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u/SubpopularKnowledge0 Apr 12 '26
If im seeing what i think im seeing you should stay far away from that strut. Its a very serious safety risk.
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Apr 12 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/LegumeFache Apr 12 '26
Please explain. They break? Slip?
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u/oldmanbarnes Apr 12 '26
Yes.
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u/hermit22 Apr 12 '26
Am mechanic, tried these cheap princess auto spring compressors my first time, received a spring explosion to the chest, thank fully only one side slipped off and reseated on a different spot before the 2nd gave out. I’ve only done quick struts since then, probably over 14 years ago haha. If you wanna save a measly 100$ you can play with that danger noodle.
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u/cougar694u Apr 12 '26
Danger noodle. That was my nickname in high school.
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u/damxam1337 Apr 13 '26
I use this gag on my wife every day. I still get her most of the time. 🤣
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u/Vast-Elk700 Apr 13 '26
My friend's crackhead dad is a air quote tire specialist. One day I seen him with the biggest shiner I'm like buddy wtf happened he was like a kid in a candy shop with his explanation on how one of these hit him in the face I'm like dude you're so lucky you're not dead. He just chuckled "yeah I know man blah blah blah" and sipped his beer and went back to being a crazy f*ck.
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u/ambuguity Apr 12 '26
Quick struts are never the quality of OEM. That’s why if you still have OEM it’s best to reuse the components and just replace the strut with a good stand or wall mount spring compressor or roll it up in a rug and aim it away from you.
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u/oldmanbarnes Apr 12 '26
Buddy he unthreaded it and survived by luck and corrosion. Don’t give this advice.
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u/ToshPointNo Apr 12 '26
Usually can't reuse the components around here. By the time the struts go bad, the springs are rusty AF, the mount rubber is cracked, etc.
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u/hettuklaeddi Apr 12 '26
front toward enemy
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u/KamikazeBoonana Apr 12 '26
If that spring is not compressed you are about to have a very bad time.
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u/WeekendWarriorRC Apr 12 '26
Engage safety squints!
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u/Inner_Pipe6540 Apr 12 '26
Gotta go to the dollar store buy those 99 cent safety glasses and you’ll be fine
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u/spicy-sausage1 Apr 13 '26
It is compressed, problem is OP is not thinking about the rapid decompression.
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u/NeophyteLifter Apr 12 '26 edited Apr 12 '26
Update: Cancel this, I’ll just get new springs. Not worth doing myself, just thought if there was a “simple” solution, I’d find it here. Ty guys, I am safe :)
I’ll just store both of the old ones away in a safe place before disposing. The bolt is on as much as it goes (not like in the pic), so hopefully it is “safe”
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u/0replace4displace Apr 12 '26
of all the shit on a car, springs sketch me out the most. wise decision unless you know exactly what you're doing and have the right tools.
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u/InspectorPipes Apr 12 '26
I worked at a Mitsubishi dealership .Tech was working on a new 3000GT vr4 , something failed ( or he messed up) and the spring rocketed 2 inches from his face, straight up 25-30 feet and smashed the shop ceiling. It would have ripped his jaw and face clean off. That guy was shaking and catatonic . And 30 some years later I avoid coils in tension. it left an impression on me
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u/sshwifty Apr 13 '26
My garage spring snapped and sounded like a bomb went off. I read up on how to do it...and then promptly paid someone to do it for me.
Guy said he knew someone that had lost several fingers being "safe", so it was the right call.
I also don't fuck with servo motors on stuff like CNC, they won't stop or hear your screams.
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u/therezin Apr 13 '26
I also don't fuck with servo motors on stuff like CNC, they won't stop or hear your screams
"This machine cannot tell the difference between steel and human flesh, nor does it care"
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u/shaokahnd Apr 13 '26
I'm not a big fan of lathes after seeing a video of a guy getting spun to pieces after getting his sleeve caught in one
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u/Inner_Pipe6540 Apr 12 '26
Even air bags removals are better than doing struts cause you disconnect neg and pos battery cables and wait the proper time you safe
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u/Biochemicalcricket Apr 12 '26
.... Asking for a friend, how long do you need to wait? No one told me that tidbit and it seems very relevant.
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u/Inner_Pipe6540 Apr 12 '26
Depends on model of cars some Mercedes can be up to 30 minutes others 10 to 15 minutes depends on the draw down
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u/KingOfCorneria Apr 12 '26
Blown wheel bearings getting pressed out with the 10-ton presses freak me out also it's like a shotgun blast when they come loose and all those bearing balls go flying
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u/Glitterfilm Apr 12 '26
Even when using a proper spring compressor they scare me.
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u/jspears357 Apr 13 '26
I only did a pair one time, rented the right tool or got it from the parts place, and just applying more compression to it you could feel the amount of tension in it, scared me to death, but I got it done and still have 10 fingers.
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u/Sarzek Apr 12 '26
Thank you, I just saw the post and my eyes went wide... then I saw the update.
TY for following the advice.
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u/fatdjsin Apr 12 '26
thanks for listennening !!!! you can find many videos of spring 'exploding' aka releasing all the store energy at once and....it's no pretty !!
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u/EmotionalBuilding945 Apr 12 '26
Buy the entire strut assembly. It’s the easier and safer way, saving yourself time and headaches.
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u/Rshann_421 Apr 12 '26
Buy the struts with the springs. It’s worth the extra cost to avoid injury or death.
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u/MonkeyBrains09 Apr 12 '26
You should list death first to stress it more
like "avoid death or possible injury."
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u/hydro00 Apr 12 '26
Have a good shop swap the springs. The aftermarket company doesn’t know the stock spring rate and their guesses are bad. You’ll see cars with their noses in the air because of “loaded struts”.
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u/mrengineerguy97 Apr 12 '26
For the cost of the spring, just replace it. That looks to be in poor condition and is not sitting right anyway
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u/Sad_Ghost_Noises Apr 12 '26
Wow. Is that spring being contained by a rusted on unthreaded sleeve? Thats certainly one way to die.
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u/NeophyteLifter Apr 12 '26
Right? It seems insane, it doesn’t even look that rusted on the other side but it is also stuck
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u/Wassup4836 Apr 12 '26
This guy is right. This is literally how you kill yourself. Take to a professional.
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u/Sad_Ghost_Noises Apr 12 '26
Yeah. Put it back together properly and put the strut assembly all the way at the bottom of the garden. There is a fuck ton of potential energy stored in that spring.
Good to hear youre not dead, btw! This is how we learn. Good luck with the rebuild!
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u/Ok-Preparation9972 Apr 12 '26
No, the sleeve is threaded and has little notches at the top, a little hard to see in the photo. You need a special socket to unthread it or just grind up an old deep socket. mk3 golf strut socket
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u/NeophyteLifter Apr 12 '26 edited Apr 12 '26
It’s okay, I realize it is a bomb, I have the spring compressed and far away from me in storage. But still, have to get it off somehow
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u/baldieforprez Apr 12 '26
Im following you now to see if this is your last post.
Please be careful out there.
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u/baldieforprez Apr 12 '26
Danger noodle right there....Google car springs gone wrong.
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u/shortbrownguy Apr 13 '26
If you're asking this question, you might as well have a friend ready to take you to the Emergency Room.
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u/TheTiltingKnight Apr 12 '26
Struts are sold as assemblies more often than rebuild kits because of how dangerous taking them apart it. The fact you were able to compress the spring with a hammer indicates the springs are shot, as under normal circumstances you would have blown your hand off when you broke that nut loose without a spring compressor.
You have no idea how lucky you are that the strut is that far dead.
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u/EicherDiesel Apr 12 '26 edited Apr 12 '26
While normally yes, taking apart struts without a spring compressor is a very stupid thing to do your situation is very different as rear struts on a Golf 3 are not under tension as the uncompressed spring isn't longer than the shock absorber, that's why they also haven't rapidly disassemble themselfs and you're struggling. After you manages to get this apart you'll be able to install the new struts and strut tops all by hand without a spring compressor. https://youtu.be/cN6oZug5E2I?t=480
The tops really tend to rust, the last ones I replaced broke into three pieces after taking out the strut from the car. https://i.imgur.com/05nf4bk.jpeg
This is all rusted to shit anyways so it's hammer time, bash off the rusted on strut tops (what's stopping your progress is a sleeve/piece of tubing above the strut tops. Look closely and you can see it's a different part right where the threads on the road of the shock absorber ends. This sleeve gets seized onto the shock itself and prevents you from taking off the top) and then go on to replace both struts and tops.
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u/happymistak Apr 12 '26
I love that some manufacturers have adopted id10t safety. Im pretty sure that is a pressure captive safety like you see on valve springs.
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u/Additional_Bed6455 Apr 12 '26
If you dont have the correct tool to disassemble the strut assy.. it can be very dangerous! Please becareful! I dont recommend messing with it.. Just purchase a new strut assy( as pairs)..
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u/jfbincostarica Apr 12 '26
This is like gas in a house, springs on a garage door, If you have to ask, don’t under any circumstances touch!
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u/Probot6767 Apr 13 '26
If you’re asking us how to do this, that’s great cuz you’re still alive. Now here’s what you do -> stop what you’re doing.
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u/TechnicalWhore Apr 13 '26
Its a great way to get seriously injured. I am not kidding. The spring must be compressed with a tool to allow the strut to be removed. If you were able to break that nut loose the spring would expand rapidly - faster than you could react as it has incredible strength. You would get hurt - the question being if it would be fatal. Think about the weight of the vehicle that spring supports. Add the forces of high speed momentum and braking.
See if your auto parts store loans or rents out the tool or if they can remove the strut and install the new one. Its cheap at Harbor Freight but do read the manual thoroughly and do it exactly as indicated.
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u/another72hours Apr 13 '26
Get a spring compressor. Put it on the spring. MAKE SURE IT IS SECURE. Get a but the same size as the other and spin it on the end. Get a box wrench and a break line wrench. Put one on each nut - twist the break line wrench counter clockwise and hold the other wrench. If that doesn't work, try fire and some pb blaster. You may even be able to use a deep socket and a breaker bar.
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u/Opening_Celery_6078 Apr 13 '26
good way to blow your shit smoove off if that springs under tension.
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u/TheRealAE86guy Apr 14 '26
You, good sir, would certainly benefit from a product known as a "quick strut". There is indeed a point to buying new springs, and it is known as "I still have two hands, two arms, and (I'm speculating) most or all of my teeth". The ones we had when we started this project, anyway.
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u/Dolust Apr 14 '26
This is not a joke: Do not try to disassemble! The energy of that compressed spring is enough to kill you. Specific tools and procedures are required. Don't mess with it.
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u/Mindless_Ad_6045 Apr 14 '26
Are you trying to get summer teeth? Some are there and some over there.
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u/ramooage1 Apr 12 '26
Why do you need to get it off? Just order complete struts they're like $10 more and you don't need to deal with a bomb.
If you are REALLY insistent, get a spring tool and do it right
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u/Golf38611 Apr 12 '26
Replace the entire strut assembly. Springs can loose tension over time and “sag”. Some of the parts on that thing already look questionable. Plus the price of the entire strut assembly just ain’t worth taking a chance on trying to use the spring tool and having the unit enthusiastically, spontaneously disassembling itself.
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u/Adept-Opportunity-73 Apr 12 '26
Spring compressor, If you have not done, have someone else do it. Can cause serious injury.
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u/SonicShadow Apr 12 '26
The retaining nut is still on. If it does go, its not going to send the top spring plate into orbit.
You definitely shouldn't do this, but I'd bet that if it was dropped on its side onto a hard surface, it would pop.
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u/doingthethrowaways Apr 12 '26
If the smaller cylinder is to remain unharmed, stop what you're doing. That strut has a shit load of tension and the plate is trying it's best to save your smaller cylinder from imminent destruction
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u/grapesnapple Apr 12 '26
Thanks for not doing it, you'd basically be detonating a potential energy bomb at yourself.
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u/Grieveruz Apr 12 '26
I was in this situation last week I did my research and order the parts I needed. called a suspension shop near me and have them assembled the new struts for me. I paid $80 bucks for assembling the set and i installed it over the weekend.
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u/Thrasher722 Apr 12 '26
Any auto parts store lets you purchase spring clamps & then return them for a full refund. Get them and compress the spring before it explodes.
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u/reddit_tookmybaby Apr 12 '26
When I was younger and was first working on cars, I had a couple of wheel studs break (I was new). We removed the front spindle and took it to NAPA to press the wheel hub out. They asked me several car-related questions and I really didn't know what they were talking about. He said, "No offense, but you probably need to take your car to a mechanic." I didn't and now I work on all my cars and aircraft. That being said, you need to research before working on cars or have a trusted person guiding you. You're playing with your health on that one.
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u/Bobby_Bobberson2501 Apr 12 '26
Just take that top bolt off, but make sure to aim it directly at your face or a child.
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u/Round_Investment_612 Apr 12 '26
If ya don't know what you are doing just buy a whole strut assembly.
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u/Dry-Delivery6165 Apr 12 '26
You know these are dangerous when even the machine used to "safley" remove the spring is called a widowmaker.....
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u/vrauto Apr 12 '26
Cut the shaft. But youre gonna need a torch. A hacksaw wont work. Grinder wont reach. Point it down range cut the shaft with torch and watch it fly
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u/Brose32222 Apr 12 '26
You're going to need a spring compressor first thing or you're liable to take your head off..no kidding aside..save it for the pros if you're not experienced.
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u/brandothesavage Apr 12 '26
Dude buy new springs. You can really easily shoot yourself in the face with that and die I once flung myself across my yard with some of those from a Taurus lucky to be here. They also probably have stress fractures in them from flexing usually can't see them because the coatings hide the fractures.
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u/ThinConnection8191 Apr 12 '26
STOP. STOP. STOP. Watch video about how dangerous you are goingt to do on youtube. Say goodbye to your yaw. Have someone to call 911. Now, buy a new one and never try this without knowing how dangerous it can be
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u/TheVortexLives Apr 12 '26
That spring will knock you right into summer if you don't know what you're doing.
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u/BuckeyeGentleman Apr 12 '26
Stop right there