installing new struts on my 98

toms98tacoma · 11-29-2008, 06:17 PM

Does anyone have a trick I don't know about? What kind of spring compressor do you need for the front struts?
I just removed a strut and found myself in the emergecy room getting eight stiches in my hand.I'm real lucky I didn't lose a finger.
Man those things are under some real tension.
It appears that the spring compressor I rented from ADVANCED AUTO PARTS can't compress the springs the 3 plus inches needed.
Now I've got a truck with one strut sitting in my garage and one hand to fix it with.
HELP!!!!

bwhit · 11-29-2008, 06:27 PM

WOW, you are lucky...I'm not sure what kind of compressor they rented you but I went to autozone and got this

$50 to rent, 100% refunded upon return. Worked great for me on the 5100's. Some folks said the ones they got from autozone didn't work for them. I had a buddy helping so we were able to compress both sides at the same rate...worked out pretty well. note: the safety pins you see pictured did not fit around my springs, went ahead without them...scared the whole time but seemed pretty secure. Put the eye of the shock in a vice if you have access...makes working verticle much easier. If you don't feel comfortable with any of this save your limbs and possibly your life and pay a shop to switch them out, it's not worth your skin.

bwhit · 11-29-2008, 06:32 PM

this = DEATH....do not position your body in-line with the shock and spring under compression.

LonghornTaco · 11-29-2008, 06:35 PM

Man - glad to hear that you weren't hurt worse! I bought a pair of compressors from OReillys when I was doing my lift and started getting nervous when the bolts started to bend. And I think it was just like the ones I would have rented from them. Glad I didn't keep going!

I ended up taking them to an auto shop to get compressed and the guy said it was REALLY hard to get them together. Said it was a bullet waiting to go off.

toms98tacoma · 11-29-2008, 06:42 PM

Thanks for the info. BWIT.
I removed the strut first then tried to use the spring compressor to reinstall.
I may have placed them too far apart.
The compressor is like the one you used.
I've done alot of shocks but never did struts.
I'll try again in the morning.

bwhit · 11-29-2008, 06:50 PM

Be safe man...those things are dangerous as you found out. It's not just the springs you have to look out for, if those compressors slip off together you got a missle flying around.

dually · 11-29-2008, 09:44 PM

Did you unbolt the bottom A-arm from the spindle? Thats what I had to do to put in my Eibach springs. I used a spring compressor from O'Reillys, but also chained the spring to the frame so it wouldnt rocket off. It went really smoothly..

tacomaman06 · 11-29-2008, 10:44 PM

yeah.....definitely be safe when you get back at it in the am man!!! glad to hear you werent hurt worse than you were.....................spring compressers care really mess ya up if you arent familiar with them or have never used them before.

Janster · 11-30-2008, 06:52 AM

USE this diagram!!

If you don't have the bolts lined up properly, you won't be able to put it back on the truck.

silverback07 · 11-30-2008, 07:16 AM

When I installed my 886 coils I took the assembly to the local Mieneke and had them swap them out, cost me $40. Money well spent. When I came back to pick them up the dude was limping, that 886 was so stiff it bent one of the prongs on his wall mounted spring compressor and shot out the bottom, smacking him in the knee. OUCH!

toms98tacoma · 11-30-2008, 05:11 PM

I just finished the job,went Christmas shopping most of the day.
I used a couple of crowbars and my wife to help gain the last inch of clearance and then hammered the lower bolt in.
I've gained a new respect for the force on those springs.
I really appreciate all the suggestions,they had me re-think the way I was doing things.
I'll probably be posting again soon,I know enough about cars and trucks to be dangerous.My hand is real sore but appears to be healing.
Thanks again.

Tom

11-29-2008, 06:17 PM	#1
toms98tacoma Junior Member Joined: Nov 2008, #11136 Location: pa Gender: Male Posts: 3 4 x 4 1998 Regular Cab Automatic 17" wheels added springs with 4 leafs	installing new struts on my 98 Does anyone have a trick I don't know about? What kind of spring compressor do you need for the front struts? I just removed a strut and found myself in the emergecy room getting eight stiches in my hand.I'm real lucky I didn't lose a finger. Man those things are under some real tension. It appears that the spring compressor I rented from ADVANCED AUTO PARTS can't compress the springs the 3 plus inches needed. Now I've got a truck with one strut sitting in my garage and one hand to fix it with. HELP!!!!

11-29-2008, 06:35 PM	#4
LonghornTaco Senior Member Joined: Oct 2008, #9763 Location: Minnesota Age: 32 Gender: Male Posts: 1,662 Black 09 4x4 TRD Off Road Doublecab 2009 Double Cab Automatic V6 3" ToyTec coilover lift on Bilstein 5100s, Total Chaos UCAs, ToyTec diff drop, Westin brush guard, 4 Hella 500FF lights mounted on brush guard, Scangauge II, 4D MagLite mounted on the drivers seat, Painted engine cover, Painted calipers (red), Painted skid plate (red) Valentine 1 radar detector hard wired, Damplifier Pro on the floor, back wall and doors, Luxury Liner Pro on the floor and doors, Kenwood DNX8120, A.R.E. LSII fiberglass tonneau cover, All Pro sliders, Wet Okole seat covers, Sockmonkey Mountain badges	Man - glad to hear that you weren't hurt worse! I bought a pair of compressors from OReillys when I was doing my lift and started getting nervous when the bolts started to bend. And I think it was just like the ones I would have rented from them. Glad I didn't keep going! I ended up taking them to an auto shop to get compressed and the guy said it was REALLY hard to get them together. Said it was a bullet waiting to go off. __________________ I'm just a Texan that got lost on the way to the grocery store and ended up in Minnesota... My Build

11-29-2008, 10:44 PM	#8
tacomaman06 Carolina Alliance: Redneck Division Joined: May 2007, #1475 Location: rock hill, sc Age: 29 Gender: Male Posts: 12,530 04 trd tacoma 4x4 v6 double cab 2004 Double Cab Automatic 3.4 v6 vent visors,deck plate mod, gray wire mod, black steelies and emblems, mag-lite mod, wheelers/ome suspension, stainless brake lines,blacked out bumpers(bedliner),dynomax super turbo muffler,cabelas mossy oak seat covers ans camo steering wheel cover....still to come.... afe pro dry s filter..........plus many,many more!!	yeah.....definitely be safe when you get back at it in the am man!!! glad to hear you werent hurt worse than you were.....................spring compressers care really mess ya up if you arent familiar with them or have never used them before. __________________ i am WILL--my ride=04 tacoma trd 4x4 double cab, v6, auto,deck plate mod, grey wire mod, billy 5100's all the way around,black low-pro uws toolbox, black steelies,blacked out emblems, mag light mod,wheelers/alcan springs, ome 881 coils, braided stainless brake lines, polyurethane bushings,dynomax super turbo/slash cut tip-blacked out,chrome deleted bumpers via herculiner bed liner,color matched bedlinered tailgate, camo seat covers,sockmonkey decals,husky floor liners and still to come....15 inch wheelers steelies and gy wrangler mtr's!!! http://s202.photobucket.com/albums/aa269/tacomaman06/ signature by piercedtiger www.myspace.com/goodolboy1979

11-30-2008, 06:52 AM	#9
Janster Pre Senior Citizen Joined: Mar 2007, #1138 Location: Lancaster, PA Age: 41 Gender: Female Posts: 2,900 2007 4.0L 4x4 TRD Sport Access Cab A 2007 Access Cab Automatic 4.0L Advantage Torza top (tri-fold), Husky floor mats, RuffTuff seat covers, C2C hood struts, Homelink mirror, Ipod2car (80gig Classic/4gig nano), Garmin Nuvi 660, Protecta Bed mat, Pop-n-lock, TSB Springs, Scangauge II, Heated drivers seat, Fumoto drain valve, Aries pushbar, PIAA 540 fog lights, Hood scoop grahics, Flowmaster 50 series dual catback exhaust.	USE this diagram!! If you don't have the bolts lined up properly, you won't be able to put it back on the truck. __________________ Our Homepage http://www.lieblweb.com/ My truck photo gallery http://www.lieblweb.com/cpg/thumbnails.php?album=16

11-30-2008, 07:16 AM	#10
silverback07 Senior Member Joined: Jul 2008, #7986 Location: Austin Age: 40 Gender: Male Posts: 1,991 07 TRD OR DC 2007 Double Cab Automatic 4.0 2007 Tacoma TRD Off Road 4x4.. a couple mods	When I installed my 886 coils I took the assembly to the local Mieneke and had them swap them out, cost me $40. Money well spent. When I came back to pick them up the dude was limping, that 886 was so stiff it bent one of the prongs on his wall mounted spring compressor and shot out the bottom, smacking him in the knee. OUCH! __________________ My Build 2007 Tacoma TRD Off Road 4x4, Leather OME 886/140, OME Dakars/182, TC UCA, TW CV DS, BFG KM2, XD Enduro's, Goodridge SS lines, Timbrens Rocktec & AllPro bumpers, Shrockworks sliders, Grillcraft, C2C struts, Full BudBuilt skids, PIAA 510's, HID's, Warn M8000, MP Superline, 60” HiLift Extreme, Oasis On-board Air, Dual Batteries, UWS Chest A-pillar pod w/ Autometer, ScanGauge II, Midland CB w/FireFly, Alpine/MB Quart/ID, Garmin Nuvi 500

11-29-2008, 06:27 PM	#2
bwhit Member Joined: Feb 2008, #4739 Posts: 66 07 4x4 Double Cab 2007 Double Cab Automatic	WOW, you are lucky...I'm not sure what kind of compressor they rented you but I went to autozone and got this $50 to rent, 100% refunded upon return. Worked great for me on the 5100's. Some folks said the ones they got from autozone didn't work for them. I had a buddy helping so we were able to compress both sides at the same rate...worked out pretty well. note: the safety pins you see pictured did not fit around my springs, went ahead without them...scared the whole time but seemed pretty secure. Put the eye of the shock in a vice if you have access...makes working verticle much easier. If you don't feel comfortable with any of this save your limbs and possibly your life and pay a shop to switch them out, it's not worth your skin.

11-29-2008, 06:32 PM	#3
bwhit Member Joined: Feb 2008, #4739 Posts: 66 07 4x4 Double Cab 2007 Double Cab Automatic	this = DEATH....do not position your body in-line with the shock and spring under compression.

11-29-2008, 06:42 PM	#5
toms98tacoma Junior Member Joined: Nov 2008, #11136 Location: pa Gender: Male Posts: 3 4 x 4 1998 Regular Cab Automatic 17" wheels added springs with 4 leafs	Thanks for the info. BWIT. I removed the strut first then tried to use the spring compressor to reinstall. I may have placed them too far apart. The compressor is like the one you used. I've done alot of shocks but never did struts. I'll try again in the morning.

11-29-2008, 06:50 PM	#6
bwhit Member Joined: Feb 2008, #4739 Posts: 66 07 4x4 Double Cab 2007 Double Cab Automatic	Be safe man...those things are dangerous as you found out. It's not just the springs you have to look out for, if those compressors slip off together you got a missle flying around.

11-29-2008, 09:44 PM	#7
dually Northern Alliance: Boost Boy Joined: Jul 2008, #8205 Location: Your Basement Age: 17 Gender: Dude Posts: 823 1998 2WD 2.4L 1998 Regular Cab Automatic 2.4L Custom CAI, Gibson Cat-Back Exhaust, CrankCase Breathers, ScanGuageII, Pioneer Headunit, Infinity Reference 6.5s, 2- 8" Kicker Comp Subs, Blue LEDs in cab, Eibach Drop Coils (1"), Steel Drop Blocks (3"), KYB GR2 Shocks, 18" Rims	Did you unbolt the bottom A-arm from the spindle? Thats what I had to do to put in my Eibach springs. I used a spring compressor from O'Reillys, but also chained the spring to the frame so it wouldnt rocket off. It went really smoothly..

11-30-2008, 05:11 PM	#11
toms98tacoma Junior Member Joined: Nov 2008, #11136 Location: pa Gender: Male Posts: 3 4 x 4 1998 Regular Cab Automatic 17" wheels added springs with 4 leafs	thanks everyone I just finished the job,went Christmas shopping most of the day. I used a couple of crowbars and my wife to help gain the last inch of clearance and then hammered the lower bolt in. I've gained a new respect for the force on those springs. I really appreciate all the suggestions,they had me re-think the way I was doing things. I'll probably be posting again soon,I know enough about cars and trucks to be dangerous.My hand is real sore but appears to be healing. Thanks again. Tom

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