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Front spring removal help

EFI

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Helping out a friend do springs on his car, and got kind of stuck on the fronts.

After taking out the strut assembly and compressing the spring, we're using an impact on the top nut that holds the strut mount but it's not actually coming off...it just spinning in place with the strut shaft.

How are you guys getting this nut off? In reading the Ford manual on how to do this, it mentions to use the hex holding feature while removing the nut. I assume this means using a hex key to hold the shaft, but how exactly do you then take the nut off? Can you fit a wrench in there while using a hex key on the shaft?

Any tips would be appreciated!
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BmacIL

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Helping out a friend do springs on his car, and got kind of stuck on the fronts.

After taking out the strut assembly and compressing the spring, we're using an impact on the top nut that holds the strut mount but it's not actually coming off...it just spinning in place with the strut shaft.

How are you guys getting this nut off? In reading the Ford manual on how to do this, it mentions to use the hex holding feature while removing the nut. I assume this means using a hex key to hold the shaft, but how exactly do you then take the nut off? Can you fit a wrench in there while using a hex key on the shaft?

Any tips would be appreciated!
If the impact doesn't work, a strut socket is needed (has a window in the side to get a wrench on the top of the shaft).
 

NightmareMoon

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If you have it off the car any open wrench should allow you to keep a socket on the top of the strut. If its on the car, a set of offset box wrenches are good to have around and pretty cheap to acquire. Its not something that takes power tool torque.
 

7YearAscent

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Helping out a friend do springs on his car, and got kind of stuck on the fronts.

After taking out the strut assembly and compressing the spring, we're using an impact on the top nut that holds the strut mount but it's not actually coming off...it just spinning in place with the strut shaft.

How are you guys getting this nut off? In reading the Ford manual on how to do this, it mentions to use the hex holding feature while removing the nut. I assume this means using a hex key to hold the shaft, but how exactly do you then take the nut off? Can you fit a wrench in there while using a hex key on the shaft?

Any tips would be appreciated!
I would use an open wrench on the nut and a vice to hold the hex key
 
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Mootang

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Just going to drop this here and wish I got it sooner:

1/2 inch pass thru is big enough for most struts, expensive, but worth it. If you google search pass through wrenches, you will find cheaper ones.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NIAKJK/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

This if you have double D struts, if not, hex will be fine for for the pass thru/through.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000CO88C6/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I tried a lot of different methods, but by far, that pass thru/through saved me a lot of times for suspension struts and shocks. I even have the strut socket and they take too long with little room to stick a box wrench in.
 

ModularKid21

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I usually take some of the compression off the spring and let it press more up against the top mount. That puts more press on to help keep the shaft from spinning. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend that unless you’re comfortable with using spring compressors. Any of these other methods would work as well
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