front suspension being a mission to get off :@

[Curtoise]

rite im a proper newbie to novas, and i want to fit some springs to the front suspension, i know how to get them off but its being near on impossible to get the top nut off the shock, as is just keeps slipping, i hav got a spanner on the little nipple thing on top but still wont budge?!?! is there any other way of doing it ??


any help much apreciated :)

[silvertornado_sr]

you need an air gun ;) makes simple work out of it ;)

[Curtoise]

hmm i dont have an air gun tho or have access to one

[phazer]

Loosen the nut on the car. Soak with WD40 for a couple of days.

Swan neck ring spanner on nut and appropriate ring spanner on the nut at the top of the piston, then plenty of brute force FTW

[Curtoise]

i cant loosen it off, thats why i cant get it off, tried tonnes of wd40 aswell, nothing seems to work ..

[mikey14sr]

If the dampers aren't being re-used get some mole grips locked onto the shaft, otherwise it's take them round to a garage or someone who has an air gun to get them undone.

[BIGS]

As above just take them to a local garage and ask then nicely to just go over the nut quickly with a air gun. they wont charge you for doing it. well i say that they should'nt

[Curtoise]

oh ryt thanks guys, do u think i could get it off with a air gun, then spanner it tight with hand, and then drive it to where im doin it ? or will it fall off?

[BIGS]

no that will be fine. just make sure you do it up tight enough to drive on. but you could keep pulling over just to make sure and give it a quick tigthen on the way back

[Gabbo]

dont mean to be rude but have you compressed the spring?

[Curtoise]

dont mean to be rude but have you compressed the spring?



hows tht being rude?? lol, anyway i havnt compressed the spring does this make a differnce ?:confused:

[Leeboo]

This should work....

ok.. shock/spring out of car... pair of vice grips tight on the shiny bit of the piston/shaft (but use a cloth too so that you don't score the shaft), so this will let you take off the top nut. Obviously compress the spring 1st though.

So no need for drop neck spanners etc if you do it that way.

But, an air gun does make short work of it. Get a very local garage to slacken the top nuts a little bit then drive home and carry on. Only if its very very local.

^^ Some people might disagree with that last bit of advice but its a risk that I PERSONALLY would take. So I don't condone it in any way.

[Leeboo]

hows tht being rude?? lol, anyway i havnt compressed the spring does this make a differnce ?:confused:

yes... If its a standard spring then it would shoot across the ground when the top nut comes off...potentially injure you.

get a set of spring compressors.... about £20 and easy to use. They are essential.

If you are fitting 60mm springs then prob no need to compress them wehn fitting. defo need them for std springs though

[Curtoise]

o rite thanks i have obviously been given some shoddy instructions lol, thanks a lot for your help i will compress them first tomorrow, then try the nut then the shock idea, what part is the shiny bit? i have a set of spring compressors aswell lol

[Leeboo]

When you have the whole shock/spring out of the car... if you look at the shaft that the spring sits around there should be a plastic cover. Push it back and you will see the shiny shaft. Compress the spring til its loose and then get a pair of vicegrips with a cloth (cloth to stop the grips scratching the shiny bit, put them on tight.... hold them and this should stop the shaft spinning while you undo the top nut. Top nut will probably be quite tight so maybe wd40 before hand.

OH...When you are compressing the spring, just make sure the clamps are well positioned so they don't fly off. Compress it evenly, e.g. one clamp on each side of spring, tighten one clamp a bit, then the other a bit and so on.... grab as many coils as you can.

Lastly when you get the top nut off just make sure you remember what order everything came off in... obvious reasons.

Sounds more complicated than it is... trust me. Just be careful

[JordyzNova]

yh i would take it to garage and ask them to fit them for you for a small fee of a drink saves you the hasel of getting it wrong

[Curtoise]

ok i will be, i cant seem to get the actual shock off tho by undoiug the top mount, can you take the sping off with the top mount still on??

[JordyzNova]

to get the strut off the car there are x2 13mm bolts to undo them but leve them on couple of threads to stop falling,then there are x2 19mm bolts on the strut then it will come off ..........

gettin the spring off u can just get an air gun and zip off the bolt !
but you have to comprees the spring so the tension is not on the top hat plate ... so compresse the spring then zip the nut off and shud pop off then put your new spring on then just put it on the way it came off

[Curtoise]

yeh i cant get the two top boults off thats the problem the 19mm ones

[Novaboi_1991]

ur menna compress the springs when taking the shocks off?!

i had the whole front end off the ground undo the two top bolts, undo the two bottom bolts, the shock falls off, put new shock and spring in, and redo the bolts,

saying that, my car was carefulli (not) balanced on about 12 wheels... lol

[Nobby]

You sorted this yet mate?? is there noone near that could give him a hand? You say that you cant get the 19mm nuts off?? is that because there tight??

if so -

1. Get a wire brush and clean all the excess rust off the threads then soak them with wd40.

2. To make things alot easier get a breaker bar with a 19mm socket (use a impact socket if possible) and get a 19mm spanner on the other side to hold the bolt. Put the spanner so that when you turn the bar it locks onto the chassis or disc ( sounds dodgy but trust it will work )then hey presto!!

As for the springs i always use a Crank handed spanner if i cant get an air gun and a small set of molegrips. Compress the spring 1st placing the springs on opposite sides so that the spring compresess equally. Make sure that they are tight and not flapping around when your confident that they are tight (please make sure they are becuase we dont want to hear about your decapitation!) Place the spanner on the nut and grip the centre to hold the shaft and loosen the bolt and hey presto again!!

Make sure that you put the top mount back on the way you took it off.
Then as said no need to compress the new spring pop that back on and then the top mount. Then tighten the bolt again whilst holding the centre!!

Hope that helps pm me if you need anymore help but its straightforward! :D

[Lee]

Buy a haynes manual!

Please god, buy a haynes manual!!

[bmw156]

i also struggled with this first time around,

i put the shock back on the car, and then just gave it all i had, and hold the spanners so they are close and you shoudl be pushing them together if that makes sense

you should get them off.

[brainsnova]

you loosen the nut and push the top bit the opposite way