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914World.com _ 914World Garage _ What tool do you use to tighten front strut insert nut? Oops move me to Garage.
Posted by: wndsnd May 8 2014, 07:45 PM
I am trying to hunt down a front end noise, a metallic sounding bang over bumps front right.
My suspicions are
A). Sway bar drop links
B) sway bar hitting tank
C) strut nut.
Normal tests seem fine, checking ball joint and tie rod ends.
John
Posted by: mskala May 8 2014, 08:53 PM
I have some kind of old plumbing wrench that's notched for the
strut nut. You can borrow it if you want. I have a suspicion that
it will only fit the nuts on Boge.
Posted by: tommy914 May 8 2014, 09:07 PM
The tool I use.
Posted by: messix May 8 2014, 09:30 PM
cheap ass harbor freight pipe wrench
Posted by: r_towle May 9 2014, 05:22 AM
Pipe wrench or the proper strut wrench.
Motorcycle shops sell the correct wrench...
It's a handle with a c shaped end that has one tooth to fit into one notch on the upper nut.
Common wrench for adjust height motorcycle rear shocks.
Posted by: Krieger May 9 2014, 08:07 AM
Check the three allen head bolts that hold the strut assembly to the fenderwell.
Posted by: Elliot Cannon May 9 2014, 07:09 PM
It could be your shock is shot allowing it to bottom out on bumps. Happened to me.
Posted by: r_towle May 10 2014, 10:54 AM
I am shocked you had a shot shock...
Posted by: r_towle May 10 2014, 10:57 AM
Do you have a front anti sway bar?
If so, what type?
Stock or aftermarket.
Reason I ask is I chased a clunk at slow speed for a while
It was the anti sway bar tapping the gas tank....
Lifting the tank worked to diagnose, but eventually the tank settles back down again.
A piece of garden hose on the bar, under the tank, did the trick.
You have to remove the tank to do it....
Rich
Posted by: Racer Chris May 10 2014, 11:58 AM
I inspected the front end when John stopped here for an oil change on the way to Hershey.
Both insert retaining nuts are loose, allowing the struts to shift a little bit.
If tightening them doesn't stop the noise, I would shim up the tank an eighth inch to see if it was the sway bar hitting the tank.
Posted by: ClayPerrine May 11 2014, 11:03 AM
From recent experience:
Both our 914s had an issue with the top nut on the strut housing unscrewing. THe Koni adjustable shocks ended up floating around and causing camber changes and loud clunks over bumps.
Funny part about it was that it was the left shock on both cars. The Koni strut nuts have two holes in the collar. I used the 911 fan wrench to tighten them, and it seems to work fine. I can't figure out why the backed out. Betty's was in there for 2 years, and mine for 5 years.
I put a locktite on the threads when I put them back.
Still don't know why..... 
Posted by: wndsnd May 11 2014, 12:02 PM
Thanks everyone, those housing nuts seem to be the consensus. Now I just need the energy to take it apart.
I also ordered new front and rear bump stops to replace while I am in there.
I got to find the tool, I remember using a scredriver and whacking the nuts as tight as I could but I also remember there were some threads still exposed.
John
Posted by: wndsnd May 11 2014, 12:03 PM
Do you have a front anti sway bar?
If so, what type?
Stock or aftermarket.
Reason I ask is I chased a clunk at slow speed for a while
It was the anti sway bar tapping the gas tank....
Lifting the tank worked to diagnose, but eventually the tank settles back down again.
A piece of garden hose on the bar, under the tank, did the trick.
You have to remove the tank to do it....
Rich
Stock sway bar. I will check the tank placement as well, but I am going to start with the struts.
Posted by: wndsnd May 11 2014, 12:07 PM
Can I do these by dropping from the top without taking the strut off the car?
I really want to avoid the whole ball joint thing again......
Posted by: Racer Chris May 11 2014, 01:48 PM
Can I do these by dropping from the top without taking the strut off the car?
Yes.
Posted by: r_towle May 11 2014, 03:52 PM
Jack up one side of the car, or both..no difference.
Hold car on jack stands not touching the control arms or suspension...so under the body somewhere.
Remove wheel
Remove sway bar drop link on the side you will work on
Remove top nut on strut, just the big one.
From a sitting or kneeling position, good leverage, grab onto the dust shield at the top of the strut from within the wheel well.
Pull down really hard to compress the strut.
If you have a gas strut like a bilstein, hang on tight once you remove the strut from its proper home....it has enough juice to dent the fender if you let to.
While pulling down, swing the strut out of the fender so when you let go, it expands outside of the fender area.
Then you can relax...have a break.
From there, remove the dust cover, fix the nut, and put it back in again the same way.
If you have oil filled struts it will be much less drama...they don't spring up.
Speaking from experience....
The bils have enough gas power to dent the fender from below if you slip.
So, get comfy and get in a good position to do it all in one move without letting go.
Rich
Posted by: wndsnd May 11 2014, 04:12 PM
Yes I have the Bilsteins.
Thanks for the narrative Rich.
Posted by: r_towle May 11 2014, 04:14 PM
Then be careful....
Posted by: r_towle May 11 2014, 04:15 PM
It's not terrible, just a lot of pressure to hang on to if you are not comfy and ready for it...
Posted by: struckn May 11 2014, 06:56 PM
Jack up one side of the car, or both..no difference.
Hold car on jack stands not touching the control arms or suspension...so under the body somewhere.
Remove wheel
Remove sway bar drop link on the side you will work on
Remove top nut on strut, just the big one.
From a sitting or kneeling position, good leverage, grab onto the dust shield at the top of the strut from within the wheel well.
Pull down really hard to compress the strut.
If you have a gas strut like a bilstein, hang on tight once you remove the strut from its proper home....it has enough juice to dent the fender if you let to.
While pulling down, swing the strut out of the fender so when you let go, it expands outside of the fender area.
Then you can relax...have a break.
From there, remove the dust cover, fix the nut, and put it back in again the same way.
If you have oil filled struts it will be much less drama...they don't spring up.
Speaking from experience....
The bils have enough gas power to dent the fender from below if you slip.
So, get comfy and get in a good position to do it all in one move without letting go.
Rich
That's exactly the way, as Rich says, that worked for me when I did it last year and was the fix for the clunking noise
I had to the Left Front. Easy to do and done in 30 minutes.
Posted by: worn May 11 2014, 09:47 PM
I am trying to hunt down a front end noise, a metallic sounding bang over bumps front right.
My suspicions are
A). Sway bar drop links
B) sway bar hitting tank
C) strut nut.
Normal tests seem fine, checking ball joint and tie rod ends.
John
Take a used strut collar or the one they gave you with new shocks of the style you wont use. Weld square section shaft key pieces into the spanner grooves to make lugs. Then weld a long bar to the ring for leverage. In use mate up with th old shock ring and engage square lugs you welded on and twist. For an in place sck you need to make it into a line wrench style. Pics are two thousand miles away. But this is worthless without em i know.
Posted by: wndsnd May 17 2014, 12:26 PM
Took the front suspension down today. Removed strut nuts and washers and then took a rachet strap around the top of the shock cover and down to the a arm. A few cranks and the strut cleared the inside rim and I was able to disassemble.
I had ordered a set of used shock stops from Bruce Stone. You have to love that guy. Always gets you out a a jamb and the parts are always reasonable and shipped quickly.
The side with the clunk had the strut nut backed off completely. It slid up the shaft and was well under the cover. No wonder it was clunking.
I took Rich Towles advice and borrowed a strut spanner from a local Motorcycle shop. This functionally should have worked, but the size was just off enough so that when I applied torque, it would pop open and off.
I cleaned the nuts off good with brake cleaner and applied blue locktight liberally to the threads. I used a soft hammer and a brass punch to tap it as tight as I could. They didnt quite seat all the way, but were very tight and secure.
I trashed the rubber grommet that Bilstein provided as a stop for the cover, and tried the new/old stops from Bruce. They were a bit too long for the Bilsteins and I could not get the strut to seat far enough to get the nut and washer on.
So I cut them in half. Perfect. Tightened every thing up and just took it for a spin. Difference of night and day.
I might change my mind on the Bilsteins now.
Wife spotted a Miata in the next town and she wants me to take a look at it. She wants to spend her money 
It will have to be an automatic as she is hopeless with a standard.
John
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