Lowering the Si

***gotsnodooks*** · 04-28-2008, 07:22 AM

OK....I have a quick question.

I was attempting to lower my car this weekend and when I got the stock strut off and the DIY forgot to mention the minute detail of all the little ball bearings inside the strut...anyway...after spending an hour and a half picking all the bearings up and putting them back in I could not get the allen bolt with the nut on the top off. Is that thing reverse threaded and is there a trick to keep the top of the strut from spinning while trying to get the thing off?

***SiliconX*** · 04-28-2008, 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gotsnodooks

OK....I have a quick question.

I was attempting to lower my car this weekend and when I got the stock strut off and the DIY forgot to mention the minute detail of all the little ball bearings inside the strut...anyway...after spending an hour and a half picking all the bearings up and putting them back in I could not get the allen bolt with the nut on the top off. Is that thing reverse threaded and is there a trick to keep the top of the strut from spinning while trying to get the thing off?

You need to break and loosen that bolt with the front strut on the car. And you DEFINATELY need to have a spring compressor, which I hope you do.

And lol at the ball bearings. I did the same thing the first time I took it apart.

***gotsnodooks*** · 04-28-2008, 11:56 AM

^^ Good idea with leaving the strut in place....sometimes the obvious solution eludes me. Oh....and hearing you did the same with your bearings makes me not feel so bad...LOL

IIIII · 04-28-2008, 03:28 PM

Where are these bearings that you speak of? I just did my prokit install and did not see any bearings. :stumped:

And yes, leave the strut on the car when you loosen the bolt that keeps the top hat on. Loosen it until its about half way off.

***Sirbelch*** · 04-28-2008, 05:18 PM

You don't have to loosen the nut on the car. You need an offset wench with a hole in the top. Use the Allen wrench to keep the shaft from spinning an then loosen the nut. I've done it sitting on the ground with the suspension in my lap. Having a spring compressor makes the nut easier to turn and is way safer.

***Sirbelch*** · 04-28-2008, 05:19 PM

I did the bearing thing too. He upper mount is sooooo easy to split.

***06blaksi*** · 04-28-2008, 05:22 PM

yeah my bearings went all over the place as well. I CAREFULLY wrapped a microfiber towel around the shaft and held it with pliers while breaking the nut loose

***gotsnodooks*** · 04-29-2008, 06:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IIIII

Where are these bearings that you speak of? I just did my prokit install and did not see any bearings. :stumped:

And yes, leave the strut on the car when you loosen the bolt that keeps the top hat on. Loosen it until its about half way off.

Once you compress the springs enough you will see there are some ball bearings just under the top of the strut....there is a small plastic piece that keeps them in place but it is easy to knock that piece off and have the bearings go everywhere. It woud be nicer if they had used sealed bearings but then the Honda engineers wouldn't have anything to chuckle about when people like us take the strut off and have about a hundred little BB's fly out all over the ground.

***Johannes*** · 04-29-2008, 07:10 AM

and yes only the si springs have these BB cuz the one on the ex of my gf doesn't have these BB's.....

04-28-2008, 07:22 AM	#1 (permalink)
*gotsnodooks* I am Godzilla U R Japan Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Newport News VA Posts: 1,255 Russ iTrader: 7 / 100%	Lowering the Si OK....I have a quick question. I was attempting to lower my car this weekend and when I got the stock strut off and the DIY forgot to mention the minute detail of all the little ball bearings inside the strut...anyway...after spending an hour and a half picking all the bearings up and putting them back in I could not get the allen bolt with the nut on the top off. Is that thing reverse threaded and is there a trick to keep the top of the strut from spinning while trying to get the thing off? __________________ Assassins do it from behind. Mid Atlantic Crew #9

04-28-2008, 11:56 AM	#3 (permalink)
*gotsnodooks* I am Godzilla U R Japan Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Newport News VA Posts: 1,255 Russ iTrader: 7 / 100%	^^ Good idea with leaving the strut in place....sometimes the obvious solution eludes me. Oh....and hearing you did the same with your bearings makes me not feel so bad...LOL __________________ Assassins do it from behind. Mid Atlantic Crew #9 Last edited by gotsnodooks; 04-29-2008 at 06:28 AM.

04-28-2008, 05:18 PM	#5 (permalink)
*Sirbelch* Louder than 4 F404-GE-400 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Vacaville CA Age: 26 Posts: 5,539 Paul iTrader: 1 / 100%	You don't have to loosen the nut on the car. You need an offset wench with a hole in the top. Use the Allen wrench to keep the shaft from spinning an then loosen the nut. I've done it sitting on the ground with the suspension in my lap. Having a spring compressor makes the nut easier to turn and is way safer. __________________ You know what the sun's all about when the light go out.

04-28-2008, 05:19 PM	#6 (permalink)
*Sirbelch* Louder than 4 F404-GE-400 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Vacaville CA Age: 26 Posts: 5,539 Paul iTrader: 1 / 100%	I did the bearing thing too. He upper mount is sooooo easy to split. __________________ You know what the sun's all about when the light go out.

04-28-2008, 05:22 PM	#7 (permalink)
*06blaksi* you don't know me Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: in teh basement Age: 40 Posts: 49,458 iTrader: 23 / 100%	yeah my bearings went all over the place as well. I CAREFULLY wrapped a microfiber towel around the shaft and held it with pliers while breaking the nut loose __________________

04-28-2008, 03:28 PM	#4 (permalink)
IIIII Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 165 iTrader: 0 / 0%	Where are these bearings that you speak of? I just did my prokit install and did not see any bearings. :stumped: And yes, leave the strut on the car when you loosen the bolt that keeps the top hat on. Loosen it until its about half way off.

04-29-2008, 07:10 AM	#9 (permalink)
*Johannes* VIP Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Sunny Curacao Age: 25 Posts: 1,434 iTrader: 0 / 0%	and yes only the si springs have these BB cuz the one on the ex of my gf doesn't have these BB's..... __________________ to much of the good stuff baby HONDA CIVIC SI!!!

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