i am trying to replace the struts on my 87 lx, but i can not get the nuts on the top of the strut to budge. i have soaked the nuts with penetrating oil, no luck. i have tried my best to hold a large screwdriver in the shaft and turn the nut, but cannot keep the screwdriver tight. i have thought about getting a nut buster or cutting them off with my dremell. any help will be accepted with many thanks.
I use paraffin wax instead of penetrating oil once the bolt is heated, has worked well for me. Just make sure you don't melt or damage anything you're not throwing away!
i am trying to replace the struts on my 87 lx, but i can not get the nuts on the top of the strut to budge. i have soaked the nuts with penetrating oil, no luck. i have tried my best to hold a large screwdriver in the shaft and turn the nut, but cannot keep the screwdriver tight. i have thought about getting a nut buster or cutting them off with my dremell. any help will be accepted with many thanks.
Look, I just did my struts. The top bolt is the very first ones to loosen. If it keeps free spinning, put a pair of good vise grips on the shaft and wedge it. Then loosen the top bolt. When you tighten the new one back up, top bolt last, again hold the very top of the shaft with the vise grips and tighten.
Never hold a new strut piston with a vice grip. You can hold the old one with a vice grip. Why not replace the strut towers along with the struts? They are usually warn out anyway. I use an impact wrench to do that. But most struts have a flat on the top to hold the piston rod or an allen or torx slot at the top. If the tower splits and i have seen many do that the tower will self distruct. Then off to the body shop it goes for some patches and welding. Use new tower bushings.
Never hold a new strut piston with a vice grip. You can hold the old one with a vice grip.
If you hold it all the way up top, very tight grip, 1st shot, you will never hit that part of the bar by bouncing over a speed bump or sidewalk. Even if your springs fell out, I know it can't happen, just saying, not even then will it hit the very top of the strut bar. But do it however. I was told to cut them off if they gave me a problem.
strut replacement 
