removal of nut at top of strut

[billw]

Well I worked all morning and finally got the strut off the car, I have the spring compressed but cannot budge the nut at the top. Haynes says to use a spanner to hold the piston? Not sure I know what a spanner is? when I turn the nut the whole piston turns. I tried holding the the very tip with a wrench and tried to remove the nut, only stripped the end. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Bill

little brute strength and I got it.........Thanks

[Richard]

Think air gun the next time......

[ahlem]

Different struts have different ends. We just did Bilstein HD on the front of a 1991 318is. We used an 8mm 1/4" drive socket on the top of the strut and passed a long 1/4" drive extension through the hole in a 1/2" drive deep wall socket that went on the strut nut. We ground flats on the top of the deep wall and grabbed it with a 19mm wrench. Held the center and turned the nut. This was after air impact didn't do the job. On the other side nothing worked so we chiseled the lock nut and removed a section then did the procedure above. I may cut through a socket and weld a handle on it so I can use 3/8 or 1/2 drive on the center nut next time. I had one strut once with flats on 2 sides of the center shaft that got the chisel treatment immediately.

[pkbinplano]

if you have it off the car and spring compressed, and don't have a impact, take it to a muffler shop and have them zip it off with a impact

[billw]

thanks guys for all the help, got all the innards out of the strut and called it a night, I will hit it first thing in the morning. I used to consider myself an above average mechanic, after today, Im a slightly below average mechanic! Hopefully the other side will be smoother. Could not have done it without this forum tho.

Bill

[02Les]

FYI:

The Haynes manual is compiled in the UK.

A Spanner is what us Brits call a Wrench.

[roadhog0]

Impact wrench, worked miracles for me!

[c.d.iesel]

...NEXT TIME - you loosen the nut up a bunch of turns

first, while the car is still all together and sitting on the ground.

(spanner) wrench

[billw]

Just wanted to say thanks to all. Took me 4 days (a couple hours a day) to do struts and ball joints on one side and just three hours to do the other. Then I realized I needed some dust covers (bellows) so I un-did enough to pull the strut assembly out from under the wheel well and put new bellows on. One strut had next to no oil in it. I can now drink a cup of coffee while I'm driving to work.

Thanks for the help,

Bill