Any hope for this strut housing?
05-30-2011, 02:01 PM
#1
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Any hope for this strut housing?
...or should I just give up and find a new pair?
I finally managed to get this side off, after fighting he tierod end, and then this is what greeted me.
Tried penetrating oil, but after tapping the cap with a hammer to loosen the threads, the paint/rust fell off the cap, and after tapping more to try to break the cap free, the threads fell off the housing. Tried heat, more threads fell off, tried pipe wrench, no love.
Thoughts, Ideas?
I assume the other side is just as bad. Compliments of a way to tight dust boot.
Heybiff
BTW, anyone in the Philly area have a pair of B4 strut housings?
I finally managed to get this side off, after fighting he tierod end, and then this is what greeted me.
Tried penetrating oil, but after tapping the cap with a hammer to loosen the threads, the paint/rust fell off the cap, and after tapping more to try to break the cap free, the threads fell off the housing. Tried heat, more threads fell off, tried pipe wrench, no love.
Thoughts, Ideas?
I assume the other side is just as bad. Compliments of a way to tight dust boot.
Heybiff
BTW, anyone in the Philly area have a pair of B4 strut housings?
06-03-2011, 09:41 AM
#2
AudiWorld Senior Member
Re: Any hope...
Yes, BTDT.
The most risk-free method is to relieve the pressure holding these two parts torques together, <b>first</b>; before trying to un-torque them. Underneath it all, the actual strut-tube's engaged threads may be entirely reuse-able. These two parts actually grow in size as they become rusted, taking the torque required to break them loose upwards towards infinity. The strut gets larger on the outside, and the cap gets smaller on the inside, but usually only at the lower edge of the installed cap. The threads up inside are often perfect, the plating still new looking. In similar circumstances, I have seen strut-tubes held in a vise collapse before the strut-cap lets go. Brute force is not always the answer. Although the addressee did not use the technique I reco'd and was successful, there is an simpler, alternate method, see below.
The search function under the forums header at the top of the page is your friend:
https://www.audiworld.com/forums/sho...ight=strut+cap
Note the last two words in the above where the search terms used.
So looking at your photo, I would cut carefully and diagonally across the cap's tubular outside wall, right over the pipe-wrench's teeth-marks, in two or three places spaced around the O.D. It (the cap) will pop open (get larger in diameter after being cut through) and come off easily. Save the cut cap and use as a thread-chaser to help clean the strut-tube's threads in preparation for your new caps. Do take steps to preclude further corrosion to change things for next time. Read my further description at the above link.
[/QUOTE]
The most risk-free method is to relieve the pressure holding these two parts torques together, <b>first</b>; before trying to un-torque them. Underneath it all, the actual strut-tube's engaged threads may be entirely reuse-able. These two parts actually grow in size as they become rusted, taking the torque required to break them loose upwards towards infinity. The strut gets larger on the outside, and the cap gets smaller on the inside, but usually only at the lower edge of the installed cap. The threads up inside are often perfect, the plating still new looking. In similar circumstances, I have seen strut-tubes held in a vise collapse before the strut-cap lets go. Brute force is not always the answer. Although the addressee did not use the technique I reco'd and was successful, there is an simpler, alternate method, see below.
The search function under the forums header at the top of the page is your friend:
https://www.audiworld.com/forums/sho...ight=strut+cap
Note the last two words in the above where the search terms used.
So looking at your photo, I would cut carefully and diagonally across the cap's tubular outside wall, right over the pipe-wrench's teeth-marks, in two or three places spaced around the O.D. It (the cap) will pop open (get larger in diameter after being cut through) and come off easily. Save the cut cap and use as a thread-chaser to help clean the strut-tube's threads in preparation for your new caps. Do take steps to preclude further corrosion to change things for next time. Read my further description at the above link.
[/QUOTE]
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