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I'll leave this one open a while to collect anyone else's tips and suggestions but there shouldn't be much more to say... Except I'll add some photos here and get it added to S2central when I get some time.
Assumption - this explains how to remove just the front strut assembly leaving everything else in place.
Warning - Doing this will upset the camber settings of your suspension. Unless you plan getting it aligned after replacement it is wise to use some spots of paint where the big bolts attach the strut to the hub carrier so that you maintain the position.
Tip - All the suspension nuts referred to below are 'nyloc' types. Best practise is to renew any of these types of bolts when they have been removed. Thats not always practical of course. I'll add a list of parts later.
1 - Loosen roadwheell bolts, Jack the car up, Remove the wheel and secure car safely onto an axle stand before going any further.
2 - There are two large bolts which attach the strut to the hub carrier. One of them should have a plastic cover with an integral strain relief for the ABS wiring. Its quite tight and brittle so tease off the cover gently to expose the bolt. Give those big bolts a good spray of your favourite penetrating oil as they can put up some resistance ! I've seen 22, 23 and 24mm nuts and bolts used here on various S2's. Loosen them right off but leave the bolts in place for now.
3 - There is a metal bracket attached to the strut which carries the brake line connections and another clip for the ABS wiring. This is connected to the strut body by two 10mm bolts. Remove those and separate the bracket to avoid opening brake lines. My experience is these 10mm bolts get very rusty. Don't be too surprised if one or more breaks off... In which case drill them out when you get the strut on the bench and use a suitably chunking self-tap screw as a replacement.
4 - Next to remove is the link rod from the rear of strut to the anti-roll bar. These get really crusted up so may also need a good soaking first. Use a 17mm spanner to prevent the joint from turning whilst another 17mm spanner (or socket) works on the lock nut.
5 - Now the track-rod end needs to be removed from the front of the strut assembly. A 17mm nut is the usual size there. If you are lucky, the joint will remain tight in the strut while you remove the nut. If not then you need to get creative with clamps etc. Use a balljoint separator - preferably not the impact type unless you must - to get the joint out of the strut.
6 - At this point, the only thing holding the strut onto the car is the top mounting... Open the bonnet and remove the two 10mm plastic nuts that secure the strut cap. Then you can see the top mount.
7 - A couple of special tools are called up in the OFRM for the next stage - VAG3078 being the important one. Its nothing more than a deep 22mm socket that is cutaway so that access with a 7mm allen key is permitted to hold the damper steady while removing the 22mm nut. If you don't have such a socket, some lambda probe tools will work, or failing that you can use a 22mm 'swan neck' spanner. Only trouble with the swan-neck is on refitting as you can't measure torque on the nut but needs must sometimes.
8 - So remove the top mounting nut completely. The strut should now just be resting in the hub carrier held in place by the two bottom bolts that were loosened in Step 2. Slide those bolts out and the strut simply lifts away.
Refitting is a reversal of removal. I'll post up torque settings and part numbers soon.
Only warning about refitting is to use NEW nylocs wherever possible and be sure to notice that the track-rod end has a fine threaded nyloc which is NOT the same as the nylocs on the link rods.
Paul
Assumption - this explains how to remove just the front strut assembly leaving everything else in place.
Warning - Doing this will upset the camber settings of your suspension. Unless you plan getting it aligned after replacement it is wise to use some spots of paint where the big bolts attach the strut to the hub carrier so that you maintain the position.
Tip - All the suspension nuts referred to below are 'nyloc' types. Best practise is to renew any of these types of bolts when they have been removed. Thats not always practical of course. I'll add a list of parts later.
1 - Loosen roadwheell bolts, Jack the car up, Remove the wheel and secure car safely onto an axle stand before going any further.
2 - There are two large bolts which attach the strut to the hub carrier. One of them should have a plastic cover with an integral strain relief for the ABS wiring. Its quite tight and brittle so tease off the cover gently to expose the bolt. Give those big bolts a good spray of your favourite penetrating oil as they can put up some resistance ! I've seen 22, 23 and 24mm nuts and bolts used here on various S2's. Loosen them right off but leave the bolts in place for now.
3 - There is a metal bracket attached to the strut which carries the brake line connections and another clip for the ABS wiring. This is connected to the strut body by two 10mm bolts. Remove those and separate the bracket to avoid opening brake lines. My experience is these 10mm bolts get very rusty. Don't be too surprised if one or more breaks off... In which case drill them out when you get the strut on the bench and use a suitably chunking self-tap screw as a replacement.
4 - Next to remove is the link rod from the rear of strut to the anti-roll bar. These get really crusted up so may also need a good soaking first. Use a 17mm spanner to prevent the joint from turning whilst another 17mm spanner (or socket) works on the lock nut.
5 - Now the track-rod end needs to be removed from the front of the strut assembly. A 17mm nut is the usual size there. If you are lucky, the joint will remain tight in the strut while you remove the nut. If not then you need to get creative with clamps etc. Use a balljoint separator - preferably not the impact type unless you must - to get the joint out of the strut.
6 - At this point, the only thing holding the strut onto the car is the top mounting... Open the bonnet and remove the two 10mm plastic nuts that secure the strut cap. Then you can see the top mount.
7 - A couple of special tools are called up in the OFRM for the next stage - VAG3078 being the important one. Its nothing more than a deep 22mm socket that is cutaway so that access with a 7mm allen key is permitted to hold the damper steady while removing the 22mm nut. If you don't have such a socket, some lambda probe tools will work, or failing that you can use a 22mm 'swan neck' spanner. Only trouble with the swan-neck is on refitting as you can't measure torque on the nut but needs must sometimes.
8 - So remove the top mounting nut completely. The strut should now just be resting in the hub carrier held in place by the two bottom bolts that were loosened in Step 2. Slide those bolts out and the strut simply lifts away.
Refitting is a reversal of removal. I'll post up torque settings and part numbers soon.
Only warning about refitting is to use NEW nylocs wherever possible and be sure to notice that the track-rod end has a fine threaded nyloc which is NOT the same as the nylocs on the link rods.
Paul
