I have some questions about removing the stock suspension !

sugoxb2 · Joined: 15 Jul 2008 Posts: 40

I'm trying to remove my stock suspension today .. however I can't get my impact gun above the strut top .. there is a big cover which cover all 3 bolts .. Can anyone give me some advise on how to remove my stock suspension. BTW .. I have a 2008 XB
thanks :bow:

SuperMario6582 · Joined: 31 Jan 2005 Posts: 1831 Location: ~*SoCal 951/909*~

use your impact gun on the 3 bolts on the lower part of the strut. then use a hand wrench to take off the 3 bolts. you should then be able to pull the strut out. then you can use your impact wrench on the big top bolt to take that one off and take off the spring.

sugoxb2 · Joined: 15 Jul 2008 Posts: 40

Will a wrench fit in there ?? Will I be able to tie down those 3 bolts with a wrench afterward ??

SuperMario6582 · Joined: 31 Jan 2005 Posts: 1831 Location: ~*SoCal 951/909*~

yeah, a wrench will fit in there. when me and my buddy lowered the 08 xB scion gave to us to build for them, that's how i got them off.

rockthebeef · Joined: 01 Oct 2007 Posts: 368 Location: San Diego, CA

The best way is to probably remove the plastic cowl that covers the strut bolts. This involves removing the wipers and a few screws. The first time I lowered my car we didn't need to do this because we had wrenches fit in that tight space. The second time I lowered my car (different springs), we didn't have such tools. We had to follow the TRD instuctions which is a bit of a pain but not really all that bad to do. It's just a little more work.

Check it out here:
http://www.trdsparks.com/install/PTR07-52080inst.pdf

sugoxb2 · Joined: 15 Jul 2008 Posts: 40

Oo .. thats a lot of work .. but wht kind of wrench will fit under that plastic thing ??

SuperMario6582 · Joined: 31 Jan 2005 Posts: 1831 Location: ~*SoCal 951/909*~

just a regular plane old hand wrench.

rockthebeef · Joined: 01 Oct 2007 Posts: 368 Location: San Diego, CA

sugoxb2 wrote: Oo .. thats a lot of work .. but wht kind of wrench will fit under that plastic thing ??

A regular ol' hand wrench could work, but these work wonders in tight spots.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00942401000P?vName=Tools&cName=Hand+Tools%2C+General+Purpose&sName=Wrenches

But I would still recommend removing the cowl in order to gain access to the upper nut in the center of the strut (fig 3-1 in the instructions). It was easier to slightly loosen this nut when it was still mounted on the car than it was when the whole strut assembly was off. We didn't have a vise and we couldn't get this nut loose with sombody just holding the assembly in place. But if you do have a nice bench vise then forget what I said and get one of those low-profile wrenches mentioned above. Obviously you don't have to get the whole set. You just need a 14mm for those nuts. I guess there's a few ways to do this and you have to just go with what you're equipped to do... Good luck.

DarkBox8 · Joined: 22 May 2008 Posts: 58 Location: East Coast

I ran into the same problem doing mine as I'm sure everyone else did. Honestly, removing the plastic cowl did nothing for added space. There is still a metal splash guard there which is what really blocks your impact wrench from getting in there. I used a wrench with a long pipe as a breaker bar for added leverage.

BBN-Boys · Joined: 04 Jul 2008 Posts: 261

rockthebeef wrote: The best way is to probably remove the plastic cowl that covers the strut bolts. This involves removing the wipers and a few screws. The first time I lowered my car we didn't need to do this because we had wrenches fit in that tight space. The second time I lowered my car (different springs), we didn't have such tools. We had to follow the TRD instuctions which is a bit of a pain but not really all that bad to do. It's just a little more work.

Check it out here:
http://www.trdsparks.com/install/PTR07-52080inst.pdf

http://www.trdsparks.com/install/PTR07-52080inst.pdf

Follow that info and it makes it so much easier.