ok I have been reading through the haynes manual and the chiltons manual and looking at the car ....and I can't figure this out

is there a way of just pulling out the shock from the strut and replacing it ?

if so can this be done w/o removing the strut and all the other crap along with it ..... I can't find a pic of a koni yellow to see what it looks like .. I just ordered them today .

I was able to replace the cartridge without disconnecting the ball joint. I removed the tie rod and sway. Pushed the cartridge down from the top so it cleared the fender and was pointing out toward me. I took a pipe wrench and removed the cartridge.

No problemo.
Remove wheel from hub. Remove top nut in trunk that holds top of strut.
After you have this all done let the A arm drop down. Once you have it all the way down, compress the piston and you can remove the dust cover.
Then I reposition the strut in the strut housing and put the nut back on. I do this so I can then loosen the large cap nut that keeps the shock inside the strut housing. Once that large nut is loose you can then re-remove the top retaining nut and recompress the piston. Once you do this you can rotate the entire strut out towards the fender lip and slide the shock out. It is easier than it sounds.

Then reverse to reinstall new shock.
You do not need to remove anything else. Just make sure not to over stress the rubber brake lines.

any other suggestions on tools to remove the top nut / cap thing that holds in the shock cartridge ... I don't have a big ass adjustable wrench or pipe wrench

QUOTE (sk8kat1 @ Mar 28 2006, 03:34 PM)

any other suggestions on tools to remove the top nut / cap thing that holds in the shock cartridge ... I don't have a big ass adjustable wrench or pipe wrench

a c clamp? a reubber strap wrench from sears?


go buy a big set of slip joint pliers... and use a rag so you dont mess up the nut

QUOTE (sk8kat1 @ Mar 28 2006, 03:34 PM)

any other suggestions on tools to remove the top nut / cap thing that holds in the shock cartridge ... I don't have a big ass adjustable wrench or pipe wrench

it's not going to kill you to buy a few more tools will it???

be very carefull that you don't damage the brake hose/line, if you pull the strut out too far, you can damage the hose and it needs replacing immediately......

If you follow my directions earlier in this thread, you can use a hammer and a cold chissel, tapping in the correct direction, using the little cut outs on the threaded cap. Do this only with the strut re- inserted and lightly reattached to the strut tower. (after you have removed the dust cover )
And as Mike said, watch to rubber flexible brake line, when you pull the strut out towards you to remove the insert. Assuming you get the top nut of the strut loose so you can remove the insert.

QUOTE (Mueller @ Mar 28 2006, 03:44 PM)

be very carefull that you don't damage the brake hose/line, if you pull the strut out too far, you can damage the hose and it needs replacing immediately......

kragen carries the 914 brake lines. sometimes in stock. =-)