Re: removing struts in a 4kq

[Luis Marques <marques@rtis.ray.com>]

From: Michael Williams <daserde@ucla.edu> wrote:

> Anyway, i have the socket for the axle nut, i have an offset wrench
> that  will work for the top nut, my problem consists of two things:
> the ball joint and tie rod.  Since im doing this on essentially a 0
> dollar budget, i dont have money for an alignment.  I know that if you
> do it a certain way, its possible to do this without needing one.

If you don't have the special tool, you may use a needle nose vice grips
for the slotted nut under the top nut, or tap a blade screwdriver on the
slots. The ball joint can be very difficult to remove.  Sometimes it's
easier to remove the ball joint from the a-arm (make sure you mark the
position of the ball joint prior to disassembly).  The strut may have to
be compressed up a little with an extra jack for the bolts to clear the
CV joint.  Detaching the sway bar will make things a whole lot easier. 
A small vice grip can be used to keep the links in place while
tightening the self-locking nuts.  As far as the tie rods, my big vice
grips can usually pop them from the strut.  Put one jaw on the bottom of
the strut arm and the other on top of the tie rod treads and apply
pressure.  The reverse can be done to keep the tie rod from turning when
it's time to reattach it.  A pipe wrench is the cheapest tool to undo
(and tighten) the cap that holds the struts in place.

HTH

Luis Marques
'87 4kcsq