Hey board,

Ok, I got my strut inserts (boge turbo),strut mounts, heavy duty springs, spring compressors, the lisle top nut removal kit, and two huge(18"&14" pipe wrenches)pipe wrenches.
I think Im set for job(comments?). Anybody give me an estimate of how much time this should take.

Any and all tips from those of you who've wrestled this particular monster, would be appreciated. IM GOIN IN! SOON!

Thanks

Lawrence

Lawrence -

Having done the struts on my wife's 850, I thought I would sail right throught the job on my 245. NOPE. Did the 850 including front brakes in maybe 4 hours (both sides), but the 240 took damn near all day. Part of the problem is the "Jesus nut" on the top of the strut; it's recessed to the point where even an offset box wrench can't reach it. I ended up driving off to the lab where I work to use the impact wrench to get the nut off. For the replacements, I was "crafty" and put a few thick washers (actually, I turned some spacers out of mild steel while I was at the lab)under the top nut, which pushed the nut up high enough so even a regular box wrench can grab it.

For me, the biggest nuisance about the strut job was having to disconnect the brake lines which curl around the strut, and then bleed the brakes afterwards. A pleasant surprise with my '92 as compared to the '88 it replaces is that because of ABS there is now only a single line to each caliper, not 3. Thus you only have to bleed at 4 places, not 10 or however many the non-ABS brakes had. However, mechanically the job is conceptually simple, and it's just things like frozen nuts which will impede progress. Allowing for things like that, I would allow 5-6 hours for a talented amateur.

While you have the struts off, make sure you check the top bearing plates. They should swivel freely with no stiction, looseness or grittiness. If not, replace them both - expensive, but the whole strut thing is such a nuisance I'd hate to have to go through all the labor just to replace the bearings.

Since I was adding strut braces, I also took the opportunity to get the top reinforcement plates from IPD. This is a $50 item which is essentially a piece of shaped steel which goes between the strut bearing plate and the underside of the strut tower... reinforces the area which is great if there's rusty metal there or if you have the boy-racer in you and anticipate suspension mods.

BTW, I used the Boge Turbo gas units to replace the utterly flaccid stock struts at 120k. Very nice ride.

Smitty,

A big 10-4. Thanks.

Im planning to follow the bently manual, and leave the brake lines intact.

My plan is to disconnect where the lines are bolted to the fender well, and then lean the whole thing out with a piece of rope ,or something, to keep it going to far. From your experience, does this sound practical?

Also, can you tell me how far you have to compress the springs for this job.
Do you really have to crank em down? Or maybe just a small amount?

What kind of compressors did you use?


Thanks

Lawrence

Lawrence -

In order to manhandle the struts, I don't see how you can leave the brake lines attached. Bleeding isn't that big a deal, just a minor time-consuming annoyance after the struts are all done. Just give the bleeder nipples a shot of PB'laster when you start the struts. Maybe the pros know how to keep the struts in the wheel well, but I sure didn't.

As I recall, the springs need to be compressed several inches - which is where the danger in this job lies. Potential energy in a spring = 1/2 K*X^2 where X is the amount of compression... and the spring rate K is several hundred pounds per inch. Just be careful! I got a decent compressor from Advanced Auto Parts (chain here in CT) for under $35, which to me is better than renting. However, it will not keep the spring centtralized; it relies on YOU to crank down equally on the bolt on each side. I think to unload the bearing plate & Jesus nut it takes a good 2-3 inches of spring compression. Proceed with caution and care!

Good luck!

Thanks,

I do appreciate the advice.

Lawrence

Larry,

If you have B'laster (and I hope you do)... I'd spray the large retaining glan nuts located inside the coil spring at the top of the strut tube a couple of times a day ... a few days in advance. Those SOBs can really be tough to break loose if corrosion has welded them to the top of the tube. Be careful with the spring compressor ... crank each side down evenly a bit at a time ... make sure everything stays in place ... if the compressor comes loose ... or breaks (don't use a cheap tool here) you could end up in the ER or worse. Don't remove the top strut nut until the spring is compressed enough to take all the force off the top cap.I hope you have Bentley or Haynes manual for reference. Good luck. Be careful.

Thanks for the execellent pointers.
How far do the springs need to compress?

Thanks

Lawrence