r0cky

from today's puttering:

Taints2k3

4route-- Being that you are replacing the 3 top studs, try to use the the pickel fork between the left stud in the picture and the top of the strut below the bolt. Hold this with your left hand and the wrench for the top bolt in your right.. this should give you some leverage, assuming your right handed

r0cky

Taints2k3 -- Is that how you did yours?? Do you have XREAS? Man, I bet you completed your lift in less than two weeks! hehe. Well, I will certainly try what you're suggesting - did you have trouble getting that one loose too??

Thanks for the advice, I am grateful!

Taints2k3

I do not have XREAS, so I had a bit of an advantage. I was able to get a good hold of the strut becuase I wasnt stuffed in the wheel well. Once I got one of my struts out I noticed it was leaking, so I had to put it all back together and take it in for replacement(under warranty). Once I got the truck back it took a weekend to do the lift. You will get through it just fine, patience... Things will get better.. The rear spacers were much easier to install(little over an hour). Good luck..Keep us posted..This thread is Great!!!

02Runner

Hey 4Route. I apologize for not being able to check in sooner. But it looks as if you're on the way to success.


From looking at your pics, it looks as if you're trying to remove the top nut with the spring in an upright position. Is that right? If so, would the reason be because there isn't enough room to pull the bottom out because of the outer tie rod end?


I removed the cotter pin and outer tie rod end according to step #12 on the Rev Tek instructions. This let me move the tie rod out of the way. Again, there is a boot on there, but don't get overly worked up about that. Just be careful with the threads and boot. You'll definitely need to put some arse into this part. Anyway, separate it and get it out of your way. (Look at page three of this thread and at the 4th pic you posted. See how confined the work area is with the t.r.e. in the way.)


Then you can lay the strut assembly down after working it into a good position. Evenly tighten your strut compressors with the strut assembly laying on its side (top three bolts facing outward). Once you compress the spring away more, you can then remove the top nut. Toyota coated the top nut and threads with paint. This'll make you keep twisting with force until the nut comes completely off.


When putting it all back together, remember how tight this area was to work in and imagine how much more difficult it will be with a strut assembly thats 3" longer. :pat: You'll definitely need the extra work room and a pry bar. After the top is in place! You'll need to pry the control arm down in order to place the bottom into its mounting position again.


Good work to this point.


Doug M.

r0cky

Doug -- thank you so much for the reply and help!

The only thing is ... so far the tie rod is not in the way, but that might be because I cannot for the life of me get the top of the strut/coil under the a-arm ... the XREAS line is too short and will not allow me to pull it out ... so at the moment I am completely unable to lay it on its side ... I do have the bottom out:



The trouble is with figuring out how to position it in order to get the top under the upper a-arm ... Do you have any pictures of when you had the strut laying down? That might help me visually, but it's okay if you don't.

As far as the top bolt ... what tools did you use to loosen it? I am uncertain as to what part I need to keep still, and what part I need to wrench.

Thanks for all of your help ... I don't know that I am actually making any progress at all ... but I appreciate any/all the help I can get!

r0cky

I AM SO SORE! all that tightening of the spring compressor last night ... gosh. it gets tight very quickly. today I tried to work on it some more, but decided to take a break because I'm hurting so bad. when I go back out there, I am going to compress the coil again, try a new tool I found (supposed to help a great deal with that specific center bolt) and then if I can't get things done that way, I will try the pitman puller tool to get the tie rod end out of the way (though looking at it, it doesn't look like it would give me enough room to be able to pull the whole strut under the a-arm ... but, well, I'll give everything a try.

my best friend said she'd come over and take it off with her teeth ... so, that may produce amusing pictures ... (she was just kidding of course, just trying to make light of my frustration and i appreciate that ... although, she does have awfully strong teeth ... if she can't crack a pecan open with her hands, she just crushes the hell out of it with her teeth!)

okay guys ... does my plan sound okay? I was hoping to avoid separating ball joints because a lot of you have said it is a PITA to get them back together ... but if it's necessary, I'll do it.

02Runner

4Route:

I removed the bottom of the strut assembly to the outside. I was then able to lower the top below its housing and manipulate the bottom back toward the center of the vehicle while bringing the top outwards. Actually the XREAS line is pretty tough as you probably already know. I used the exact same method on both sides in order to get it top end out. That made it a much easier job working ith the compressors. However it may not be totally necessary to do that, but its what I found easiest.

Sorry I don't have any pics. I'm not real good at taking pics and was actually leaning on Sedonaz to post them. I'm the only guy I know that can go on a three week trip and forget to take the camera in the beerless hand to take pics!

You've already got the bottom out, now work it up and in, this will let you bring the top out and down. If you can't get it, disassemble it as it is. I used a 1/2 inch drive ratchet to unbolt the top center nut while the spring was compressed. Thats so you can set the spacer on top of the spring plate. Then reassemble it and get your pry bar ready to push the lower control arm down while you reinsert the strut assembly into its place.

Doug M.

PS, you have my cell number if you need it, right?

r0cky

Doug, thank you again ... I do indeed have your cell number, but I would hate to bother you at home ... so I will try everything first, and it I still make no progress, I'll first try sending you a PM, and then I'll save your number for emergency use only.

Okay ... so far, I too have moved the bottom of the strut assembly to the outside, and I will try (soon) to move it toward the center of the vehicle and try to get the top out ... I think I am just being a little overly-careful with the XREAS line because I don't know exactly what it takes to break/injure it.

For pushing the lower arm down, could I just use the bottle jack on the upper a-arm?hmmm ...

Okay, got a lot to try now, so thank you, and wish me luck!

r0cky

guys, guys, look what I did in 30 minutes of messing around!! that is by far the most progress I have made in the whole process ... and if I had done this in the beginning, I would have been done with this long ago. but, it's a learning process, and I've spent most of my time trying one thing and then undoing it, and then trying another, and then undoing it too. if I didn't have xreas, I'd have dropped the whole strut assembly out within 15 minutes the first day, but the xreas line has made this whole thing a lot more difficult. GoodTimes and 02Runner and bulldog and keisur and all of you guys have helped me immensely. tonight when I went out, I did what Doug suggested - I separated the tie rod end (with a pitman arm puller, as per Keisur's advice) and it knocked me on my butt because I wasn't expected it to pop so violently, but it worked perfectly, and made everything far easier. After that (remember, I already had the bottom of the strut out and toward the front of the car) I tried to compress the spring in its housing but ran into too many problems, so I then jacked the lower arm up high enough that I could get the top of the strut and bolt out ... and that freed up the whole thing and allowed me to lay it on its side. right now it's supported by a bucket, a book, and a jack stand. I'm saving the rest of the work for when I can get a second set of hands to help me hold things while I compress the coil. but I am so happy this worked, I have been trying to get the strut out for more than a week without hurting the xreas ... and finally it worked! Thank you guys ... I know I have far to go still, but succeeding on this one step has encouraged me greatly!

hahaha, and if I wasn't so sore I'd have held it like a trophy fish like bulldog suggested:











is this a good step to have made? I sure hope so!

Good Times

woohoo!!!! that's gotta be the best looking pix!

r0cky

i'm so happy and relieved!

do you think it was a big step? man, i sure hope so!

my hands are all black and greasy and smell like orange ... love it

Biff

Good going 4route.

Taints2k3

Your on your way!! Good Job!

bulldog-yota

Great stuff, lifted pics soon I see

02Runner

Now you're cooking with gas!

Great work. I think the front takes about 85% of the time when doing this lift. The back is absolute cake compared to the first time you do a front. Then throw in XREAS lines that've just been scaring the urine right outta ya! You basically have it beaten now.

You'll blast through the other side without having to strategize on the fly, it'll be much easier, faster and there will be much less headache involved!

Your total project as to where you're at now = 70% of the way done! Learning is the most difficult part of all.

Doug M.

r0cky

i hate the f@*#$)( spring compressors. i can never install them where they'll work or be able to be gotten to with a ratchet ... it pisses me off, i hate this. why does nothing ever go smoothly? damn it.

bulldog-yota

Come now relax So close and yet so far.

From the above pics it seems you have to work the compressors from the top of the strut. Is it possible to turn them around to work from the bottom? It might be more tight with the suspension to deal with but at least you dont have to deal with the top of the strut. Or else get a long extension so the ratchet sits above the top of the strut. Just some thinking here on my side.

Good luck!!

r0cky

okay ... coil is compressed and off the strut. 3 top bolts are hammered out ... and now we are trying to hammer in the 3 new, longer top bolts ... and my question is, are these new bolts supposed to be hammered in all the way so that the head of the bolt is down all the way in contact with the plate? or are they supposed to stop where the thread gets wider?

r0cky

okay, answered my own question. hammered them in as far as they'd go, then ratcheted the nut down to pull them through the rest of the way.