Hey guys, since it's finally warmed up (about 32 degrees here), I decided to swap in my new set of coilovers for my old ones.

I installed the rear ones with ease, but the fronts are giving me a real pain in the *** this time around. I've installed my original set of coilovers without any real issue.

I'm having problems with both the left and right side. On the right side, I was able to knock out the eccentric bolt, but not the other normal bolt below it. Vice versa for some odd reasoning on the drivers side.

I've sprayed a lot of lubricant on them. I don't have access to air tools in my garage.

I tried using my dad's Dewalt impact gun on the one non-eccentric bolt, but it wouldn't even budge. I've also tried a breaker bar and put a piece of pipe on it for even greater torque. It made a LOUD pop when I tried this. I thought I snapped the bolt, but the head is still intact. Barely budged it, and it's still tight as hell.

I've also tried hammering them out, but both won't even budge. It's not a small hammer, more of a mini sledgehammer that I just bought.

Any tips? Should I have my wheels facing straight forward? Turned? Jack stand underneath the hub? Raise up high or low? Anything like that? I'm getting frustrated and don't want to take this to a shop if necessary, but it's looking like I will have to.

Pictures. (I put the nuts back on the end so my hammer wouldn't mess up the threads)

Drivers side:


Passenger side:

 

are you supporting the arms and whatever as you try to pull it out?

when i did my suspension i just held up the arms and the bolts came out pretty easily

 

No, I haven't yet. I will give that a shot in a bit here and report back! Thanks.

 

Yeah that should probably do it - explains why you're only able to get out one. When you moved to the right side you probably pulled out the bottom bolt first, so the eccentric bolt on top is the only thing left holding up that part of the suspension

lol i'm not tech savvy at all so i don't know what the names of the parts are, sorry for that. hopefully that works though, just hold up the arm with your leg or something and hold it even so that you can pull the bolt straight out, otherwise that bolt is gonna be like a pin holding the damper to the arm thingamajig

 

Haha, no problem about not knowing the part names/etc. I do appreciate your help though. I'm gonna give it a go right now.

 

np let me knwo how it goes

 

Well, I got an extra set of hands to help with the non eccentric bolt and we turned and hit it out at the same time. It was cake. The other one that you can't twist (eccentric bolt) is being quite the pain in the ***. We've been hammering on it for sometime and it just won't budge at all.


Time to give it up for the day and I may try again tomorrow if I have time...

 

weird - shouldn't have to twist or hammer it at all... anyway good luck

 

Check with the coil-over, but was it meant to have the eccentric bolt used? It might be a round hole, not slotted like the OE strut.

With that - heat is always helpful. You may have to torch that area. But be careful when heating up the top of the hub. Since you are pitching the old c/o its less of an issue with heating up that strut body.