Helping a friend replace the struts on her 2004 VW Golf this weekend. I saw a tutorial that said I need a 30mm socket to remove the axle from the spindle. Any way to avoid this? Is it easier than I'm thinking?
Helping a friend replace the struts on her 2004 VW Golf this weekend. I saw a tutorial that said I need a 30mm socket to remove the axle from the spindle. Any way to avoid this? Is it easier than I'm thinking?
Why are you worried about a 30mm socket? I'm not sure what you're asking exactly. It's not easy but it isn't terribly hard either. Gotta move crap out of the way somehow.
You can buy or rent one at any AutoZoneAdvanceO'Reilly'sPepCarquest relatively cheap (under 15 bucks). Just get a 18-24 in breaker bar and a length of pipe for leverage, or borrow somebody's impact wrench (Preferably Air, though a good electric one may have enough stones to do the job). Not as hard as it looks, just need a lot of elbow grease, or power tools if you out of elbows.. Now if you are asking if you can get away with removing the strut without removing the axle, I suggest you find a FSM somewhere before you dig in. I've done lots or strut replacements without removing the axle, but none of those was on a 2004 Golf..
In reply to 06HHR:
I thought the same thing. With a lot of cars you can just pop a ball joint or two and swing everything out of the way, but VW seems to enjoy complicated suspension setups. If the FSM says that's how it's done in addition to the DIY, I would do it that way.
I changed the struts on my car without removing the axle from the hub. The reason is the axle doesn't have enough range of motion to allow the spindle to drop far enough to clear the bottom of the strut. IIRC (it's been a few years), it's more of an issue on the right/passenger side. The get around is to unbolt the carrier bearing from the block and then unbolt the inner CV from the trans (12 pt internal socket needed). You may also need to drop the subframe a bit.
Btw, the axle nut should be replaced if removed and there is a VERY specific torquing sequence that if not done correctly can result in annoying vibrations or worse.
Sorry, I should have been more clear. The 30mm socket doesn't scare me, but I just wasn't sure if I needed to take that much apart. Any worries about the axle popping out of the trans (happened on my wife's Fit once - pain in the ass)?
You'll need a torque wrench to tighten the axle nut.
I just lower the subframe and swaybar to gain the extra drop to slide the strut out of the spindle.
I highly recommend getting the spindle spreading tool. Prybars and chisels work in a pinch, but the cheap tool ($20) saves a lot of effort.
+1 on the spreading tool, although in lieu of buying one you can make one by sacrificing a 6mm hex socket and grinding off the sides so it'll fit.
Oh... and if you live in the rust belt and the struts have been installed for awhile, soak the spindle/housing conenction with penetrating oil of choice.
Hammer the spindle off the strut before unbolting the strut from tower.
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