I want to get a set of springs and top bearings from the front struts on a 240 at my local boneyard. Both look brand new and like very recent replacements before the car was junked. I was wondering if there is a short cut to the normal procedure of using spring compressors to compress the springs before removing the top nut to disasseble the strut. For example, am I inviting disaster if I remove the top shock nut and the three smaller nuts that hold the strut to the tower whle the car is on the ground ? Then, with these removed, is it safe to jack the car up slowly and have everything free and loose for disassembly and scavenging ? Would like to save some time and effort while working out in the hot sun, but don't want to sacrifice any safety. Thanks.

Mike

I agree with others - don';t risk it. There is no need anyway - take the whole strut, spring still compressed.
TIP - loosen the top nut, but leave it well on the threads, while still on the car. It will be easier to undo once you get it on the bench. Otherwise, you need to grip the shaft firmly to resist the torque on the nut.

Thanks all for the guidance. Did it the "right" way with the compressors. A bit more time and sweat but a lot less worry and no unpleasant surprises. I really didn't need the whole strut, as I had already pulled some others and rebuilt them with new Bilsteins, bearings rotors and calipers. I saw the new condition springs and top bearings on the junk yard car, and thought these would be a good bargain priced addition to my project.

Mike

You don't need a spring compressor to safely remove the complete strut/wheel assemble at the salvage yard. Remove the tie rod end from the back of the hub, unbolt the lower ball joint arm from the control arm, disconnect or cut the brake caliber hose, and unbolt the strut bearing holder at the top of the tower (3 nuts). The whole assemble then comes out (the spring is still compressed). I bought complete strut assemblies for $25 a side and this include a rim and tire which had it easy to roll to my vehicle. You will need a spring compressor to dismantle and reassemble at home. jp

I've only done this job the "right" way (i.e., with spring compressors), but I'll hazard an opinion: don't risk dismantling the strut assembly without containing the spring. Removing the whole assembly will meet your need [not carrying spring compressors with you to the junkyard]. Once the assembly is out of the wheel well, it doesn't take that much longer to use the compressors. The risk of catastrophic injury far overreaches the possibility of saving some time or money. I don't pretend superiority here... I've done more than a few automotive jobs the wrong way thru ignorance or laziness or lack of equipment.

Be safe, first and foremost.

--
'92 245 5-speed, '92 944 GL auto

I did just this the other day. Removed rear HD Bils and thought the struts might be the same. I set the strut on the ground (still attached at the bottom to the A arm) and tried to control the spring with my foot as I removed the nut. No one should be near the down range side, but it was far from major carnage. Still, the energy release was significant, and the spring travelled far enough to hit the next car in the row. I like your idea of leaving the strut in the car, although that might be unstable in a propped up salvage yard car. I have done that on a car on the ground and the spring force is enough to lift the body free of the strut.
But why not take a pair of the Harbor Freight spring compressors with you and avoid all the thrill?

So, when you released the top nut and three small nuts with the car on the ground, were there any unexpected SPROINGS, thunks or projectiles ? Would be nice if when the car is lifted after doing this there is no more compression on the spring. From there it is reltively simple to disconnect things and drop the strut assembly to get the top bearing etc. off.

Alternative is to just bring the spring compressors with me. Cranking on those guys in the hot sun is tiring and tedious, so I was looking for a quicker, simpler "chain-saw" method that would still be safe.

Yes, correct, no danger, no major tension on the spring. I did not try to drop the entire strut in the extended form but I bet it would go OK from there.

Your proposed procedure sounds a lot like how it used to be done on many non mac-pherson srut vehicles when folks didn't have spring compressors. However, I would think it would be easier just to remove the entire strut assembly and take the whole thing home. Just remove the top three small nuts, remove the four small bolts attaching to the ball joint plate and you can pull it out.

John

Other Strut question.

Never have done struts.
On the 200; If i take out the 4 bolts for the lower Ball joint Plate, will the whole tire sag down?
Then take out the small hardware up top and the whole Strut assembly comes out?
Is that how it works??

Is the strut assembly still under tension at that point or is the spring relaxed?
Sounds weird, with all my years of messing around with cars. I have never done Struts. Basically 4Wheel Drive and Leave springs.

--
'75 Jeep CJ5 345Hp ChevyPwrd, two motorcycles, '85 Pickup: The '89 Volvo is the newest vehicle I own. it wasn't Volvos safety , it was Longevity that sold me

Thanks for the thoughts. I do have the spring compressors, but the fewer tools I have to bring with me to the boneyard, and less weight I have to haul home with me, the better. I was thinking that I could use the weight of the car as a spring compressor and get everything loose on the top -- shock top nut and the three small nuts that hold the strut to the tower. The junk yard I go to has guys with large fork lifts who will lift the front of the car. I was hoping that with the top stuff disconnected, and the tie rod link disconnected, that the strut would then pivot out. Then, I could get the top bearings and the springs out easily without having to crank on the spring compressors, which is tiring, especially in 95+ degree heat. What I want to avoid, is for the spring etc. to shoot out when the guy in the fork lift lifts the car. It looks like it should stay captured in the shock tower, but I wanted to get some asurance from someone who maybe has done this before. Of course, If the strut doesn't pivot all the way out, it's not big deal to disconnect the ball joint, so long as there is no more spring pressure.

Mike

As long as you leave the big top bolt of the strut insert ("shock absorber") in place then the strut assembly is self contained and can be removed with the spring still held in compression. You remove the four bolts which hold the strut to the lower ball joint and the three small nuts which hold the upper strut mount to the car body and they take the whole sucker out of there including the strut, spring and shock all as a unit. They you can take it home and use the spring compressors and normal procedures to complete the disassembly, or if you are going to use them with the used strut insert then just put the whole sucker into your car without ever compressing the springs.

Read through the procedure in the Bentley manual as it is pretty well explained.

John

Sounds like a nightmare to me, having had to replace struts where the big body nut that screws into the housing came out, I know this can be a nightmare. Any way you attempt this without the proper tools is surely inviting disaster. If you turn the top strut nut loose, turn everything loose on the lower arm except for the front bolt that goes through the bushing and the engine subframe you may be able to lower it all down with a jack placed under the bottom of the strut housing. Place the jack under the strut housing, jack it up so it is compressed, take all the other stuff off (tie rod end, link rod for the sway bar, rear control arm mount, loosen the front control arm mount, and then undo the top strut nut and slowly lower the assembly with the jack. You will need enough room underneath the vehicle for the arm to extend all the way down and for the jack to fit under it.

The other method I have used succesfully in the past sounds completely lunatic but here goes: Remove the strut and spring as an assembly, wrap the coil spring with a fender cover, lay the assembly on the ground in front of you with the strut perpendicular to your body, reach around with one side and shoot the nut loose with an impact gun. The strut will shoot one way and the spring the other. I know this sounds like a recipe for disaster and if you try it do so at your own risk. I have not done it on a 200 series Volvos but we used to do it day in and day out on 700 series BMW's when we had a spring recall at the dealership. I liked to crapped myself the first time I saw it done, but it really is not that big of a deal and the parts and pieces do not fly that far really. I have also seen a strut spring pop out of a compressor and put a guy in the hospital, had one pop out on me when it was in my steel car and it pretty much reworked that cart, thank God it missed me.

Any method you use, be careful and good luck

Mark

Get the whole strut assemblies. If they have new springs and top plates they probably have new cartridges in them too. Check the ball joints as well. If they're recent, leave 'em attached to the bottom of the struts. Same deal with rotors and calipers.

When you get home use a spring compressor to dismantle one strut and find out what kind of inserts they have. (if it really matters to you) If you do the bounce test while the front end is still together you will have a pretty good idea of how firm they are. (this can be difficult if there are no wheels on the car) It saves a lot of work to simply swap the entire units onto your car.