I have the rrm single tube upper strut bar... I put it in myself I have taken it out at least once myself, and now it wont come off, the nut thats in there just spins. Since I took it off last I had my springs installed. I cant think what is wrong with it. I can feel the socket grip the sides of the nut but it just spins, wont tighten or loosen now. Please someone help.
Ryan

 

jack up a side maybe?

 

Tried that.

 

did you do the springs yourself or have a shop do it? its possible that the bottom of the bolt got stripped because the nut was being pinched against the bar and couldnt moved up like it should have.

 

you might have broken your top mount for your struts and it is spinning underneath. Best way to get it off easily will probably be to hit it with and impact. It will be so quick that it will just take it off before it has a chance to spin.

 

I didnt do the install myself...I can see the nut spin I marked a certin spot on the nut and the bolt to check that exact same thing hit it with my ratchet and and just the nut moves. If te bolt was broken on the strut wouldnt they both spin? If it is broke is it the shops fault that they broke it?

 

the shop may have stripped the nut when putting your car back together? using say, an impact wrench!

 

either the nut is stripped or the top mount is broken. Try the impact wrench. All other alternatives are a little messy.

 

yeah if they tightened it with an impact they could have damaged it. If I remember correctly the strut mount nuts are only supposed to have like 50psi of torque on them. So it could easily be the problem. Either way I think an impact is your best solution off.

 

dude take it BACK to the mech... show him how its stripped.. im sure they have a tool to take off a stripped nut

 

If i take it back to the shop and they take it off with the impact, is that going to be it am I going to be able to put it back on or is it done after that?

 

If its stripped here are your options: try an impact gun, try to hold the bolt with visegrips while turning the nut with a wrench, Last options are angle grinder, sawsall and a dremmal. I would probably try to slit the nut with a dremmal and tap it off with a screw driver.

 

if you take it to the shop that made the mistake in the first place, which I think you should, they might have to replace your top mount as well as the nut, but hopefully just the nut, which can be bought at most hardware stores (except Home Depot, I checked)

 

Dude... hate to tell you this... but you in deep :-) LOL... I know because I did that to my own damn strut tower cap.

What happens is when people (like me) are in a hurry they use the impact wrench (when they shouldn't) and you end up with stripped studs. The studs are just half pressed into the strut tower cap. It's called the strut isolator or something similar. They just have little serated edges that grab into the metal. I had to cut mine out and then pull the strut out and replace the isolator.

The part is only like 40 bucks.. so it could be a lot worse... but it means that it was tightened down too much, or with an impact wrench.. which you'll never get it back off again.. and if you ever got so lucky to get it off.. DON'T put it back on.

Make sense?

pm if you have more questions...

Been there done that