the shock main shaft. There was nothing to grip on the shaft to stop it from spinning when I turned it. There were no flat spots on the top of the shaft (above the threads) to grip with a wrench or pliers. Nor was there anything below the threads except a smooth, round shaft. I don't want to repeat that experience.

I'll give the hand tools a try before buying an impact tool for now. But something tells me that I'll need to spin the nut a lot faster than the shock will allow the shaft to turn to get it off.

Thanks again.

 

Tropiccat,

You're gonna change the shocks without an impact wrench? How will you work the spring compressor? Edit: I just re read your note. Looks like that's a yes! More power to you mate.


John

 

I've only used a spring compressor once before with less than satisfying results. I didn't have any problems compressing the spring with hand tools but I couldn't free the nut from the shock shaft even with a cordless impact gun. I'm sure the nut was frozen to the threaded shaft and no amount of PB Blaster would free it. I tried the cordless gun several times over three days after soaking the nut with Blaster but no joy. Apparently the impact gun needs either sufficient torque or RPMs to rotate the nut faster than the shaft will spin. My cordless impact gun didn't cut it.

Now I have a compressor and an air tool is possible but I'd prefer an air ratchet to an impact gun. The ratchet is smaller and lighter and provides more access under the hood and under the car. The impact gun is too heavy and bulky to use in most situations on the car. The down side is that the air ratchet has much less torque and lower max RPMs so I'm not sure it will be suitable for freeing a frozen nut on a shock main shaft. That's what led to my question. Given the age of the car I'm SURE that the top nut on the shock main shaft is frozen so I expect I'll get the spring compressed and then have no end of trouble getting the nut off.

So the question remains as to whether an air ratchet is a sufficient tool for the job. Or do I really need an impact gun.

If the nut isn't frozen I expect I'll be able to remove it by hand without tools. But if it's frozen ...

Thanks for the help.

 

It's the rapid spinning of the impact tool that get the nut off. In this case speed doesn't kill, it works for you. This is true of a few other situations too like the bottom bolt on motorcycle fork tubes. I've done a few. TM

 

So does an air ratchet spin fast enough to free these nuts? Or do I REALLY need an impact gun? The air ratchets have max RPMs in the 100 - 200 range. The impact guns have RPMs well over 1000.

 

To be brief and I'm usually not LOL, No and Yes. Speed is your friend in this case. TM

 

Thanks. I need an impact gun. #$%^&! I was afraid of that. Just what I need. More overpriced tools I'll only use once.

 

TropicCat, I was able to remove the top shock nut using hand tools. Make sure you have compressed the spring as much as possible. If the spring is exerting even a little pressure you will not be able to easily get the nut off.

 

+1 on that. No problems with hand tools

 

Why not grind a pair of small flats on the top of the shaft to hold with vice grips, so that you can break the nut free, then once free spin it of with your air tools. I'm surprised there are no flats on yours, are they aftermarket?

 

My last attempt at strut repair was on a different vehicle. That particular model didn't machine the top of the shock rod for ease of removal. But even if it did it might not help. If the nut is frozen sufficiently those flat spots simply snap off while trying to free the nut. At least that's been my experience with them so far. Again, not on this car but on previous cars.

 

Agreed. As long as the pressure is released and the nut isn't frozen to the shock rod it shouldn't be that hard to remove. But given that the car is 20 years old I suspect they're frozen together.