problem with coilover install

[DenkiMan!]

ok i got a set of kei offices a few weeks ago and i attempted to do the whole coilover install yesterday. i started at the front. i got the passenger side out with no problems and fitted the coilover in and everything.

then i got to the drivers side......

basically i ended up with this

http://i819.photobucket.com/albums/zz117/Yotsugi08/problem.jpg

see that bottom bolt on the strut attached to the spindle? would. not. budge. at one point the whole assembly was stuck in the position you see right now. the bolt was i guess pinning it in this position. me and some friends tried everything to try and get that bolt out. we pb blastered the hell out of it, we even ran to the auto store and got like a 24' half inch breaker bar. the socket skipped over the edges of that bolt.

so i called it a night and decided to deal with it in the morning. this morning i tried some more things like moving the strut around to see if i can release the pressure, but that didnt work. it was however able to move again for some reason (in and out) so i could re-align it back to its original position, which is what i decided to do since i couldnt get it off. so i took the c/o out from the passenger side and put on the original struts and bolted everything back up. now that bolt on the drivers side is still in there and wont move at all, but i was able to get that assembly back in place and bolted up at the top so i could still drive the car (i was in a friends garage and i didnt want to leave it there).

now fellow zilvians i need your input. i was thinking 2 choices...one, i could power saw that 2-bolt bracket connected to the strut off, then take the spindle off and see if i can work on it to get the bolt off. OR i can just get another spindle (bolts as well) and replace that spindle, just take whats on there completely off so i wont have to cut anything. what do you guys think?? any better ideas? advice? i really want to put these coilovers on lol, any help is appreciated. thanks

[rob22]

pics not working for me.

[Edwin562]

yep, pic not working

[DenkiMan!]

oh my bad, it should be working now

[Silverbullet]

detach the anti roll bar.

[chituntang]

detach the anti roll bar.

That. It pushes the lower control arm up and it pushes the control arm even higher because the other side is a lot lower.

[ILoveJDM]

OR

make sure the other side of the car is off the ground and the car isnt tweaked.

i will add this pisses me off everytime i need to install fronts

[Phatsilvia]

You need to compress the strut so it takes the pressure off the bolt if you have a jack, jack up on the hub to relieve pressure

[Airborne711]

sway bar, easy.

[siksyndicate]

You need to compress the strut so it takes the pressure off the bolt if you have a jack, jack up on the hub to relieve pressure

^ is the right answer

[562nissan]

Use your newly acquired breaker bar and stick it between the bottom of the coilover and the spindle and pull up. The bolt will practically fall out. Funny, this same thing happened to me and a friend. There is something different about the driver front suspension that causes this.

[fliprayzin240sx]

+1 on popping the sway bar off...

That should cause the whole LCA and knuckle assembly to droop down.

[DenkiMan!]

i did try jacking up the hub to compress the spring, but the bolt didnt even budge.

i also had the car evenly sitting on jackstands at the front. the reason why i didnt pop the sway bar off was because when i was looking at alot of numerous install threads, no one really did that. i heard before it makes it easier but not completely necessary

will probably have another go at it sometime this week. thanks for the help

[DenkiMan!]

bringing this back from the dead.

this weekend i attempted another swing at this stupid bolt. i basically removed the sway bar and the bolt still wouldnt come out. i also tried compressing the strut a little more, but it wont come out, not even a little. the whole spindle assembly rotates forward and back like its supposed to, but the bolt moves with spindle instead of independently, i guess its just seized in there. im thinking about just replacing that spindle, just take it off with the strut on it and bolt another one up and go that route.

[chituntang]

Having the jack too high/low will push the bolt against top/bottom of the hole. You have to hit the sweet spot in the middle. If the bolt is loose, you should be able to use a wrench and spin it. If it is not loose, use a hammer. It works wonders...

[nemcho]

I just bang it with a hammer and a screwdriver. Not the best way but it works and I managed to not strip the bolt everytime. But I', sure you already thought about or tried that. The jack technique helps to. Or anything that can shake the coilover up and down.

[Taylor008]

BFH.

mslghslhgshg

[DenkiMan!]

i did all of that the first time i tried getting that bolt out. in my first post i said i used a breaker bar and that didnt work at all. hammer didnt do the job either. i tried a whole bunch of different heights with compressing the strut and it wont come out

[delado]

Ok so this is the point where you grab a hammer and fling it across the windshield

[Phatsilvia]

Have you tried heating up the bolt with a set of torches???

[nemcho]

sometime at this point I just put both bolts back on the bottom sleeve and also put the 3 top nuts back (even tho there are not suppose to be out at this point). Then I try to take the bottom bolt first by banging with a hammer and screwdriver and leave the screwdriver there at its place and then I take the top bolt out. The screwdriver will be easy to take of then.

[chituntang]

I guess you need to take the brake off and beat the living crap out of the bolt then...

[d r i f t swift]

id take the hub/ brake caliper/ rotor off. take the spindle along with the strut off of the lca and take it off the car so you can get a real swing with a huge sledgehammer. or find somewhere who has a press and press that stupid bolt out.

[aKaFlipSide]

I would jus beat the hell out of it.

[DenkiMan!]

Have you tried heating up the bolt with a set of torches???

havnt tried that yet, no access to a blow torch at the moment



sometime at this point I just put both bolts back on the bottom sleeve and also put the 3 top nuts back (even tho there are not suppose to be out at this point). Then I try to take the bottom bolt first by banging with a hammer and screwdriver and leave the screwdriver there at its place and then I take the top bolt out. The screwdriver will be easy to take of then.

tried, no luck


id take the hub/ brake caliper/ rotor off. take the spindle along with the strut off of the lca and take it off the car so you can get a real swing with a huge sledgehammer. or find somewhere who has a press and press that stupid bolt out.

im thinking about doing this, just get a spare spindle for insurance lol

[Phatsilvia]

A propane torch might work I've never tried using one before just always had access to torches

[nismoracingsx]

torch and hammer, i'm gonna blame your puny strength and being timid on this one, just beat the crap out of the bolt. I have yet to be defeated by any piece of hardware, its either coming out by force or in pieces..

good luck

[DenkiMan!]

torch and hammer, i'm gonna blame your puny strength and being timid on this one, just beat the crap out of the bolt. I have yet to be defeated by any piece of hardware, its either coming out by force or in pieces..

good luck

there is some truth to this haha, but the main reason for that is due to the amount of stuff in the way from getting a good wack at it. thats why ill probably take the spindle off and go to work on it. ill try and update this weekend.

[takyo_style]

usa a hammer!

[drift_king]

bigger hammer

[Chay G]

just remove the spindle with the strut on, and hit in the floor with he hammer (on top of the threaded side), or use a jacksaw and get a new bolt

http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/3/36158/729322-thor_hammer_super.jpg

[Zenki_516]

Take a week off and hit the gym.

[I LUV MY S13]

You need to compress the strut so it takes the pressure off the bolt if you have a jack, jack up on the hub to relieve pressure


There it is :drama:

[dorkidori_s13]

all of you are WRONG!!!!

its because your sway bar is still attached and the spring cannot expand fully. you need to put a jack underneath the the strut itself, compress the strut and unbolt your sway bar (when unbolting it, make sure the nuts and bolts retaining them move freely when you loosen them, ie the LCA isnt putting pressure on the sway bar). once your sway bar is disconnected, let the jack compressing the strut down SLOWLY. once the spring and strut decompress fully, the bolt will come out fairly easily.

you will just ruin your bolt trying to force it out of the lower mount without disconnecting the sway bar.

when you put the new coilover damper in, bolt it all up and reconnect sway bar. done. coilover dampers do not cause the sway bar problem because they dont need to decompress due to set length springs.

[redenblack]

Jackhammer! = gg

[DenkiMan!]

all of you are WRONG!!!!

its because your sway bar is still attached and the spring cannot expand fully. you need to put a jack underneath the the strut itself, compress the strut and unbolt your sway bar (when unbolting it, make sure the nuts and bolts retaining them move freely when you loosen them, ie the LCA isnt putting pressure on the sway bar). once your sway bar is disconnected, let the jack compressing the strut down SLOWLY. once the spring and strut decompress fully, the bolt will come out fairly easily.

you will just ruin your bolt trying to force it out of the lower mount without disconnecting the sway bar.

when you put the new coilover damper in, bolt it all up and reconnect sway bar. done. coilover dampers do not cause the sway bar problem because they dont need to decompress due to set length springs.

i did that! bolt did not come out!!!

[ILoveJDM]

OR

make sure the other side of the car is off the ground and the car isnt tweaked.

i will add this pisses me off everytime i need to install fronts

bump for advice that works.

[dorkidori_s13]

i did that! bolt did not come out!!!

if the bolt moves at all, spray the crap out of it with WD40. soak it like crazy for about 15-20 min while moving the bolt. it may be slightly seized inside of the spindle.

EDIT: after looking at the photo more carefully now that im home (i wrote the above in about 30 seconds at work today), and also reading the description a bit better, you may have to break out the sledge hammer. you didnt notice any beads from welding anywhere around the bolt did you? the strut itself looks as if it will move back and for on the bolt so you have at least SOME way of moving it around.

your best bet may be to just getting a hold of an angle grinder and cutting the fuker off.

[usajdm]

Jacking up the lower control arm is just compressing the spring more, therefore adding more resistance(pressure) to the bolt.
Get a "strut spring" compressor.
That will compress the spring, but leave the strut free of its tension.
Since its the last contact btween the two, all the springs pressure is pushing down on the bolt, causing the bolt/whole alignment to be off.
Ok, so "strut" spring compressor(be sure its not a coil spring compressor).
It will relieve all pressure off the bolt.
In no way should you need a hammer and a screwdriver for a nut/bolt combo.
There should be no screws or nails holding your strut on..........

[usajdm]

MacPherson Strut Coil Spring Compressor Set (http://www.harborfreight.com/macpherson-strut-spring-compressor-set-3980.html)
Heres a real cheap one for you.

[Tempo]

I just had this same problem happen to me not even 5 days ago but instead it was on the passenger side and it was the lower bolt, it took us 2hours ,
went through 2 sockets and a extension, we thought we would never take the thing out but it eventually came out when we borrowed a friends
forged sockets, sockets held up and the bolt came out with a breaker bar and a leverage poll, didn't think of wd40 or pb blaster or liquid wrench until after lol -___-

edit: and snapped a brand new ratchet i never got to use T.T

[carmaniac1993]

You could also try loosening the bolt. done this a couple times in similar situations

[ZAKU]

spray the crap out of it with WD40

WD40 is so shitty, WD40 < PB Blaster < Kano Kroil < Acetone/ATF mix.

Do you have any access to air tools?

It definitely sounds like the bolt is seized inside the spindle. Plan on replacing the spindle to be safe, but you may be able to remove the bolt once the spindle/strut assembly is out.

My brother had the exact same problem with his Firebird, we ended up needing a hydraulic press with 10 THOUSAND pounds of pressure to pop the bolt free.

[victorw210]

i always have this problem and usually just heat it up and hammer it,did not even consider removing sway bar or compressing strut,im dumb i guess.

[DenkiMan!]

if the bolt moves at all, spray the crap out of it with WD40. soak it like crazy for about 15-20 min while moving the bolt. it may be slightly seized inside of the spindle.

EDIT: after looking at the photo more carefully now that im home (i wrote the above in about 30 seconds at work today), and also reading the description a bit better, you may have to break out the sledge hammer. you didnt notice any beads from welding anywhere around the bolt did you? the strut itself looks as if it will move back and for on the bolt so you have at least SOME way of moving it around.

your best bet may be to just getting a hold of an angle grinder and cutting the fuker off.

right but the bolt itself doesnt move independently from the spindle, otherwise it would fall right out. the when you push it back and forth, the bolt stays stuck with the spindle. my next move is a sledgehammer and my friend who can bench 400 lol. if that doesnt work, then i may have to pop the strut out and work on it


Jacking up the lower control arm is just compressing the spring more, therefore adding more resistance(pressure) to the bolt.
Get a "strut spring" compressor.
That will compress the spring, but leave the strut free of its tension.
Since its the last contact btween the two, all the springs pressure is pushing down on the bolt, causing the bolt/whole alignment to be off.
Ok, so "strut" spring compressor(be sure its not a coil spring compressor).
It will relieve all pressure off the bolt.
In no way should you need a hammer and a screwdriver for a nut/bolt combo.
There should be no screws or nails holding your strut on..........

that sounds like it could work, theres a harbor freight right down the street from me, i'll check out that compressor you posted! its best to do that when the struts off the chassis right?


WD40 is so shitty, WD40 < PB Blaster < Kano Kroil < Acetone/ATF mix.

Do you have any access to air tools?

It definitely sounds like the bolt is seized inside the spindle. Plan on replacing the spindle to be safe, but you may be able to remove the bolt once the spindle/strut assembly is out.

My brother had the exact same problem with his Firebird, we ended up needing a hydraulic press with 10 THOUSAND pounds of pressure to pop the bolt free.

were you able to salvage the spindle after all that pressure??? and yea im looking for a spare spindle. anyone got one!?!

atm i dont have access to air tools, but i have friends who may know people, i can ask around.

[usajdm]

that sounds like it could work, theres a harbor freight right down the street from me, i'll check out that compressor you posted! its best to do that when the struts off the chassis right?

You can use this with the struts still on the car......
I promise you, this is how you should of started.
If so many people are having this problem, and there solution is to use a hammer, could that thought process be the reason they are having problems in the first place.

BTW, next time, loosen all bolts/nuts before proceeding to the dismantle.

[240sxvaj]

Take a week off and hit the gym.

I think this is the answer to everything. haha. i taken out all kinds of struts/shocks and i think your just too scared to hit the shit out of that bolt. but of course you should try to compress the springs with a special Spring compressing tool which you can rent at autozone and use a jack to lift the spindle area at the same time. and last use a long screw driver with a hammer and tap with a large amount of force.

You just gotta know when to not be gentle with the car. non of that love tap. LOL

[EhrikETFG]

if you really cant get it off just fuckign cut then run to home depot/lowes and get a new bolt.. there should literally be no reason for it not to come out..

[nismoracingsx]

if you really cant get it off just fuckign cut then run to home depot/lowes and get a new bolt.. there should literally be no reason for it not to come out..

pretty sure the cashiers get sick me buying 1 bolt at a time every other weekend :p :p

love hittin me up some lowe's for some fresh stainless steel hardware :D

[NoPistons!]

People fail basic mechanics. It's ok though. I'm sure you're really sick at wheel fitment. :lamefacesmiley:

[DenkiMan!]

^^^ oh thanks sargeant sarcasm :hahano:

anyways bringing this thread back from the dead...again. i was finally able to get my coilovers on. i bought a huge 4 pound sledgehammer to knock that bolt out, it took like 15 blows but it came out. i took the caliper and the rotor off so i could get nice clean swings.

they ride soooo smooth, i love kei office lol

https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=3ada613abe&view=att&th=132e0ef8f1cc59dc&attid=0.0&disp=inline&zw