Frustration with fitting springs!

ash · November 06, 2009, 05:56:06 PM

How do you get the top nut of the rear shock absorber to remove the spring! :mad: I tried an impact scredriver with 17mm socket, another nut to turn against, brute force, iron will all that and still no luck....Help?!!

steve garbutt · November 06, 2009, 06:14:19 PM

You have compressed the spring 1st ?

ash · November 06, 2009, 06:23:48 PM

Yep, I did so that the spring was rotating in the strut.

steve garbutt · November 06, 2009, 06:34:17 PM

Ah well sometimes there is an allen key hole in the top of the shock to stop it rotating.

If not then you prolly need to take it to a workshop with an impact gun to shock it off.

You local garage should pop it off for you for next to nothing.

ash · November 06, 2009, 06:40:27 PM

So the impact gun should turn the nut before the shock rod due to the sudden \'impact\' of the gun yeah?

dthebuk · November 06, 2009, 06:53:43 PM

would a huge vice work?

steve garbutt · November 06, 2009, 07:22:55 PM

Yep pop some pressure back on the shocker top by uncompressing the spring, then a few squirts with an impact gun will loosen it, compress the spring again then unwind the nut.
Works for me every time.

papercutout · November 07, 2009, 12:28:28 PM

The one I did the other day was pretty tough too.

WD40, soaked for a while then impact gun. Windy guns are SO useful, wish I had a compressor

ash · November 07, 2009, 06:03:32 PM

I soaked with some GT85, left it to soak, not for a really log time but it still didnt shift. This may be a daft question but when the shock is mounted in the car is it possible to loosen the top nut?

papercutout · November 07, 2009, 06:29:34 PM

Soak it overnight.

And maybe - if you can get spring compressors in there, but surely the piston rod will still just spin? Have you got a windy gun?