Best Way To Do Struts On A Sn95?

Moco · Jul 18, 2012

Im thinking about changing out struts on my 99 GT this weekend. My big issue is the 22mm strut nut atop the assmebly in the engine bay. Ideally, I would like to break this nut loose before I pull off the strut as opposed to taking it off after the stut has come off.

The only problem is I've already broken a screwdriver trying to immobilize the top of the strut in order to take the nut off with a wrench. I happen to have a pretty decent shop up the road, would it be possible to drive up there, ask them to hit the strut nuts with an impact wrench and then drive back to my place to change the struts out? Does that seem like it would work?

If anyone has a better way of doing this, I would appreciate it.

Thanks.

Mishimoto · Jul 18, 2012

If they are a good shop, why not trust them to do the install for you? I know with insurance companies the way they are nowadays, the shop may decline to do that for you.

N8Dogg98 · Jul 18, 2012

Have you tried an impact wrench? This did the trick on mine. If that doesn't work, try using a vice grips to grab onto the top of the threaded piece of the strut. Since you're replacing them anyways, who cares if you wreck the threads.

I've had good luck with the vice grips, but on my 17 year old DD the nut had frozen itself to the strut rod and I had to use the vice grips method. It sucked, but I eventually got it off.

Moco · Jul 18, 2012

Mishimoto said:
If they are a good shop, why not trust them to do the install for you? I know with insurance companies the way they are nowadays, the shop may decline to do that for you.

I could use the $100+ it would cost for an hour or more of labor for the shop to do the struts for a lot of other better things.

Moco · Jul 18, 2012

N8Dogg98 said:
Have you tried an impact wrench? This did the trick on mine. If that doesn't work, try using a vice grips to grab onto the top of the threaded piece of the strut. Since you're replacing them anyways, who cares if you wreck the threads.

I've had good luck with the vice grips, but on my 17 year old DD the nut had frozen itself to the strut rod and I had to use the vice grips method. It sucked, but I eventually got it off.

Im sure the impact wrench would work perfectly, but I dont have one or easy access to one. I tried vice grips, but I only have the smaller size and they didnt hold well enough.

N8Dogg98 · Jul 18, 2012

In that case, I have 2 suggestions:

Either invest in the necessary tools (a nice channel locks or nice big vice grips pliers) and a decent air wrench with 400-500 lb/ft of torque. You'd be suprised at how much you'd use both tools. Wouldn't take long to recoup the investment in the tools due to the money saved on labor.

Or you can remove both strut assemblies, and take both them to a local shop to see if they'll remove the strut mounts and install them on the new struts. I bet it would only cost you $50 to have a shop make this simple swap.

txredgt · Jul 18, 2012

Due to liability they won't work on the car partially. It's and all or nothing thing so it seems like you will be on your own to get it off by yourself. Have you priced tools at harbour freight or thought about renting a set for a day? If you plan on working at your car at home I would say that impact wrenches are a must. They make install/disassembly/reassembly a breeze compared to doing the work with a wrench.

phatboy5015 · Jul 18, 2012

Moco said:
Im sure the impact wrench would work perfectly, but I dont have one or easy access to one. I tried vice grips, but I only have the smaller size and they didnt hold well enough.

Go to Harbor Freight. I got a 1/2" electric impact for $50. And its stronger than most air impacts I've used.

Moco · Jul 18, 2012

phatboy5015 said:
Go to Harbor Freight. I got a 1/2" electric impact for $50. And its stronger than most air impacts I've used.

Thats not a bad idea. I got about $30 worth of stuff that I need to return at HF. Might not be a bad idea to see if I can pick up an electric impact.

Moco · Jul 18, 2012

I dont think the pidly HF electric one will do the job, but this here Milwaukee cordless elctric impact wrench is rated up to 450 ft/lbs. :

For $169 to your door, this doesnt look like a bad deal.

phatboy5015 · Jul 18, 2012

Moco said:
I dont think the pidly HF electric one will do the job, but this here Milwaukee cordless elctric impact wrench is rated up to 450 ft/lbs. :

For $169 to your door, this doesnt look like a bad deal.

The HF one is pretty stout.. But if you use an impact a lot the Milwaukee will probably last longer. But as little as I need an impact, the one from HF will last me forever.

Moco · Jul 18, 2012

phatboy5015 said:
The HF one is pretty stout.. But if you use an impact a lot the Milwaukee will probably last longer. But as little as I need an impact, the one from HF will last me forever.

I get what you're saying, but my point is that the Milwaukee one has a much higher torque rating and its cordless, so its actually useful for guys like me who dont have an electrical outlet in the places we work on cars.

Moco · Jul 18, 2012

N8Dogg98 said:
In that case, I have 2 suggestions:

Either invest in the necessary tools (a nice channel locks or nice big vice grips pliers) and a decent air wrench with 400-500 lb/ft of torque. You'd be suprised at how much you'd use both tools. Wouldn't take long to recoup the investment in the tools due to the money saved on labor.

Or you can remove both strut assemblies, and take both them to a local shop to see if they'll remove the strut mounts and install them on the new struts. I bet it would only cost you $50 to have a shop make this simple swap.

doing this would make a front end alignment necessary would it not?

N8Dogg98 · Jul 18, 2012

You need an alignment no matter what you do.

As a side note, you seem hesitant to spend any money on maintaining your car and I don't understand why. If you buy the tools and do it yourself (aside from the alignment) it will actually cost you less than having a shop do the work. You have the added benefit of accumulating tools that are necessary to properly conduct future repairs and your potential savings will only increase as you continue to accumulate tools.

If you can't afford to buy the correct tools and do the install properly by getting an alignment, then don't replace them yet. Struts don't really have to be replaced unless they're seized up. Worse case scenario is you have poor ride quality and sub-par handling. Do it right the first time or don't do it at all.

If you were to replace the struts w/o an alignment you'd likely be replacing your tires in 6 months anyways.

Moco · Jul 18, 2012

N8Dogg98 said:
You need an alignment no matter what you do.

As a side note, you seem hesitant to spend any money on maintaining your car and I don't understand why. If you buy the tools and do it yourself (aside from the alignment) it will actually cost you less than having a shop do the work. You have the added benefit of accumulating tools that are necessary to properly conduct future repairs and your potential savings will only increase as you continue to accumulate tools.

If you can't afford to buy the correct tools and do the install properly by getting an alignment, then don't replace them yet. Struts don't really have to be replaced unless they're seized up. Worse case scenario is you have poor ride quality and sub-par handling. Do it right the first time or don't do it at all.

If you were to replace the struts w/o an alignment you'd likely be replacing your tires in 6 months anyways.

You're mistaken in your assessment. Fact is, in the last 6 months, Ive done numerous maintenance & repair items on this car - saving hundreds if not thousands in labor costs and doing them properly.

replaced radiator fan
new brake pads all around
replaced torn o-ring on an injector
replaced intake manifold
replaced IAC valve

I buy OEM parts and I get most of them on eBay for a fraction of the price that the dealer parts counter would charge. Am I cheap? Maybe. But I paid $64 shipped for OEM front & rear brake pads where the dealer was charging more than that for just the front. I paid $181 shipped for my FRPP intake, where everywhere else it was $240 or so.

As far as tools go, I buy tools that I need and will use. Do you have 3 torque wrenches? I do:

1/2 in. measured in ft/lbs
3/8 in. measured in in/lbs
1/4 in. measured in in/lbs

I dont use an impact wrench all that often and dont want to spend money for a likely one time use thing.

Lastly, I live in an apartment complex and do my work in either an open air parking lot or an underground garage. I dont have the luxury of a workspace like many of you have in your home garages - I dont have electric outlets, space for a generator, or a workbench. Thus, I cant accumulate a bunch of tools that I cant secure or store.

N8Dogg98 · Jul 18, 2012

An impact wrench makes everything easier and they have a variety of uses. The cordless units are likely the best for you given your specific situation, and the Milwaukee unit you added above would work well.

You also have the option to rent tools from Home Depot and I'm sure they have a cordless impact wrench you can rent.

Moco · Jul 18, 2012

N8Dogg98 said:
An impact wrench makes everything easier and they have a variety of uses. The cordless units are likely the best for you given your specific situation, and the Milwaukee unit you added above would work well.

You also have the option to rent tools from Home Depot and I'm sure they have a cordless impact wrench you can rent.

Thanks for the info, I'll look into that.

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