Ok, I'm really tired of removing the strut assembly. I'm getting so good at it that I can prob do it with my eyes closed. Can someone please help me understand it. I compressed the springs before loosening the nut. Do I need to try and loosen it before I compress the springs? I have an impact but didn't have an 18mm socket so I couldn't use it.

Any advice would be great. Thanks

 

I know what problem you are having.

I was able ot use an impact wrench in order to get that nut loose. Apparently there is a special tool to do this correctly.

If you have a socket w/o impact though, you can leave the spring UNcompressed and start to loosen it. Once it begins loosening, you can begin to compress the spring. Please don't take the nut off all the way w/ it still UNcompressed or you could get hurt by a flying spring!

Anothers might chime in here and say the way i told you was bad and could damage something though, haha. Oh well, sometimes you have to improvise.

 

I know exactly what you are talking about too.

I luckily had one of these in my toolkit, but you should be able to grab one not made by snap-on at any auto parts store. It is called a deep offset box wrench.

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item....e=&dir=catalog


Edit* I am assuming you are having a tough time getting the top of the strut apart. Compress the spring first, use one of those deep offset wrenches (I can't remember which size) and another wrench on the top of the strut itself and you should have no issues getting those struts apart and back together.