ahhhhhhhhhh top mounts

[GIXXERUK 0]

i'm changing my top mounts and i've fallen at the first hurdle :-(

 

how do you hold the stop while you take the top strut nut off ?? bentley says theres a special vw tool :mad:

i just cant work out how to hold the flange :-) while i undo the nut

i've tried it on the ground and jacked up

 

tia

[Supercharged 2]

Is that the castelated top nut?? The golf haynes manuals usually have a picture of the tool which you can make by sacrivicing a socket

[GIXXERUK 0]

the nut that holds the the strut in at the top , its not castelated :-(

in the bentley it shows the top stop/flange as having holes in it but then on another diagram it hasnt (like mine)

[VR6 0]

Don't you just need a deep set ring spanner and a socket?

[GIXXERUK 0]

you need to hold the flange while you undo the nut otherwise the hole jobby turns but without the special tool i cant see how but i'm sure someone on here has got around it

[GIXXERUK 0]

to hold the strut on the top nut seems a little dodgy as its only 10mm , i dont want to snap anything :-(

[GIXXERUK 0]

left it for another day, i'm still open to offers tho on how to do this

 

cheers

[20v turbo 0]

its a bit ruff but you can just grip the flange with a pair of vise grips and hold it or till it turns and wedge's up agains the bulkhead,use some rags between the jaws of the grips and it stops it mark as much.like i said its a bit ruff but it's got me out of the shit before now

[Skimask 0]

Gixxer, I use a ring spanner on mine. The spanner has a shallow neck and fits perfectly. Which leaves the strut shaft- not having the correct tool - I usually hammer on an 11mm (yours may be different) socket. Then you can remove the nut.

[dr_mat 0]

Maybe I'm way off the mark here, but can't you leave the strut bolted to the wheel hub to stop it turning?

I've only seen it done once, and I wasn't watching too closely...

[andycowuk 0]

It isnt really important what that flange is doing.... its just a glorified washer. Sometimes you can use it to help hold the strut to start with, othertimes it just spins. That 10mm hex on the tip of the strut is there to hold the strut still - it does seem flimsy, but I havent broken one yet. The only time I have been affraid is on AVO top adjustables, where the 10mm head is the dampener adjustment.....

[GIXXERUK 0]

cheers , i'mgoing to halfrauds to see if i can find a ring spanner that will be deep enough to use, i think its 20mm which is an odd size

[andycowuk 0]

its 22mm iirc

[h100vw 0]

Maybe I'm way off the mark here, but can't you leave the strut bolted to the wheel hub to stop it turning?

I've only seen it done once, and I wasn't watching too closely...

 

The piston just spins in the shock body. You have to hold it some how. I use an impact gun which works without holding it due to the quick shocks it deals out.

 

Gavin

[coullstar 0]

What I do is get a 22mm socket and grind two flats either side so you can fit an adjustable on. You then use an 10mm allen key through the socket and hold that using a 10mm socket and handle that you get in the socket set. The allen key holds the piston and alloes you two undo the top nut.

 

If its the slotted nut there is a special tool avialable but I just use springs compressors to take spring pressure of the top[ plate and the slotted nut is then fairly loose and will undo.

[GIXXERUK 0]

coullstar, yeah its a 22mm socket , so ive ground the sides down to fit a 22mm spanner ,i just need to drill out the centre now so it goes over the 11mm nut and threads

 

top idea mate, cheers

[Mike Edwards 0]

Can I suggest using a large plug spanner with the rubber insert removed? These tend to come with a 22mm AF hex-head on them.

 

You can then fit an allen key down through the middle of the spanner to stop the shaft rotating.

 

Alternatively, take it to a friendly local garage and ask them to jolt the nut loose using an air-hammer. Re-tighten finger tight and drive home to continue work...

[GIXXERUK 0]

Mike Edwards, itsnot the allen key type mate, they are koni coilovers, so they have a bolt at the top

i've bought a 21mm deep neck spanner, looks like this will do the trick

koni's must be 21mm

[GIXXERUK 0]

done at last , koni coilovers

top nut is 11mm and the strut nuts are 21mm

with the spring being shorter you dont need to take the whole strut out , you can pull it down and replace the top mounts :-)

[willwoll100 0]

Just use an impact gun as already mentioned it saves you a lot of hassle

[GIXXERUK 0]

willwoll100, see post above

[kvwloon 0]

Can I just add a quick question to this on an early 16V. If replacing the top strut mounts will I need to use spring compressors, or will the springs be fully extended on removal?

[Yandards 0]

Okay for some dumb reason the top nuts on Koni's are 21mm not 22mm

 

If some chimp has done these up too tight when the were first fitted (Only needs to be 60NM or 44 lb.ft on a VR) then you are really going to struggle to do this by hand.

 

Easiest way we found was to go to Halfords, get a 21mm double depth impact socket for an alloy wheel (It has a red plastic sleeve on it and is very thin walled) You will then to drill out the plastic insert inside the socket to clear the top of the strut. After that it was a quick trip to Kwik fit and a case of, "Can you put an air wrench on that please mate?"

 

Job done, no scuffed knuckles and no rounded off nut.

 

Kvwloon if you still on OE springs and dampers then you will need spring compressors to replace the top mounts. Also the torque loadings for an early setup are the same for the top cap nut but different for the strut bearing retaining nut (The one with the two cut outs in it) - this should be 40Nm or 30 lb ft.

[h100vw 0]

Spring compressors are a good idea. Or you'll be getting friendly with a dentist. :mrgreen:

 

Gavin

[chrisw 0]

This was a nightmare for me. The hex on the strut rounded on one side so I bolted a metal bar to the flange through the holes the rubber cover is held on with and used this in conjuction with a deep set ring spanner (that I still had to grind a bit off to ensure a good fit). Vice grips just weren't holding it, some numpty had done it up far too tight.