Okae so im working on my boys civic and when i took out the front shock i noticed that i couldnt get to the 17mm bolt on top, for the reason that there is a rim around the 17mm that is keeping me from taking out the spring to change them out also i knoe that i have to grip the hex in the middle to break it to lossen the bolt right>? so if theres anyone who has the same civic and has done this please any help would help thanks

PS. ive seen a thread on here but the one on here show the bolt and hex out in the open and also out in the engine bay but my boys civic it is hidden under plastic and the 17mm is hard to get to..??? anyone

 

I recommend using a Pass-thru socket set like this : http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...0070921x00003a

I bought one when I did my lowering springs, and it worked awesome. I use the set all of the time, even just for regular nuts and bolts. If you don't understand from the picture, the socket and rachet are designed so that the bolt that you are wrenching on goes through the rachet, which can't happen with a regular one. You can then easily put the hex key through the socket and turn the nut off...simplifies the process so much more. One of the best tool investments I've ever made at a great price for a whole kit, and I have over $4k worth of tools.

 

you need an impact gun for it. if u put an allen key in it and twist with the pass-thru socket, you going to mess up the shaft and possibly get the allen key stuck in the top of the shaft. so you just need a high psi compressor and the correct size socket, and it will spin the nut right off.

 

Are you kidding me? If you know how to use tools, you won't mess anything up. It's exactly what the tool was designed for. Also OP...make sure you have a spring compressor attached correctly to the entire MacPherson setup before you completely remove the nut.

 

I dont know what are some people doing these days !!

 

compress the spring before using a pass through socket and hex wrench or compress and use deep socket with impact wrench.

 

from the factory they were over torqued, because we used the pass thru socket and the allen on the top of the shaft. and when we started to remove the nut, we thought it was coming off, but in fact, it was the allen key twisting the metal in the top of the shaft and it ended up getting stuck. but we used an impact gun and it came right off.

 

Weird...maybe that was just your car. Worked fine for me on my car and the three cars I've done springs on since.

 

actually no. my friends car had the same problem also.
and there was a few f/s threads on 8th where u can see the hole for the allen key was distorted from removing the nut. but that was months ago before i got my sportlines and those threads are probably gone into the archives or deleted from the site.

 

There's a right way and a wrong way. The allen key slot is there for a reason. Top hat bolts should never be removed with an air tool.

The method I use worked on my car, an '08 FG1, a '98 DC4 and a '97 DC4.

 

thanks alot guys gona try it as soon as it stops raining preciate the help