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I’m going to be replacing the front strut mounts on my sisters 2004 Grand Am tomorrow and I’m just wondering a basic thing.
When I see videos on strut replacement I notice that the entire strut is taken out and then the middle nut that is loosened a bit, then you compress the springs before completely removing the retention nut.
Wouldn’t it be a good idea to simply loosen the retention nut a thread or two while the strut assembly is still attached to the car to prevent the mount from spinning?
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A thread or two is not really going to help.
Usually an impact gets it off. sometimes you
may need to add a little tension to the bearing.
The trick is to get the bearing top plate off with
out exploding the bomb and taking your head off. 🙂If you have never done this before I usually recommend pulling the struts and taking them down to a machine shop or repair shop to get them replaced.
If you wish to DIY than go out and rent the best strut spring compressor you can find, do NOT use a low quality version. If the tool slips or fails it CAN KILL YOU.
This is a good video of the dangers of strut springs.
There is no mechanical advantage to loosening the nut at that time, except that the strut is being held steady. The center post is not being held any more than when it’s removed. Usually the top nut is not rusty, as it’s relatively dry up there, so it’s usually not hard to loosen.
You could replace the whole strut as an assembly with Monroe Quick Struts. If the struts are the originals they are probably beat anyway and you wouldn’t need to worry about compressing the springs.
Might also be cheaper in the long run.
Was talking with some “street” mechanics. They said they found a way to take the strut appart without a spring compression tool. And put them back together. If I understood them right, they jack the car up, so the wheels drop down, making the spring expand. Then they loosen the nut and take it off the car. This is for a Civic. They said that after doing this, the spring only “pops” like a half an inch. They say it is safer then using a spring compression tool that you check out from the auto parts store. I am planing on finding a car, and try this out. Will make a video showing how it is done.
[quote=”wysetech” post=80122]You could replace the whole strut as an assembly with Monroe Quick Struts. If the struts are the originals they are probably beat anyway and you wouldn’t need to worry about compressing the springs.
Might also be cheaper in the long run.[/quote]
That is the direction I usually try and steer my customers toward. Not only does it cost them less in labor, but if the strut has many miles on it and is worn the spring is also likely worn also.
What the “street” mechanics may be talking about is aftermarket lowered springs– they dont’ sit as wound up in the car as the original ones so they may come out clean without the compressor. However, I agree with Raistian77. DON’T DO IT!
Btw, it’s also recommended that besides using a good spring compressor with lots of grease on its threads, that you use chains on the springs to chain them to the car body– so if the compressor slips– the spring doesn’t fly at you (far). I’ve heard of them getting lodged in the ceiling of a shop if that tells you anything.
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