Re: Strut Boots

["Fred Munro" <munrof@isys.ca>]

Gary;

    I've done this twice; once on my '86 5ktq and once on my '91 200q.

    Jack up the car until the wheel is off the ground and put a jackstand
under the car body. Remove the wheel.
    Place a jack under the ball joint and raise until there is tension on
the spring. Remove the top nut from the shock and drop the shock shaft down
from the top mount. You may have to turn the steering wheel until the shock
shaft is vertically aligned in the top rubber mount and will come free.
    Lower the suspension to open up the spring coils. Slide the old boot out
between the spring coils and the new boot in between the coils. I was
concerned that the suspension may drop enough to release the spring since
the shock was no longer attached to limit travel(ohh, I bet that could
hurt - gives a whole new meaning to "face lift"), but it did not seem to be
a problem - be very careful just in case - I had the suspension blocked so
it could not extend too far.
    Slide the shock shaft up through the top mount and attach the nut.
Attach the new boot to the top of the strut first and then to the lower
plastic mount.
    You may have to work a bit at getting the shock shaft up through the top
mount, but it goes with a bit of perseverance. If you cannot get it through,
mark the position of the top mount, remove the three retaining nuts, and
remove the entire mount. Pull up the shock shaft, slide the mount on, attach
the shock bolt, and refit the mount to the car. If you replace it on the
marks, the alignment will be OK.
    The entire process takes about one hour working at a leisurely pace and
allowing suitable pauses for contemplation.

HTH

Fred Munro
'91 200q  258k km
-----Original Message-----
From: gary t anderson <garyand@gte.net>
To: quattro@coimbra.ans.net <quattro@coimbra.ans.net>
Date: Thursday, September 17, 1998 12:17 AM
Subject: Strut Boots


>Anyone heard of a way to replace a front strut boot (ya know the
>accordian plastic thing) without having to remove and disassemble the
>whole darn assembly?
>'91 200tq