Removing Front Struts From A Ke70

[ke71-rolla]

Oooook then, finally getting around to replacing my front strut inserts and springs.

 

Now i know the general procedure to remove the struts, or at least what i think would be the best way??

 

1) Jack the car up!!!

 

2) Remove the road tyre.....haha

 

.......

 

1) remove break caliper, hub and rotor

 

2) disconnect the steering arm

 

3) disconnect the LCA

 

4) support strut with a jack, and loosen bolts at the top

 

5) viola lower the strut out.

 

Now i just have a couple of questions :jamie:

 

To remove the LCA and steering arm, should i just knock them with a hammer or something of the sort? or is there a wedge that you can stick just above the busher and knock them loose?

 

And also, the break line coming from the caliper, goes through the strut in a support; how do i make that break line free of the strut??

 

Cheers guys!!

[ke70dave]

hey mate sounds like your on the right track.

 

the brake line has a little clip thing that holds it onto the strut, essentially jsuta flat peice of thin plate that has some strategically shaped cuts in it. once you see if you will figure it out. pair of pliers is your friend here.

 

and once you undo the 2 bolts that holt the steering arm to the strut they will seperate, may need a bit of "enthusiasm" from your favourite hammer, but thats only cause they would have been joined together for the last 25years.

 

also if you are changing the the shocks/springs there is no reason to take off the hub and the disc, just pull the strut out with those attached, a bit heavier perhaps, but saves stuffing around with hubs/bearings etc. pluss you will need to re torque the main nut that holds the hub on to pre tension the bearings again.

 

just take off the caliper and hang it up somewhere in the wheel well still connected to the brake line, one note..once you have the caliper off DO NOT touch the brake pedal!!

[ke71-rolla]

Hahaha, sweet.

 

Just lubed up all the joints and got myself some kerosene to clean it all up so i can actually see whats goin on.

 

Currently theres just crap everywhere.

 

Thanks for the advice man

 

 

 

 

edit!!

 

So yeah cleaned it up and the clip was there, took it off, soooo.....in order to make the strut free of the break hose, which end do i loosen the hose from, am i gonna have to bleed my breaks or is there something I'm missing?

Edited March 22, 2010 by ke71-rolla

[parrot]

Unbolt the entire caliper and hang it out of the way on an old bit of coat hanger wire, not putting any stress on the brake hose. Don't unbolt the lower control arm, just the two steering arm bolts.

 

Undo the three nuts holding the strut top, remove two of them and leave the outer most nut on by about two threads.

 

Stick a hydraulic jack handle, breaker bar or whatever between the lower control arm and castor rod and lever down the control arm using your foot.

 

The steering arm will come away leaving the strut assembly hanging by the nut at the top. Pull the strut clear of the steering arm, lift the strut slightly, undo the final two threads on the top nut and you are done.

 

Edit, read your lst thread.

 

Tap out the clip that retains the brakeline in the bracket on the strut. You then need to make a neat cut into the brakeline retaining bracket. Once you are through one side, tap the ends apart so you can slide the brakeline clear of the strut. Be careful not to cut the brakeline. better to use a hacksaw rather than an angle grinder :jamie:

Edited March 22, 2010 by parrot

[ke71-rolla]

Got the struts out and all that, now when trying to replace the inserts, ive installed the spring compressors, tightened them a bit so they are holding the spring captive but not allowing it to move freely.

 

When going to undo the top bolt of the insert, the entire insert moves freely.....is there a good method which can be used to stop this, or would i require a different tool??

 

Thanks Guys

[Taz_Rx]

You really need a rattle gun to get them undone.

If you're not using the insert in them now again you could use a set of vice grips to hold the shock ram (shiny bit), but this isn't any good for re-assembly as the vice grips will ruin the rams.

 

You could always take a trip down to a local machine chop or even tyre shop for the use of a rattle gun. Take everything you need to dissasemble and reassemble while you're there. :jamie:

[ke71-rolla]

Dam i was afraid of that haha, might now someone with a rattle gun.

 

Thanks for clearing that up!!

[Taz_Rx]

Try holding the top spring hanger with some vice grips first, its worked before for me with mazda struts. Doesn't damage the shock rams either. :jamie:

[LukeAE71]

Cordless Rattle Gun and five seconds worth of effort :P

 

If you get stuck Steven I can probably swing past with mine :jamie:

[ke71-rolla]

I reckon i might try the tyre shop tomorrow ;) .....fingers crossed!!

 

Thanks for the offer as well Luke!!, but wouldn't wanna make you drive out here for something small like this :lol:

Edited March 23, 2010 by ke71-rolla

[ke71-rolla]

Hey guys, thanks for the help.

 

I ended up just taking the struts to the mechanics, got them to change the inserts and springs, only cost 50$ where a rattle gun hire was 30 ;)

 

So after learning how to swear like a man, took a while to figure out the best way to install the first strut, after that the second was a breeze.

 

Only have two problems, both related to the steering arm connection.

 

On the drivers side i can't tighten the nut to the thread, ie the thread moves along with the nut :lol:, i tried getting a spanner and hitting it hard wioth the palm of my hand and then a hammer, didnt seem to work....any ideas??

 

And on the passenger side steering arm, the nut is in all good, but i can't get the split pin to go through the hole!!!!

 

thanks again guys