Here's my dillema. While trying to remove the back stock strut on my 94 hatch the through bolt snapped. It seems to be rusted to the lower mount bushing thing, and We can't get the bolt out. We've hit it, sprayed stuff on it and everything else under the sun. ANy ideas?

Is it easier to just remove the entire strut mount? I'm not even sure how to get the whole thing out. Anyone know how to? Here is the mount I am talking about.

 

im guessing your asking if you should take out the LCA (lower control arm)?

 

I don't think so. I'm not sure what to do. I don't want to take the control arm off because there are more old bolts to break. Right now I'm stuck with a strut bolted through without a head on it, and I can't get anything apart there. I have no idea what to do.

Do you need a picture because I can show you both of them.

 

a picture might help, yea post one up.

 

same thing happened to me and my only solution was to drill them out on both sides and replace the bolts.

 

There used to be a bolt head on this side, but it snapped off. We cut this side of the strut off to try to push the bolt through but it wont budge. I have no idea how to get it out. The nut is welded onto the strut on the other side.

 

cut the other side of the strut off?

 

That will get the strut out of the way, but leaves the bolt stuck in the strut mount. If I do that I need to know how to either get the bolt out or the entire mount bushing thing so I can replace it.

 

this gets posted at least once a week.

either continue removing the bolts, and buy new bushings and get them pressed out with the snapped bolts in place.

then have new bushings installed

or just buy aftermarket control arms.

i hope this isn't your first bolt, if so it may be a prelude of things to come.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by instrument &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">this gets posted at least once a week.

either continue removing the bolts, and buy new bushings and get them pressed out with the snapped bolts in place.

then have new bushings installed

or just buy aftermarket control arms.

i hope this isn't your first bolt, if so it may b
e a prelude of things to come.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Both back ones broke, not the front. I finished the front setup. I can't remove the bolts though, that's what I'm complaining about. Also, if I buy new bushings I'm not sure how to get the entire old ones out.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by jonathan13 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">same thing happened to me and my only solution was to drill them out on both sides and replace the bolts.</TD></TR></TABLE>

So did you start with a small drillbit and then work up until the whole bolt was gone? Or how did you do that?

 

cut the other side of the mount off, knock the broken bolt out of the bushing with a hammer and punch, and buy a new bolt for your new strut.

 

you are very lucky one of the outer lcs bolt heads didnt snap...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by akunamatta &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">you are very lucky one of the outer lcs bolt heads didnt snap...
</TD></TR></TABLE>

I don't understand why one would snap. I didn't even touch them and didn't put much pressure on them I don't think.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by melsers &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">cut the other side of the mount off, knock the broken bolt out of the bushing with a hammer and punch, and buy a new bolt for your new strut.</TD></TR></TABLE>

As for knocking it out, I might try cutting the other side of the strut bracket off, but we have been trying to punch it out all night with not a budge at all. Maybe cutting the other side will solve everything, but I doubt it. I might try drilling it out like the guy above said.

 

that happened to me too.... it was a bitch to press out the bushing with out any sort of tool... so my easiest solution was finding another lca. faster replacing than trying to fix.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by truevietluv636 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">that happened to me too.... it was a bitch to press out the bushing with out any sort of tool... so my easiest solution was finding another lca. faster replacing than trying to fix.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Did you have any problems with the LCA bolts though? That's what I'm afraid of. If my strut bolts were that bad those have to be just as rusty and I don't want to be stuck in a worse situation.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Nickboxer7 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Did you have any problems with the LCA bolts though? That's what I'm afraid of. If my strut bolts were that bad those have to be just as rusty and I don't want to be stuck in a worse situation.</TD></TR></TABLE>

from my research 2/3rds of the time the outer ones will not be siezed... hell and because mine came out, im not sure why this is but it is always a risk turning old bolts that havent moved in 10 years.

 

get new aftermarket lcas ($100 pair shipped) and new bolts from the dealer ship and use anti-seize on the threads while you put it in, it'll prevent it from happening again in the future

bolts are like 4 bucks a piece at dealer, you need 6 new botls

 

So, I finally got the bushing/strut mount completely out and have new ones to put in. The problem we have now is getting the strut off the rear. The strut can't get over the LCA to come off because of the brackets.

Does anyone have a walkthrough for the rear struts, replacing them or removing them?