2007 MCS My Ohlins Road & Track coilovers arrives tomorrow and I got myself in a pickle. Today I purchased a Craftsman 20-PC Go-Thru Ratchet set and it seems the 13/16th fits tightly around the strut nut, that's great for dis-assembly of the OEM struts. I'm going to need a strut nut sockets for the Ohlins 12mm (Rear) & 14mm (Front) according the Ohlins PDF. Does anyone know where I can buy strut nut sockets locally? Sears didn't have strut nut sockets. In order to install the Ohlins I need to find M14 & M12 strut nut sockets unless I can just guess that I come close to 29.5ft/lbs with my go-thur ratchet set. Appreciate any assistance! Look at how small, almost the same diameter as the shaft it goes onto.
I think what you are looking at is a sleeve covering the threaded shaft in the first picture... Here you go.... Laser - 4984 Difficult Access Socket Set 3/8"D - - Amazon.com Don't know if you can buy them individually....
There are some individual ones here - 16,18,19,21,22,24: Search SiteSearch Strut Nut Socket - ECS Tuning M14 nut is usually 21 mm socket size (13/16" = 20.64 mm), and M12 is usually 18 mm, but sometimes the nuts are thinner.
When I needed one of these in my VW-driving days, I bought a deep Craftsman socket of the correct size, slapped it into a Bridgeport mill and made my own. It's not perfect, but I needed it in a hurry and it worked.
How bout reverse the tools. Grab the outside of the correct socket with a strong pair of vise grips and hold the nut in place while you use the hex socket on the torque wrench through the back of the socket. Does that make sense?
I've done that except I usually turn the nut with the vise grips unless the strut is off the car so I don't just spin the strut shaft. Once you're almost tightened up using the hex with the torque wrench to finalize it is ok. Can also grind a couple flats on the top of the socket to make it easier to grab. Can also use a spark plug socket of the correct size (if one exists for the nut size) as you can use a wrench on the top of it and put a hex tool through the hole or a 1/4" extension and a 1/4" drive hex socket inside it (sometimes have to drill the spark plug socket hole a tiny bit for some extensions to go through. Can sometimes use a 75 degree offset box wrench if there's room for it. It looks like there is on the Ohlin, but the stock strut bearing's hole is too small for that unless the wrench is very thin-walled.
Maybe I don't understand you guys that well as I lack imagination, all I understand is when torquing both the M14/M12 top nut is I must have the 5mm Allen in the shaft to keep it from spinning with the top nut. To bad the Amazon can't be shipped here in time, my brother gave me all day Friday to borrow his garage and that's it. If I can't overnight by Thursday of the correct sizes game over I lose. Two days and counting to deadline, if I don't have the correct part by 4pm Thurday bust.
Dam all the years I have just been tighten the crap out of them. I use the impact set to medium. It does it fast enough that the center shaft does not spin befor it's tight.
Get a socket that fits the nut. Spark plug socket or one that you've ground flat spots into the top makes it easier, but if not, then get a big vice-grips and grip the top of the socket with that. Then put a 5 mm allen long enough to go through the drive hole of the socket and into the strut shaft. This can be a long allen socket or a long enough L shaped allen wrench or even one with a T-handle. Sometimes you can even fit a small 1/4" drive 5mm allen socket into the strut shaft and then put the nut shaft over that and engage the 5mm allen socket with a 1/4" drive 3" extension bar. In any case, you can hold the allen fixed with one hand and turn the nut socket via the vice grips' handle with the other. A good guess at 30 ft-lb by hand should suffice. If you get one of the Strut Nut Sockets with the cutout, it just makes it easier to do all this, by putting an L shaped allen wrench through the cutout and into the strut shaft.
Systemlord...... Lordy Lordy Lordy..... Grab Dat Wrench of Torque... Set it at 29.5 feet of pounds... Try it a few times on your wheel nuts..... Kinda get the feel of what 29.5 feels like.... Then wench it with a regular socket and a vice grips and your Allen key.... Get them installed and out of your brothers garage before Friday..... You'll be close enough on the setting.... Then when you have time, use the correct tool at a later date... Like this (but with the correct size socket)... And you know the torque can be applied to the allen wrench... right.... The socket just keeps the shaft from turning... Unless the wall of the allen (socket) is thin, be careful you don't damage the allen socket inside the shaft end...
I wish I had a high powered laser. I'll know more when my Ohlins are delivered today, like what the actual size of the two strut nuts are.
Or this: [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vOCcFB5eqg"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vOCcFB5eqg[/ame]
Don't know how I missed you post. If I was to guess I would use my go-thru ratchet set to approximate 30 ft-lbs, not a bad idea until I get the proper tool. I'll still try like hell to find the tool and use your idea as a back-up plan.
I like this idea better. And if you're concerned about socket grip file some flats on the socket. http://www.motoringalliance.com/gallery/data/569/medium/DSCN07631.JPG
Getting the Ohlins install is the easy part, torquing the strut nut is another. In my OP I mentioned that I purchased a go-thru ratchet set, this will allow me to insert the Allen wrench through the socket. Once UPS arrives I'll post the nuts specs and go from there, I hope they turn out to be the sizes ECS Tuning has in stock.
I received my Ohlins coilovers and will post pictures later, right now I'm trying to determine what size nuts these came with. The smaller of the two measures 17mm and the other 22mm. I can't locate any 17mm strut nut socket anywhere, so ECS Tuning only has half the parts I need.
I don't understand what you mean by does the go-through 17mm socket work? The rear shock nut is 17mms and fits in the 17mm hallow socket just fine, but I won't be able to torque it. I can't torque the top nut using the go-thru ratchet and the 17mm go-thru socket and at the same time use a torque wrench. I can only assemble the coilovers using the go-thru ratchet and the 17mm go-thru socket, to properly torque the top nut I'll need a 5mm Allen and a strut nut socket which is hallow so I can torque it down while keeping the 5mm Allen wrench on the shaft to keep it from spinning with the top nut.