HELP, Can't remove the rear strut after 4 hours of trying
07-30-18, 05:03 PM
#3
That spring can be compressed wayyy more than it is in your picture. You can also grab the coil higher on the left side to even out the compression. The other thing you can do is step on the rotor to make clearance. With your weight on the hub/rotor you should be able to get a couple extra inches of clearance to pull the strut out.
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Tempock (07-30-18)
07-30-18, 05:57 PM
#5
The stock rear suspension is pretty hard to take out on your own. Start off by disconnecting the sway bar end links. That'll allow for the LCA to drop down a lot more.
After that you'll need a way to push the entire rear hub assembly down. Either by having someone stand on the hub/rotor and jumping up and down. When the hub assembly goes down, then pull the shock towards you until the studs clear. After that you'll have more room to move the shock assembly left and right, and eventually over the lca to come out.
An alternative to having someone jump on the hub is to use a really long bar (I use the floor jack pipe) and wedge it between the UCA and frame. I let the pipe sit on top of the UCA (this is going to bend the dust shield if you still have it), then I push down on the pipe and pull the shock towards me.
This thread should help you too: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/per...ts-shocks.html
After that you'll need a way to push the entire rear hub assembly down. Either by having someone stand on the hub/rotor and jumping up and down. When the hub assembly goes down, then pull the shock towards you until the studs clear. After that you'll have more room to move the shock assembly left and right, and eventually over the lca to come out.
An alternative to having someone jump on the hub is to use a really long bar (I use the floor jack pipe) and wedge it between the UCA and frame. I let the pipe sit on top of the UCA (this is going to bend the dust shield if you still have it), then I push down on the pipe and pull the shock towards me.
This thread should help you too: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/per...ts-shocks.html
Last edited by Blkexcoupe; 07-30-18 at 06:00 PM.
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Tempock (07-30-18)
07-30-18, 07:12 PM
#7
Yes, definitely disconnect the sway bar endlinks (on both side). Having them connected effectively connect your left and right springs making depressing the hub on one side twice as hard. And yes they are very easy to reconnect.
You should definitely relax the spring compressors and let the whole suspension be at a rest state and proceed.
You should definitely relax the spring compressors and let the whole suspension be at a rest state and proceed.
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07-30-18, 07:44 PM
#8
What do you mean by "I took out the 19mm bolt/nut and the 12mm nuts in the trunk"? Did you take the nut off of the top of the strut? If so, this is your problem. You should have only taken off the (3) 8mm nuts (not 12mm, that is the size of the socket/wrench). When you take the nut off the strut you have lost the compression between the shock mount and strut spring rest. You should be able to bring the strut, spring, and strut mount all out together with the spring still compressed to strut maximum travel. When you do the other ones, make sure you do it this way.
Your best bet at this point is to take a ratchet strap and try to compress the spring enough to get some clearance. Maybe you can do it with the spring compressor, hopefully so.
Also like others have said, take your sway bar loose or just jack up both sides of the car to get maximum travel. For the rears, you can take a long pry bar, like someone said above, and put it in one of the cast holes in the upper control arm and get enough down travel to get clearance. The fronts won't be an issue. By the way, I have put shocks/struts/coilovers on three cars, one of them three times so it's not like I am not speaking from experience.
Your best bet at this point is to take a ratchet strap and try to compress the spring enough to get some clearance. Maybe you can do it with the spring compressor, hopefully so.
Also like others have said, take your sway bar loose or just jack up both sides of the car to get maximum travel. For the rears, you can take a long pry bar, like someone said above, and put it in one of the cast holes in the upper control arm and get enough down travel to get clearance. The fronts won't be an issue. By the way, I have put shocks/struts/coilovers on three cars, one of them three times so it's not like I am not speaking from experience.
Last edited by RXRodger; 07-30-18 at 07:52 PM.
07-30-18, 08:36 PM
#11
OK, keep calm. You'll do it.
Place car jack under control arm and push up till strut goes thru the 3 holes and keep pushing until you can screw back the center nut; screw it in until the strut clears nut. You don't need to mess with the 3 unless you want to put them back so as not to lose them.
Remove caliper and rotor.
The end links will be difficult if not impossible. You'll need a 10mm socket and a 'star' on the other end. They are probably rusted to the point that you you cut them or use small pliers to hold one end while unscrewing the 10 mms nut.
Once you do this remove floor jack of you haven't already; remove 3 strut nuts.
Press down control arm with foot all the way- I suppose you have the car high enough- while you remove the strut, pressing down and toward you. You don't need to have the coils compressed, in fact it's more difficult.
Now, scream, swear and have a cold one.
Get the rest of the parts you need and get ready to swear some more when you see what one end links cost.
Please do not ask me how I know this.
Place car jack under control arm and push up till strut goes thru the 3 holes and keep pushing until you can screw back the center nut; screw it in until the strut clears nut. You don't need to mess with the 3 unless you want to put them back so as not to lose them.
Remove caliper and rotor.
The end links will be difficult if not impossible. You'll need a 10mm socket and a 'star' on the other end. They are probably rusted to the point that you you cut them or use small pliers to hold one end while unscrewing the 10 mms nut.
Once you do this remove floor jack of you haven't already; remove 3 strut nuts.
Press down control arm with foot all the way- I suppose you have the car high enough- while you remove the strut, pressing down and toward you. You don't need to have the coils compressed, in fact it's more difficult.
Now, scream, swear and have a cold one.
Get the rest of the parts you need and get ready to swear some more when you see what one end links cost.
Please do not ask me how I know this.
07-30-18, 09:22 PM
#12
I tightened the spring compressor as much as I could and stepped on the rotor while trying to pull the strut out towards me at the bottom. There's about half a cm left which prevents it from being free, and at this point I'm a little worried about compressing the spring more, should I keep going?
The sway bar links are definitely making this job harder like you said, but is it easy to remove and put them back in place? Also before I disconnect the sway bar links should i de-compress the springs and start from beginning?
The sway bar links are definitely making this job harder like you said, but is it easy to remove and put them back in place? Also before I disconnect the sway bar links should i de-compress the springs and start from beginning?
The sway bar links in the rear are easier to take on and off because they have stopper built into them.
What do you mean by "I took out the 19mm bolt/nut and the 12mm nuts in the trunk"? Did you take the nut off of the top of the strut? If so, this is your problem. You should have only taken off the (3) 8mm nuts (not 12mm, that is the size of the socket/wrench). When you take the nut off the strut you have lost the compression between the shock mount and strut spring rest. You should be able to bring the strut, spring, and strut mount all out together with the spring still compressed to strut maximum travel. When you do the other ones, make sure you do it this way.
Your best bet at this point is to take a ratchet strap and try to compress the spring enough to get some clearance. Maybe you can do it with the spring compressor, hopefully so.
Also like others have said, take your sway bar loose or just jack up both sides of the car to get maximum travel. For the rears, you can take a long pry bar, like someone said above, and put it in one of the cast holes in the upper control arm and get enough down travel to get clearance. The fronts won't be an issue. By the way, I have put shocks/struts/coilovers on three cars, one of them three times so it's not like I am not speaking from experience.
Your best bet at this point is to take a ratchet strap and try to compress the spring enough to get some clearance. Maybe you can do it with the spring compressor, hopefully so.
Also like others have said, take your sway bar loose or just jack up both sides of the car to get maximum travel. For the rears, you can take a long pry bar, like someone said above, and put it in one of the cast holes in the upper control arm and get enough down travel to get clearance. The fronts won't be an issue. By the way, I have put shocks/struts/coilovers on three cars, one of them three times so it's not like I am not speaking from experience.
Another good point is that both sides of the car should be in the air.
Ok so I followed this coilover tutorial on CL.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sus...0-install.html
It said to remove the 12mm nuts on the tophat in the trunk first. I was just following the guide.
I tried to remove the sway bar end links but I can't disconnect it since the nut is stuck and keeps spinning. I have no idea how I'd prop it to remove the nut.
This was what it looked like before I loosened the compressor.
https://imgur.com/a/A7wuX4J
Which way would I try to push the strut? I'm really not sure what to do now, continue to try to disconnect the end link or simply compress the **** out of that spring and hope I don't die.
it's been 9 hours since I started and I havn't even managed to take off one strut ffs this is ridiculous. People were saying it'll only take 2 hours max to get all the struts and install the new coilovers. If I new this would take so long I would've just paid the 800$ to install the coilovers at a shop (the only mechanic after calling 10 places quoted me 800$ in labour).
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sus...0-install.html
It said to remove the 12mm nuts on the tophat in the trunk first. I was just following the guide.
I tried to remove the sway bar end links but I can't disconnect it since the nut is stuck and keeps spinning. I have no idea how I'd prop it to remove the nut.
This was what it looked like before I loosened the compressor.
https://imgur.com/a/A7wuX4J
Which way would I try to push the strut? I'm really not sure what to do now, continue to try to disconnect the end link or simply compress the **** out of that spring and hope I don't die.
it's been 9 hours since I started and I havn't even managed to take off one strut ffs this is ridiculous. People were saying it'll only take 2 hours max to get all the struts and install the new coilovers. If I new this would take so long I would've just paid the 800$ to install the coilovers at a shop (the only mechanic after calling 10 places quoted me 800$ in labour).
You have to pull the strut from the top on the spring side towards you first. You're pulling from the bottom and from what it looks like in your picture that's stabbing the LCA ball joint. Which will cause you more problems in the future if you continue to try pulling it out from the bottom first.
I've swapped suspension setups on my car more times than you can ever imagine. It can be done in 2 hours if you know what you're doing. The first time you do it is always the worst because you don't know which bolts will come out and which ones will break.
This is what I usually do in the rear:
1. Lift entire rear end up and put the car on jack stands
2. Disconnect endlinks
3. disconnect lower 19mm bolt/nut
4. Remove the 3 nuts on top
5. press down on hub
6. pull the top section towards me by grabbing the spring
7. repeat 4 and 5 until the assembly is loose
8. rotate the top of the spring/shock assembly towards the front of the car and lift up
9. lift the lower mount over the lca
10. slide the shock assembly down until the top hat clears the quarter panel
11. pull the assembly out
07-31-18, 06:25 AM
#13
from your pic, you can push up on the shock body (the lower black part of the shock towards the upper mounting point) and compress the shock now that the spring is compressed, this will give you the room you are needing. It may be a bit stiff but it will compress slowly. Then like the rest have said, pull the top out and towards you and unhook the lower mount from the lower arm. I understand your hesitance, but you need to do a bit more manhandling as these parts aren't fragile.
07-31-18, 09:00 AM
#14
Oh, ok I get it now that he meant the bolt at the bottom of the strut that is removed with a 19mm wrench and socket.
So so now it is simply a matter of getting both wheels off the ground and getting the sway bar links loose. The sway bar link nut should be loosened with a wrench and put an Allen or hex key in the end of the stud the nut is screwed onto. The only way you will get these loose. Anyway, once you get full travel downward the strut assembly will come out.
Dont panic, this really is a two hour or less job. I have never used a spring compressor to do this job and I have done it multiple times so if you do what everyone has said they will come out, with some effort to hold the hub down.
So so now it is simply a matter of getting both wheels off the ground and getting the sway bar links loose. The sway bar link nut should be loosened with a wrench and put an Allen or hex key in the end of the stud the nut is screwed onto. The only way you will get these loose. Anyway, once you get full travel downward the strut assembly will come out.
Dont panic, this really is a two hour or less job. I have never used a spring compressor to do this job and I have done it multiple times so if you do what everyone has said they will come out, with some effort to hold the hub down.
Last edited by RXRodger; 07-31-18 at 09:04 AM.