Spent hours today struggling with changing a front top mount on my Tech 1.
Bizarrely, when I did the driver's side a while ago, I managed fine jacking up the strut until it could be moved away from the lower wishbone. On refitting, I was able to jack up the wishbone and feed the damper rod through the fitted top mount and pop the nut on.
Passenger side, it is like the spring is longer! Anyway, got the strut out ok, but now I'm trying to refit there's no way that the damper rod is going thorough the top mount. I went an bought some a Draper pair of spring compressors, but even if you manage to grab 4 coils with each and tighten up all the way, that's miles away from the spring being compressed enough to put the top mount on - I have been trying to do the extra compression in situ with a jack but its just not happening.
Given that all the guides just say compress the spring and fit the top mount, I'm guessing that the Tech 1 strut is different from most.
Can anyone suggest a reasonably affordable spring compressor that is going to compress the spring enough?
Just to spice it up, if I don't get it done tomorrow, the car is going to get a paring ticket on Monday morning!
Which Suspension Spring Compressor?
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daimlerman
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Find yourself a 1'' jubilee clip,a bit of cardboard and a helper.
Place the cardboard around the shiny part of the strut with the jubilee clip over it.
Ask your helper to haul the strut out of the leg,at it's maximum extension,grip it with the clip.
Pop the compressed spring on,locate the top mount with the washers in the correct order and fit the top nut.
Slacken the spring compressers until the spring is properly engaged,then remove the jubilee clip.
Note;
You must protect the damper rod with the cardboard,as the clip used alone will cause terminal damage!
Place the cardboard around the shiny part of the strut with the jubilee clip over it.
Ask your helper to haul the strut out of the leg,at it's maximum extension,grip it with the clip.
Pop the compressed spring on,locate the top mount with the washers in the correct order and fit the top nut.
Slacken the spring compressers until the spring is properly engaged,then remove the jubilee clip.
Note;
You must protect the damper rod with the cardboard,as the clip used alone will cause terminal damage!
Youth is wasted on the young.
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Sounds good - thanks Malc.
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Well that was fun - NOT.
Malcolm, I did as you suggested but only managed to get the damper rod out by another 5cm or so. Still well short of getting the top mound and nut on.
So off to Halfords to get a pair of Laser spring compressors. With the first ones done up as tight as they would go, and the new ones grabbing the one more available coil (and the damper rod pulled out and clamped), JUST enough room to get the nut on.
To be fair, and this may be helpful for others, I think it would have been possible with just the Laser compressors. The Draper ones just don't open far enough and the lugs that hook the spring are too bulky.
And to think - I did the drivers side without £60 worth of spring compressors.
Malcolm, I did as you suggested but only managed to get the damper rod out by another 5cm or so. Still well short of getting the top mound and nut on.
So off to Halfords to get a pair of Laser spring compressors. With the first ones done up as tight as they would go, and the new ones grabbing the one more available coil (and the damper rod pulled out and clamped), JUST enough room to get the nut on.
To be fair, and this may be helpful for others, I think it would have been possible with just the Laser compressors. The Draper ones just don't open far enough and the lugs that hook the spring are too bulky.
And to think - I did the drivers side without £60 worth of spring compressors.
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daimlerman
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Daft part of this is that the damper rod on an assembled strut must be 12/15'' out of the strut!
So even a fully compressed spring should drop on.
I too have struggled,on one occasion I have even had compressers on the bottom plate/top plate!
But the 'most fun' time was just after dropping an E30 off a hired trailer late in the evening after moving it for a zoner to have a top nut come of at the end of the guy's road,the bloody strut would not poke back into place and I had to get 'er indoors out of bed,explain what 'spring compressers' were and where they were,as well as the rest of the kit I would need to part-strip a strut in the dark,on the side of an A1 slip road....
So even a fully compressed spring should drop on.
I too have struggled,on one occasion I have even had compressers on the bottom plate/top plate!
But the 'most fun' time was just after dropping an E30 off a hired trailer late in the evening after moving it for a zoner to have a top nut come of at the end of the guy's road,the bloody strut would not poke back into place and I had to get 'er indoors out of bed,explain what 'spring compressers' were and where they were,as well as the rest of the kit I would need to part-strip a strut in the dark,on the side of an A1 slip road....
Youth is wasted on the young.