How to undo suspension top nut?

[Spathodus77]

Hi,

Firstly, I want to apologise to anybody that has already seen this on the VW forum, but I'm getting desparate! Anyway, here goes...

I have a golf mark II with a worn suspension bush at the top of the shock absorber inside the turret. Replacing the bush looked like a easy job until I got to the top strut nut inside the engine bay. This nut sits in a little well and requires a 21mm socket to get undone...the problem is that a 6mm allan key has to be put through the socket into the top of the shock/strut to stop it from turning with the nut. This stops me using a nice big breaker bar on the nut.

So far I've tried putting an old 21mm socket on the nut and gripping this with mole grips whilst I put a 6mm hex bit through the center of the 21mm socket into the top of strut, but I can't get enough torque on the mole grips to get the nut to come undone (the mole grips don't slip I just don't have the strength!).

Are there any special tools/techniques which would help me with this?

Thanks,

Ralph.

[HRG]

Err, spring compressor?

[PhillipM]

You want a swan necked spanner.

Or an impact gun.

[GnuBee]

Impact wrench will do it in no time and will avoid you chewing up the thread or the damper rod. You shouldn't even need a particularly powerful one since it shouldn't have been done up b*stard tight.

[Matt_N]

As I said in the VW forum, an impact / windy gun has always worked for me. Its a nylock so always a bit reluctant to loosen.

[eddie1980]

Impact or windy gun...

[tr7v8]

Porsche is similar, I bought a set or Vortex sockets which are hollow & did it that way. And the 944 were FT to the point where we struggled to loosen it.

[Mr2Mike]

Can you actually replace the top mount without removing the strut on these cars?

[hman]

impact or air wrench, or indeed swan neck spanner and an allen key (with a trolley jack handle slipped over the end of it to keep it in place as you undo the nut).


If you dont have any of these, a nearby garage could probably undo the nut, then screw it back on a couple of threads and you could carefully drive it home (as long as you are going slowly and its not far away as your handling will be a bit wayward), then you will be able to undo it easily when you get home.

[Spathodus77]

Thanks to all that replied on this. On your advice I purchased an impact wrench which made short work of loosening the nut .

Hman: I love the tip about using the trolley jack handle to hold the allen key in place...this will be handy on other jobs.

Ralph.