Removing front shock absorbers

[Birchall]

Hi,

I have had a look on the forum but I cannot see any related topics, so I am sorry if I have missed one.

But I am having trouble removing the front shock absorbers
Unbolting them was easy enough, but how do I get the arm off the top trunion?
I am assuming that it may be down to brute force, but I though it best to check here before I start hammering away!


Thanks
Steve B

[Alec]

Hello Steve,

hammering shouldn't be necessary, you have undone the nut on the pin that passes through the damper arm, remove that and the outer washer and bush then pull the armm off?

Alec

[Birchall]

Hello Steve,

hammering shouldn't be necessary, you have undone the nut on the pin that passes through the damper arm, remove that and the outer washer and bush then pull the armm off?

Alec

Hi, thanks for the advice, but It is rock solid, not only that but there does not seem to be much scope to slide it off because the opening in the inner wing would stop it.

I have made it more tricky than normal because without the engine I can't raise the suspension using a jack because the car is too light.

the arm will not budge.

Steve B

[bmcecosse]

Why do you want the dampers off? The spindle in the arm end is often VERY difficult to remove from the arm. Can it not be simply winkled inwards through the slot in the inner wing?

[brixtonmorris]

Tapered pins like an impact perpendicular to the direction they come out. I never remove the top link pin. just buy a new one and fit it to the new shock. If your putting the shock back use the old pin., as long as there is no damage to it. It will not make any difference. Heating up the pin and arm at the joint will help removal, blow lamp or even better oxy...

[Birchall]

Why do you want the dampers off? The spindle in the arm end is often VERY difficult to remove from the arm. Can it not be simply winkled inwards through the slot in the inner wing?

I am stripping the whole engine bay to paint it and I am fitting reconditioned shocks.

I don't mind fitting a new pin, but the pin is stuck in the top trunnion, I just need to get the shock off the car.

I have taken the split pin out and undone the castleated nut, I also took off the nut at the other end of the pin (after flattening the lock tab). the rear portion of the pin is flat and not round (by design) is that significant, should I use that to twist the pin with a spanner .

Does the pin come out to the front of the car (I am still on the first one on the driver;s side) I need to know which way to tap it.

Thanks for the help.

Steve B

[Birchall]

Tapered pins like an impact perpendicular to the direction they come out. I never remove the top link pin. just buy a new one and fit it to the new shock. If your putting the shock back use the old pin., as long as there is no damage to it. It will not make any difference. Heating up the pin and arm at the joint will help removal, blow lamp or even better oxy...

Thanks for that, I would be happy enough to leave the pin on the arme and get a new one for the new shocker, but the pin doesn't seem to want to come out of the trunion either!!

It has taken me as long to get this sorted as it has to completely strip the engine and everything from the engine bay

[brixtonmorris]

just take the trionion ( Oh! i cant spell it) off the top link pin by undoing the bent locking tab washer pulling the trion off with the leg intact. i asume you have disconnected the lower arm

[brixtonmorris]

you need to disconect the lower arm and lower trunion then the whole thing will be lose and the top trinion will fall off the top pin. Top top pin will still be stuck on the shock. Then take the shock off ( with pin) as bmesscos says by working the pin throught the hole where the arm passes through the body

[brixtonmorris]

I have taken the split pin out and undone the castleated nut,


Red herring. dont need to do that. Its the tab washes and nut on other side you want off

[beero]

I managed to get the damper arm off the tapered pin with a hydraulic puller after trying everything else.
Didn't it go BANG! when it let go.
It is difficult to compress the suspension with the engine out. I got two friends to sit in the engine bay to help when I did mine.

[Birchall]

Hi,

Thanks for aall of the replies.

I will remove the lower trunion and see what happens.

I was probably going to renew them all anyway.

Fingers crossed that should do it, as advised I can leave the old pin in the old shock arm.

Cheers
Steve B

[bmcecosse]

If the dampers aren't leaking - or showing obvious signs of 'slop' in the arm - don't bother getting exchange units! There is little to go wrong internally - just flush out the horrible smelly old oil and refill with new. SAE 20 for standard damping, SAE 30 for better damping, and SAE 40 for superior damping.

[chrisryder]

I had some difficulty with these pins, which i managed to remove. Here's how:

With the trunnion removed (bad start seeing as you can't...) you can remove the damper from the car completely.

My thought was to squeeze the pin out using a vice, and a socket for it to plunge into. That wouldn't work as you don't have anything flat to push against, as there's a great big disc in the middle!

Standing the damper on its back with the pin upright, i gently tapped all around the edge of the disc to slide the disc off the pin.

This meant i could slide a deep socket up the pin, so that the head of socket would rest on the flat face of the damper arm (where the disc was previously snug up to).

With the castellated nut back on the pin by 2 or 3 threads, i squeezed it in the vice (socket up to one face, nut up to other) for the vice to press the pin into the socket, and out of the damper.

The vice did require extreme tightening, by thumping the handle round with a mallet a few times to get the force big enough, and the spike in pressure.

The same socket could then be used to push the disc back onto the pin if you wish to reuse (like i did, as i had a recon damper, and no source of a new pin, and i was in a rush!).

Here is what the whole pin looks like, it might help you visualise what i've said, and give you an idea of what you're working with. The taper (left) is in the damper, the parallel sided half is in the trunnion bushes.
[frame][/frame]

[bmcecosse]

I don't understand why the top trunnion won't come off the pin...... Loosen the rubber bushes with a screwdriver and apply a little spray oil - and just slide the trunnion off. Add some weight (bags of coal/fat mates etc ) in the engine bay if there is a problem with jacking it up..........