Advice on tightening coilover top nut

**Thirteen13** · 19-10-2012, 12:02 AM

Originally Posted by domma_aw11

Id almost put money on the pillow mount been stuffed, thats what hapen with my old struts...

well the place that builds them, Bench tests them and i can see a few wear makes from bench testing them. So i assume they would have seen that, unless they have become stuffed in less than 500km's. it could be a possibility.

With the nut tho. What if i just cant get enough purchase on the strut. Ive absolutely clamped down like a mother f'er with vice grips, multi grips all with rubber and rags and that combo, with a bench vice, a compressor powered air gun.
I even tried the allan key bolts under the hat, and it broke my kinchrome allan key!

Nut spins strut.. Only thing i can think of now is Oxy torch and heat the nut up.

**SHEPPO3930** · 19-10-2012, 11:52 AM

the nut could be bottomed out thus not done up against the pillow mount. could be a lack of thread length on the shaft, and/or there's a washer missing, etc.

get a bigger rattle gun and get to it!

**Thirteen13** · 19-10-2012, 12:45 PM

Originally Posted by SHEPPO3930

the nut could be bottomed out thus not done up against the pillow mount. could be a lack of thread length on the shaft, and/or there's a washer missing, etc.

get a bigger rattle gun and get to it!

Its at my mates mechanic shop, so its his air gun, its pretty bad arse pneumatic rattle gun too. But i think i need some more time with it.

Whats people oppion on oxy torch and using a little persuasive heat on it? Im personally a bit hesitant and ive used this method on harmonic balancer and drive shaft nut's and, knowing how much aluminium and rubber is in coilovers i dont want to be too brutle on it.

Ive seen the top of the shaft before and it hsould have more thread to move on. But its both tightening and loosening that just makes the shaft spin. I know im being unsuggestive and helpful, but ive literly tried everything i can think of and the bastard is stuck on there.

**-GT-** · 19-10-2012, 01:53 PM

Originally Posted by thechuckster

Is the spherical bearing carrier holding the bearing firmly? If the strut is firmly captive inside the bearing, then look at the bearing itself.

edit: is there a spacer between the spherical bearing and the top spring hat?

Originally Posted by Thirteen13

It appears to be the top spring perch, bearing, pillow ball, mount, top nut

Before you go thrashing it with bigger and bigger rattle guns, i had the exact same problem you describe with my 2nd hand unknown history strut tops. I re-assembled a couple of times with no improvement (one side actually got worse) - and so automatically assumed the bearings were shagged. Then i found spacers in the packaging i'd been sent, installed them between the upper spring hat and the underside of the spherical bearing and they've been perfect for the last several years of track flogging. I just had to ignore the small impact they had on my ride height.

My guess is the strut isn't completely captive at full compression - which you'll never get close to emulating with the strut out of the car. Could be worth trying - from memory what came with mine was just 12-15mm of tube. Given the loads i've put through them i should probably check them but, meh, i'll wait till they start making noise.

**Bazda** · 19-10-2012, 05:04 PM

Sounds like the nut has bottomed out on the shock shaft. Not enough thread on the shock shaft or the more common is the washers under the spherial bearing aint large enough.

I did this by accident when assembling my MRP coilovers for a customer. To get the nut off you need to grind it off.
Grind off 2 sides of the nut and you can simply break it off with a screw driver and hammer. Do not heat it, if its binding on the shaock shaft from running out of thread heating wont do much.

**Thirteen13** · 19-10-2012, 08:34 PM

Ive dropped them off at my mates, who is a mechanic and hell suss it out. Ill ring him tomorrow or monday and let him know this info tho. I reckon it could be the spacer tho. Cause there is no reason it should be clonking and it sounds like something is bit loose.

Cheers guys. Keep the ideas coming though.

The great thing is, the company that built my coilovers said they will cover the cost that any mechanic has to work on them and they will send me any replacement part i need for free. They are even sending me another set of lower springs as i wanted to go lower.. They are a really great company!