OT -- How to empty a strut
 

I recently bought a Nissan Maxima wagon with a MacPherson Strut rear
suspension. The struts are toast, so I went to the parts house, and they
sent me home with a pair of cartridges. The problem is, the current struts
are not cartridge type units.

I removed the spring, and got the internals to come out. There is a cylinder
with a piston, and this is filled with oil that gets pused and pulled
through a metering hole. My problem is, I took the stuff out from the top of
the shock body, and there is a considerable amount of oilk remaining in the
bottom. The new cartridge will not go in because the oil is in the way. I am
resisting removing the bolts that hold the strut to the suspension alignment
parts, but if I caved in and did this, I could simply turn the strut over
and pour the oil out.

Assuming I can get the spring back on going the way I am going, how can I
get the remainder of the oil out? I am thinking that I can drill a small
hole in the bottom and let it drain. My question is, can I get the struts
back together while they are physically mounted in the car, or do I have to
remove them completely? It is starting to look like the struts must be
removed so that the springs can be taken off and then reassembled. If I must
remove the struts completely, then draining the remaining oil is as easy as
turning the strut body upside down, but then I have alignment issues to deal
with later that I was hoping to avoid.

Re: OT -- How to empty a strut
 

Well, I have never heard of anyone actually rebuilding one of those. I
guess when I see them dead, the suckers are rotted as well as 'dead'.

I would try a rag or old sponge to get the oil out I think. A chunk of
sponge works pretty good at soaking up oil.

Something about reusing the tubes just doesn't sit right with me
though. I am thinking of wear and micro grooves in the old part. The
new pistons might wear out fast, something like a clutch or brake master
rebuild. They are a 50/50 deal if they die in 6 months or less....

I don't know for sure, but I would think if you got the thing apart from
the top, it should go back together that way. Do you have a spring
compressor, or is that the 'catch', you used a jack to unload the
springs?

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

CRWLR wrote:
>
> I recently bought a Nissan Maxima wagon with a MacPherson Strut rear
> suspension. The struts are toast, so I went to the parts house, and they
> sent me home with a pair of cartridges. The problem is, the current struts
> are not cartridge type units.
>
> I removed the spring, and got the internals to come out. There is a cylinder
> with a piston, and this is filled with oil that gets pused and pulled
> through a metering hole. My problem is, I took the stuff out from the top of
> the shock body, and there is a considerable amount of oilk remaining in the
> bottom. The new cartridge will not go in because the oil is in the way. I am
> resisting removing the bolts that hold the strut to the suspension alignment
> parts, but if I caved in and did this, I could simply turn the strut over
> and pour the oil out.
>
> Assuming I can get the spring back on going the way I am going, how can I
> get the remainder of the oil out? I am thinking that I can drill a small
> hole in the bottom and let it drain. My question is, can I get the struts
> back together while they are physically mounted in the car, or do I have to
> remove them completely? It is starting to look like the struts must be
> removed so that the springs can be taken off and then reassembled. If I must
> remove the struts completely, then draining the remaining oil is as easy as
> turning the strut body upside down, but then I have alignment issues to deal
> with later that I was hoping to avoid.

Re: OT -- How to empty a strut
 

Well, I have never heard of anyone actually rebuilding one of those. I
guess when I see them dead, the suckers are rotted as well as 'dead'.

I would try a rag or old sponge to get the oil out I think. A chunk of
sponge works pretty good at soaking up oil.

Something about reusing the tubes just doesn't sit right with me
though. I am thinking of wear and micro grooves in the old part. The
new pistons might wear out fast, something like a clutch or brake master
rebuild. They are a 50/50 deal if they die in 6 months or less....

I don't know for sure, but I would think if you got the thing apart from
the top, it should go back together that way. Do you have a spring
compressor, or is that the 'catch', you used a jack to unload the
springs?

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

CRWLR wrote:
>
> I recently bought a Nissan Maxima wagon with a MacPherson Strut rear
> suspension. The struts are toast, so I went to the parts house, and they
> sent me home with a pair of cartridges. The problem is, the current struts
> are not cartridge type units.
>
> I removed the spring, and got the internals to come out. There is a cylinder
> with a piston, and this is filled with oil that gets pused and pulled
> through a metering hole. My problem is, I took the stuff out from the top of
> the shock body, and there is a considerable amount of oilk remaining in the
> bottom. The new cartridge will not go in because the oil is in the way. I am
> resisting removing the bolts that hold the strut to the suspension alignment
> parts, but if I caved in and did this, I could simply turn the strut over
> and pour the oil out.
>
> Assuming I can get the spring back on going the way I am going, how can I
> get the remainder of the oil out? I am thinking that I can drill a small
> hole in the bottom and let it drain. My question is, can I get the struts
> back together while they are physically mounted in the car, or do I have to
> remove them completely? It is starting to look like the struts must be
> removed so that the springs can be taken off and then reassembled. If I must
> remove the struts completely, then draining the remaining oil is as easy as
> turning the strut body upside down, but then I have alignment issues to deal
> with later that I was hoping to avoid.

Re: OT -- How to empty a strut
 

Well, I have never heard of anyone actually rebuilding one of those. I
guess when I see them dead, the suckers are rotted as well as 'dead'.

I would try a rag or old sponge to get the oil out I think. A chunk of
sponge works pretty good at soaking up oil.

Something about reusing the tubes just doesn't sit right with me
though. I am thinking of wear and micro grooves in the old part. The
new pistons might wear out fast, something like a clutch or brake master
rebuild. They are a 50/50 deal if they die in 6 months or less....

I don't know for sure, but I would think if you got the thing apart from
the top, it should go back together that way. Do you have a spring
compressor, or is that the 'catch', you used a jack to unload the
springs?

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

CRWLR wrote:
>
> I recently bought a Nissan Maxima wagon with a MacPherson Strut rear
> suspension. The struts are toast, so I went to the parts house, and they
> sent me home with a pair of cartridges. The problem is, the current struts
> are not cartridge type units.
>
> I removed the spring, and got the internals to come out. There is a cylinder
> with a piston, and this is filled with oil that gets pused and pulled
> through a metering hole. My problem is, I took the stuff out from the top of
> the shock body, and there is a considerable amount of oilk remaining in the
> bottom. The new cartridge will not go in because the oil is in the way. I am
> resisting removing the bolts that hold the strut to the suspension alignment
> parts, but if I caved in and did this, I could simply turn the strut over
> and pour the oil out.
>
> Assuming I can get the spring back on going the way I am going, how can I
> get the remainder of the oil out? I am thinking that I can drill a small
> hole in the bottom and let it drain. My question is, can I get the struts
> back together while they are physically mounted in the car, or do I have to
> remove them completely? It is starting to look like the struts must be
> removed so that the springs can be taken off and then reassembled. If I must
> remove the struts completely, then draining the remaining oil is as easy as
> turning the strut body upside down, but then I have alignment issues to deal
> with later that I was hoping to avoid.

Re: OT -- How to empty a strut
 

"Mike Romain" <romainm@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:3FABD7C1.EF73707B@sympatico.ca...
> Well, I have never heard of anyone actually rebuilding one of those. I
> guess when I see them dead, the suckers are rotted as well as 'dead'.
>
> I would try a rag or old sponge to get the oil out I think. A chunk of
> sponge works pretty good at soaking up oil.
>
> Something about reusing the tubes just doesn't sit right with me
> though. I am thinking of wear and micro grooves in the old part. The
> new pistons might wear out fast, something like a clutch or brake master
> rebuild. They are a 50/50 deal if they die in 6 months or less....
>

To be sure, there is an outside case that is in excellent condition. This
case is an integral part of the suspension, so replacing it is costly. The
shock itself lives inside the case, and must be either rebuilt or replaced.
If rebuilt, then the consumer (or mechanic) has to do lots of stuff, but the
guts can be removed and a new cartridge installed instead.

My delimna is that once the guts are removed, there is a significant amount
of oil remaining inside the case. I think that I am going about this project
wrong, I am attempting to replace the guts while the case is still mounted
on the car, but I am beginning to realize that the entire strut must come
off before the guts can be replaced.



> I don't know for sure, but I would think if you got the thing apart from
> the top, it should go back together that way. Do you have a spring
> compressor, or is that the 'catch', you used a jack to unload the
> springs?
>

I got the spring compressor, but there isn't much room in the shock tower to
work. I think I am doing this job wrong. I should have removed the strut
entirely before I started to take it apart. I think the spring compressor is
primarily used to release the spring pressure so the bolts can be removed,
it ought not be used to compress the spring so much that it can actually be
taken off.

Obviously, a zip tie is not nearly strong enough, but I think that if one
could put a zip tie or two around a few coils of the spring, THEN raise the
car off the ground, one could acheive the same results as the spring
compressor should be expected to give. The suspension would be hanging from
the zip ties, and the bolts could be removed without the burden of the
spring pressure against them, and the strut could be fully removed and
disassembled on the bench. Once the car is safely on jackstands, the floor
jack, or bottle jack, could be used to load or unload the bolts so they
could be removed. The spring compressor, right now, is being used to fully
compress the springs, but I am beginning to think this is an error.




> Mike
> 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
> 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
>
> CRWLR wrote:
> >
> > I recently bought a Nissan Maxima wagon with a MacPherson Strut rear
> > suspension. The struts are toast, so I went to the parts house, and they
> > sent me home with a pair of cartridges. The problem is, the current
struts
> > are not cartridge type units.
> >
> > I removed the spring, and got the internals to come out. There is a
cylinder
> > with a piston, and this is filled with oil that gets pused and pulled
> > through a metering hole. My problem is, I took the stuff out from the
top of
> > the shock body, and there is a considerable amount of oilk remaining in
the
> > bottom. The new cartridge will not go in because the oil is in the way.
I am
> > resisting removing the bolts that hold the strut to the suspension
alignment
> > parts, but if I caved in and did this, I could simply turn the strut
over
> > and pour the oil out.
> >
> > Assuming I can get the spring back on going the way I am going, how can
I
> > get the remainder of the oil out? I am thinking that I can drill a small
> > hole in the bottom and let it drain. My question is, can I get the
struts
> > back together while they are physically mounted in the car, or do I have
to
> > remove them completely? It is starting to look like the struts must be
> > removed so that the springs can be taken off and then reassembled. If I
must
> > remove the struts completely, then draining the remaining oil is as easy
as
> > turning the strut body upside down, but then I have alignment issues to
deal
> > with later that I was hoping to avoid.

Re: OT -- How to empty a strut
 

"Mike Romain" <romainm@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:3FABD7C1.EF73707B@sympatico.ca...
> Well, I have never heard of anyone actually rebuilding one of those. I
> guess when I see them dead, the suckers are rotted as well as 'dead'.
>
> I would try a rag or old sponge to get the oil out I think. A chunk of
> sponge works pretty good at soaking up oil.
>
> Something about reusing the tubes just doesn't sit right with me
> though. I am thinking of wear and micro grooves in the old part. The
> new pistons might wear out fast, something like a clutch or brake master
> rebuild. They are a 50/50 deal if they die in 6 months or less....
>

To be sure, there is an outside case that is in excellent condition. This
case is an integral part of the suspension, so replacing it is costly. The
shock itself lives inside the case, and must be either rebuilt or replaced.
If rebuilt, then the consumer (or mechanic) has to do lots of stuff, but the
guts can be removed and a new cartridge installed instead.

My delimna is that once the guts are removed, there is a significant amount
of oil remaining inside the case. I think that I am going about this project
wrong, I am attempting to replace the guts while the case is still mounted
on the car, but I am beginning to realize that the entire strut must come
off before the guts can be replaced.



> I don't know for sure, but I would think if you got the thing apart from
> the top, it should go back together that way. Do you have a spring
> compressor, or is that the 'catch', you used a jack to unload the
> springs?
>

I got the spring compressor, but there isn't much room in the shock tower to
work. I think I am doing this job wrong. I should have removed the strut
entirely before I started to take it apart. I think the spring compressor is
primarily used to release the spring pressure so the bolts can be removed,
it ought not be used to compress the spring so much that it can actually be
taken off.

Obviously, a zip tie is not nearly strong enough, but I think that if one
could put a zip tie or two around a few coils of the spring, THEN raise the
car off the ground, one could acheive the same results as the spring
compressor should be expected to give. The suspension would be hanging from
the zip ties, and the bolts could be removed without the burden of the
spring pressure against them, and the strut could be fully removed and
disassembled on the bench. Once the car is safely on jackstands, the floor
jack, or bottle jack, could be used to load or unload the bolts so they
could be removed. The spring compressor, right now, is being used to fully
compress the springs, but I am beginning to think this is an error.




> Mike
> 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
> 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
>
> CRWLR wrote:
> >
> > I recently bought a Nissan Maxima wagon with a MacPherson Strut rear
> > suspension. The struts are toast, so I went to the parts house, and they
> > sent me home with a pair of cartridges. The problem is, the current
struts
> > are not cartridge type units.
> >
> > I removed the spring, and got the internals to come out. There is a
cylinder
> > with a piston, and this is filled with oil that gets pused and pulled
> > through a metering hole. My problem is, I took the stuff out from the
top of
> > the shock body, and there is a considerable amount of oilk remaining in
the
> > bottom. The new cartridge will not go in because the oil is in the way.
I am
> > resisting removing the bolts that hold the strut to the suspension
alignment
> > parts, but if I caved in and did this, I could simply turn the strut
over
> > and pour the oil out.
> >
> > Assuming I can get the spring back on going the way I am going, how can
I
> > get the remainder of the oil out? I am thinking that I can drill a small
> > hole in the bottom and let it drain. My question is, can I get the
struts
> > back together while they are physically mounted in the car, or do I have
to
> > remove them completely? It is starting to look like the struts must be
> > removed so that the springs can be taken off and then reassembled. If I
must
> > remove the struts completely, then draining the remaining oil is as easy
as
> > turning the strut body upside down, but then I have alignment issues to
deal
> > with later that I was hoping to avoid.

Re: OT -- How to empty a strut
 

"Mike Romain" <romainm@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:3FABD7C1.EF73707B@sympatico.ca...
> Well, I have never heard of anyone actually rebuilding one of those. I
> guess when I see them dead, the suckers are rotted as well as 'dead'.
>
> I would try a rag or old sponge to get the oil out I think. A chunk of
> sponge works pretty good at soaking up oil.
>
> Something about reusing the tubes just doesn't sit right with me
> though. I am thinking of wear and micro grooves in the old part. The
> new pistons might wear out fast, something like a clutch or brake master
> rebuild. They are a 50/50 deal if they die in 6 months or less....
>

To be sure, there is an outside case that is in excellent condition. This
case is an integral part of the suspension, so replacing it is costly. The
shock itself lives inside the case, and must be either rebuilt or replaced.
If rebuilt, then the consumer (or mechanic) has to do lots of stuff, but the
guts can be removed and a new cartridge installed instead.

My delimna is that once the guts are removed, there is a significant amount
of oil remaining inside the case. I think that I am going about this project
wrong, I am attempting to replace the guts while the case is still mounted
on the car, but I am beginning to realize that the entire strut must come
off before the guts can be replaced.



> I don't know for sure, but I would think if you got the thing apart from
> the top, it should go back together that way. Do you have a spring
> compressor, or is that the 'catch', you used a jack to unload the
> springs?
>

I got the spring compressor, but there isn't much room in the shock tower to
work. I think I am doing this job wrong. I should have removed the strut
entirely before I started to take it apart. I think the spring compressor is
primarily used to release the spring pressure so the bolts can be removed,
it ought not be used to compress the spring so much that it can actually be
taken off.

Obviously, a zip tie is not nearly strong enough, but I think that if one
could put a zip tie or two around a few coils of the spring, THEN raise the
car off the ground, one could acheive the same results as the spring
compressor should be expected to give. The suspension would be hanging from
the zip ties, and the bolts could be removed without the burden of the
spring pressure against them, and the strut could be fully removed and
disassembled on the bench. Once the car is safely on jackstands, the floor
jack, or bottle jack, could be used to load or unload the bolts so they
could be removed. The spring compressor, right now, is being used to fully
compress the springs, but I am beginning to think this is an error.




> Mike
> 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
> 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
>
> CRWLR wrote:
> >
> > I recently bought a Nissan Maxima wagon with a MacPherson Strut rear
> > suspension. The struts are toast, so I went to the parts house, and they
> > sent me home with a pair of cartridges. The problem is, the current
struts
> > are not cartridge type units.
> >
> > I removed the spring, and got the internals to come out. There is a
cylinder
> > with a piston, and this is filled with oil that gets pused and pulled
> > through a metering hole. My problem is, I took the stuff out from the
top of
> > the shock body, and there is a considerable amount of oilk remaining in
the
> > bottom. The new cartridge will not go in because the oil is in the way.
I am
> > resisting removing the bolts that hold the strut to the suspension
alignment
> > parts, but if I caved in and did this, I could simply turn the strut
over
> > and pour the oil out.
> >
> > Assuming I can get the spring back on going the way I am going, how can
I
> > get the remainder of the oil out? I am thinking that I can drill a small
> > hole in the bottom and let it drain. My question is, can I get the
struts
> > back together while they are physically mounted in the car, or do I have
to
> > remove them completely? It is starting to look like the struts must be
> > removed so that the springs can be taken off and then reassembled. If I
must
> > remove the struts completely, then draining the remaining oil is as easy
as
> > turning the strut body upside down, but then I have alignment issues to
deal
> > with later that I was hoping to avoid.

Re: OT -- How to empty a strut
 

I have always replaced struts using the entire assembly. OK, maybe this is
not the cheapest way to go but you don't see people coming back. I haven't
worked on cars for a living for a while, and I have heard that struts can be
rebuilt, but I don't believe it.

Earle

"Mike Romain" <romainm@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:3FABD7C1.EF73707B@sympatico.ca...
> Well, I have never heard of anyone actually rebuilding one of those. I
> guess when I see them dead, the suckers are rotted as well as 'dead'.
>
> I would try a rag or old sponge to get the oil out I think. A chunk of
> sponge works pretty good at soaking up oil.
>
> Something about reusing the tubes just doesn't sit right with me
> though. I am thinking of wear and micro grooves in the old part. The
> new pistons might wear out fast, something like a clutch or brake master
> rebuild. They are a 50/50 deal if they die in 6 months or less....
>
> I don't know for sure, but I would think if you got the thing apart from
> the top, it should go back together that way. Do you have a spring
> compressor, or is that the 'catch', you used a jack to unload the
> springs?
>
> Mike
> 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
> 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
>
> CRWLR wrote:
> >
> > I recently bought a Nissan Maxima wagon with a MacPherson Strut rear
> > suspension. The struts are toast, so I went to the parts house, and they
> > sent me home with a pair of cartridges. The problem is, the current
struts
> > are not cartridge type units.
> >
> > I removed the spring, and got the internals to come out. There is a
cylinder
> > with a piston, and this is filled with oil that gets pused and pulled
> > through a metering hole. My problem is, I took the stuff out from the
top of
> > the shock body, and there is a considerable amount of oilk remaining in
the
> > bottom. The new cartridge will not go in because the oil is in the way.
I am
> > resisting removing the bolts that hold the strut to the suspension
alignment
> > parts, but if I caved in and did this, I could simply turn the strut
over
> > and pour the oil out.
> >
> > Assuming I can get the spring back on going the way I am going, how can
I
> > get the remainder of the oil out? I am thinking that I can drill a small
> > hole in the bottom and let it drain. My question is, can I get the
struts
> > back together while they are physically mounted in the car, or do I have
to
> > remove them completely? It is starting to look like the struts must be
> > removed so that the springs can be taken off and then reassembled. If I
must
> > remove the struts completely, then draining the remaining oil is as easy
as
> > turning the strut body upside down, but then I have alignment issues to
deal
> > with later that I was hoping to avoid.

Re: OT -- How to empty a strut
 

I have always replaced struts using the entire assembly. OK, maybe this is
not the cheapest way to go but you don't see people coming back. I haven't
worked on cars for a living for a while, and I have heard that struts can be
rebuilt, but I don't believe it.

Earle

"Mike Romain" <romainm@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:3FABD7C1.EF73707B@sympatico.ca...
> Well, I have never heard of anyone actually rebuilding one of those. I
> guess when I see them dead, the suckers are rotted as well as 'dead'.
>
> I would try a rag or old sponge to get the oil out I think. A chunk of
> sponge works pretty good at soaking up oil.
>
> Something about reusing the tubes just doesn't sit right with me
> though. I am thinking of wear and micro grooves in the old part. The
> new pistons might wear out fast, something like a clutch or brake master
> rebuild. They are a 50/50 deal if they die in 6 months or less....
>
> I don't know for sure, but I would think if you got the thing apart from
> the top, it should go back together that way. Do you have a spring
> compressor, or is that the 'catch', you used a jack to unload the
> springs?
>
> Mike
> 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
> 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
>
> CRWLR wrote:
> >
> > I recently bought a Nissan Maxima wagon with a MacPherson Strut rear
> > suspension. The struts are toast, so I went to the parts house, and they
> > sent me home with a pair of cartridges. The problem is, the current
struts
> > are not cartridge type units.
> >
> > I removed the spring, and got the internals to come out. There is a
cylinder
> > with a piston, and this is filled with oil that gets pused and pulled
> > through a metering hole. My problem is, I took the stuff out from the
top of
> > the shock body, and there is a considerable amount of oilk remaining in
the
> > bottom. The new cartridge will not go in because the oil is in the way.
I am
> > resisting removing the bolts that hold the strut to the suspension
alignment
> > parts, but if I caved in and did this, I could simply turn the strut
over
> > and pour the oil out.
> >
> > Assuming I can get the spring back on going the way I am going, how can
I
> > get the remainder of the oil out? I am thinking that I can drill a small
> > hole in the bottom and let it drain. My question is, can I get the
struts
> > back together while they are physically mounted in the car, or do I have
to
> > remove them completely? It is starting to look like the struts must be
> > removed so that the springs can be taken off and then reassembled. If I
must
> > remove the struts completely, then draining the remaining oil is as easy
as
> > turning the strut body upside down, but then I have alignment issues to
deal
> > with later that I was hoping to avoid.

Re: OT -- How to empty a strut
 

I have always replaced struts using the entire assembly. OK, maybe this is
not the cheapest way to go but you don't see people coming back. I haven't
worked on cars for a living for a while, and I have heard that struts can be
rebuilt, but I don't believe it.

Earle

"Mike Romain" <romainm@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:3FABD7C1.EF73707B@sympatico.ca...
> Well, I have never heard of anyone actually rebuilding one of those. I
> guess when I see them dead, the suckers are rotted as well as 'dead'.
>
> I would try a rag or old sponge to get the oil out I think. A chunk of
> sponge works pretty good at soaking up oil.
>
> Something about reusing the tubes just doesn't sit right with me
> though. I am thinking of wear and micro grooves in the old part. The
> new pistons might wear out fast, something like a clutch or brake master
> rebuild. They are a 50/50 deal if they die in 6 months or less....
>
> I don't know for sure, but I would think if you got the thing apart from
> the top, it should go back together that way. Do you have a spring
> compressor, or is that the 'catch', you used a jack to unload the
> springs?
>
> Mike
> 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
> 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
>
> CRWLR wrote:
> >
> > I recently bought a Nissan Maxima wagon with a MacPherson Strut rear
> > suspension. The struts are toast, so I went to the parts house, and they
> > sent me home with a pair of cartridges. The problem is, the current
struts
> > are not cartridge type units.
> >
> > I removed the spring, and got the internals to come out. There is a
cylinder
> > with a piston, and this is filled with oil that gets pused and pulled
> > through a metering hole. My problem is, I took the stuff out from the
top of
> > the shock body, and there is a considerable amount of oilk remaining in
the
> > bottom. The new cartridge will not go in because the oil is in the way.
I am
> > resisting removing the bolts that hold the strut to the suspension
alignment
> > parts, but if I caved in and did this, I could simply turn the strut
over
> > and pour the oil out.
> >
> > Assuming I can get the spring back on going the way I am going, how can
I
> > get the remainder of the oil out? I am thinking that I can drill a small
> > hole in the bottom and let it drain. My question is, can I get the
struts
> > back together while they are physically mounted in the car, or do I have
to
> > remove them completely? It is starting to look like the struts must be
> > removed so that the springs can be taken off and then reassembled. If I
must
> > remove the struts completely, then draining the remaining oil is as easy
as
> > turning the strut body upside down, but then I have alignment issues to
deal
> > with later that I was hoping to avoid.