Great, thank you! Got an impact wrench at Harbour Freight and only paid about $80 for it so I don't expect it will be good for long but just as long as I can get these four struts on, I'd say the money was worth it. Overall, I think I will still be saving about half it would cost to have the four installed by a pro. I'm hoping this is going to make a world of difference. The car, with 124K seems like it's bottoming out so it should. :-) Hoping to get it done, next week.

 

You’ll need a u-joint and an extension to get at the top strut nut if you don’t already have them:

https://www.harborfreight.com/2-pc-u...set-67920.html

https://www.harborfreight.com/long-i...-pc-60409.html

 

Thanks for that info! I have some "less expensive" chrome ones that I will try but don't know if they will snap or not. Those will be the first nuts I try to "crack" before disassembling the whole thing so if they do break, I can still run to H.F. for new ones. Think I'm going to do the two back struts first. :-)

 

Oh, just saw another video on replacing the struts and this guy "STRONGLY SUGGESTS" pumping the new struts 3-5 times before putting them in! Can't hurt but I'm just wondering why I hadn't seen that anywhere else, even in my Chilton?

 

It sounds like game day is approaching for you!
I can't imagine a reason for needing to pump the shocks or struts pre-assembly. Some people blow on dice before rolling them! But this could serve a purpose, making sure that the new stuff operates smoothly and without leaks before going to the trouble of installing (and potentially removing and reinstalling non-defective units). I believe I did do this actually but it wasn't a conscious thought. I just wanted to feel the difference between the failed ones and the new ones. Take a moment to pat myself on the back for the investment.

It may also be of some worth to pay attention to if they slide in and out straight. I dont know what would have to be messed up for them to compress crooked. It's a rod in a perfectly fitted tube. But an issue like that would be a drop in the bucket of ridiculous blunders.

EDIT: i believe that shocks and struts ship with the ram compressed into the body to avoid its getting bent (as well as downsize packaging). but i guess its possible the ram could be slightly crooked, resulting in unusual drag and, perhaps down the line, noise/leaks

 

Guarantee normal mechanics don't bother. Follow the shop manual instructions verbatim and nothing else. I work in the Mercedes GLE and GLS factory, can confirm we don't compress the struts before putting them on.

 

Thanks for the advice. Yes, I would have liked to get them on today but there are too many of my neighbors around in my apartment complex so I have to wait a couple of days. But yes, I will check to make sure the rod isn't bent!

 

Well, there's a second "don't bother" opinion so I won't. I will look to make sure the rods aren't bent though. Hey, you never know, even coming from the factory. Thanks.

 

Amen. I've seen one catch fire (call them Thermal Events) before leaving the line. Supplier sent a part wired backwards. Fixed her up, didn't even take it off line, and on she went. Wasn't a bad fire, just the power steering motor.

 

You know when you're good when you can repair on the fly! Ha.

 

Okay, got the back two on and the car rides so much better, I'm just going to wait until the front struts go bad! The back was bottoming out but since I bought the car a little over a year ago, I didn't know if or when the front was changed so I was going to change them out too, along with the back. But again, they don't seem bad at all so I'm going to ride them out until I need to put my new "spares" on. If I had to do it all over again, and not knowing if or when the shocks/struts were changed in this used car, I would have bought the back two first, then assessed the ride to see if I really needed the front two. All's well, I plan on keeping the car for 100K so I'll be needing the front two, eventually. Thanks all for the help. Also, I made sure I didn't over-torque the bolts on the struts too tightly because I will be the one removing them in the future. :-)
One question on using an impact wrench------When using it, the bolt did not immediately unscrew. All I heard was the impact wrench, very loudly going "rat-tat-tat-tat-tat". Does that mean that the impact wrench is not going to be able to loosen the bolt or should I keep the wrench on the bolt, through all that noise? Will the bolt, eventually loosen or will I ruin the impact wrench? Thanks for any enlightenment.

 

That sound is the wrench doing it’s job. I would pulse it and do 10-20sec increments. It will eventually come off. Did you buy a 1/2 or a 3/8? If the latter, it will take a lot longer since they tend to be smaller and have less torque.

 

Okay----never using one before, I thought that the bolt would spin right off so I wasn't sure to continue. That's good because it sounded like it was hammering the heck out of everything. I bought a really heavy (weight-wise) wrench with a 1/2" bit and I was concerned for my neighbors (noise) because of my living in an apartment. But, thank you for that info. Now I know to just keep at it at 10-20 second intervals. Good to know!

 

Just thought I'd ask-------now that I have the front spare spring and strut assembly to be installed sometime in the future, does anyone know if there is a recommended way of storing these, i.e., hang by the springs---of lay flat on the spring assemblies, etc.? Thanks for any input.

 

Haha, do you have upstairs neighbors? If you work between 9 and 9 I'd say you're more considerate than most. The hammering of the impact wrench is its namesake. That's what makes it effective. Similar to your placing a wrench on a bolt and pounding on the side of said wrench with a mallet to loosen, the impact impacts the nut with rotational force, then releases and impacts again. Though you could likely provide more force with a 4-5lb mallet, I think the speed of the strikes takes advantage of vibrations in the metal and any instance where a lucky blow actually gets a response. It's ready and firing a fraction of a second after motion begins, allowing advantage to be taken of momentum. Truly a great tool, as by hand you can hit stuff hard, then it binds, and in repeatedly breaking it free due to delay in strikes the bolt or stud to which the bolt is affixed can snap.

If it seems like the impact isn't getting the job done you could spray penetrating fluid onto the nut/bolt beforehand. Some wait 24 hours for the fluid to seep down between the threads, allowing coating of some rough surfaces that would otherwise put up a fight.

For storing the coilovers I'd recommend placing them on their sides or propped up at an angle (though if you've already unbound the ram and let it extend, just being on its side will do). They deal with road impacts for the car which weighs quite a bit, so the assemblies are rather tough in terms of holding form. I have taken note that some ram assemblies (like that of a jack used for an engine hoist) advise against placing the thing upsidedown. I can't say for certain why, but I think it's due to the ram being held down by vacuum. Upsidedown storage would strain the seals, potentially encouraging air to enter the system. That shouldn't be an issue here as the rams rn struts are designed to rest at full extension. Just don't apply lateral pressure to an extended ram

 

Yeah, I was really taken back by the loud noise. I used the wrench a few, short times and when I resorted to the hand wrench, it was loose enough for me to get off. I think the impact wrench did do its job in the end. And I will store the spring/strut assemblies "upward" on the floor and put them in the car, maybe in a couple of years. And no, I didn't unpack the extension/rod so they are in a good, storage position. Thanks for the information. Newbe here and all this helps. Have a great one!