How do I keep the strut piston from spinning so I can get the top nut on? ( sorry if this is in search I'm on my phone)
Your not supposed to do this but you can also put some vice grips as close to the top of the strut as possible and use that to hold the piston. Don't grab it down where the marks could mess up the strut when it compresses.
So this is where i am at now,
I have both rear assemblies complete but the top nut is not tight enough because it just spins the piston. Some people have said to just use an impact wrench but wont that just spin the piston with the nut too? i dont see why it wouldnt...unless it could somehow break it lose...
either way if i can figure this stupid problem out i can fix the rear and finish the front tomorrow (today, sunday) and get aligned Monday.
so would an impact wrench do the trick and somehow overcome the spinning piston problem?
and would vice grips work any better than me squeezing a wrench with rubber wrapped around the piston?
thanks guys...
open end wrench and a socket.. use the open end on the bigger nut, then a socket on the smaller one.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edited Saturday, July 31, 2010 10:59 PM
Every time I take the top nuts off my strut I use an impact wrench. The sudden jerks that the wrench provides breaks the nut loose faster than the rod can turn. It works, trust me.
bradsk88 wrote:Every time I take the top nuts off my strut I use an impact wrench. The sudden jerks that the wrench provides breaks the nut loose faster than the rod can turn. It works, trust me.
yup.
if you don't have an impact availible this
MiniTransAm/02WS6TA wrote:Your not supposed to do this but you can also put some vice grips as close to the top of the strut as possible and use that to hold the piston. Don't grab it down where the marks could mess up the strut when it compresses.
works as well.
I used an impact on the rears, the "hits" from it will tighten the nut without the rod spinning, just have the strut assembly secure or the entire thing will try to spin around when it does snug up.
I ended up having to use an adjustable wrench and an 15/16" angled wrench to tighten the fronts (didn't have a tall enough socket to use the impact all the way)
Thanks everyone for your tips,
my solution was this: new head nuts for the rears... after that we took em to Big Ten Tires and they used the power tools to tighten it up. worked like a charm.
make sure to check out my pics from the end result. Photos and Media forum.
thanks!
Next time, the easiest way I've found to keep them from spinning is to thread the nut by hand far enough to release the spring retainer tool thingie to put pressure on the mount, which puts pressure on the nut, which then is impacted till the hammer starts to kick. Then the springs are released from the compressor and the strut installed in the car's towers. With the car still on jacks, there was enough spring force to keep the rod from spinning while I torqued it down. I thinks it's something like 80 ft/lbs, 130 ft/lbs for the lower hub to strut bolts...130ft/lbs is a bitch when you don't weight a lot. And I think the nuts holding the mount in place are like 18 ft/lbs?
