Not to rehash something that's been discussed a million times, but... front strut/spring removal Q

In particular- I'm on 5100's and toytec coils, the shocks are on the lowest setting. I put it all in a few years ago, at that time I used the "no compressor" method as I've used on a bunch of other vehicles. No real issue- besides one. Drivers side... sway bar disconnected, ball joint unbolted from LCA, axle shaft outer stub had to be removed from the knuckle... all that to gain enough clearance on the LCA to get the strut into place.

Does it really have to be that hard? Passenger side I could get the LCA low enough.

 

I used that method... LCA should be able to drop all the way to the floor. I got my 884 and 5100s in that way without disconnecting the sway bar (mainly bc i stripped the allen key end of the sway bar bolt). when you loosen the cam bolts and then remove the two nuts holding the LCA to the knuckle it should swing freely. If not, you may have seized cam bolts, which i understand is a fairly common problem.

 

Maybe I didn't loosen the cam bolts enough... at the time it was a 6 month old truck with 15k on it so they shouldn't have been stuck- but weirder shit has happened.

 

this video shows it pretty well, I think part two, as the coils go back in shows how loose the lca gets. My truck is a 14 and the alignment bolts were all seized, made it a pain.

 

Mine was the opposite, driver's side was easier. I never loosened the LCA cam bolts at all. I had the UCA's off (replaced them), the sway bar ends and they went right in. Like I said passenger side was a bit dodgy but I got it.

 

I watched that video initially before I did mine just to get a heads up. Ironically- the parts he doesn't show (putting the spring/strut back in) is the ONLY part that gave me any issue.

Edit: gonna go watch part 2