front, top strut bolt

[youngstig]

Currently attempting to lower my car on some new springs and im really struggling with the strut bolts under the bonnet, my cars a 1.2 1999 clio, any tips to getting the bloody things to loosen up will be well appreciated.im using this link to help me along it all seems so simple apart from the bolts :S http://www.cliosport.net/content/guides/fubar/spring_guide.pdf

 

[Fred@BTM]

upper strut caps? 21mm? buzz gun, done

 

[youngstig]

yer theyre the ones, dont have access to a gun, and want to do the springs myself (skint). any ideas?

 

[Arney]

Impact Driver. Penetrating Fluid. Or my personal favourite a massive breaker bar. We spiralled two allen keys when fitting my coilovers. Good luck. Id just take it to a garage and get the to buzz them off and done back up loosely. Had to do that on my 106 gti as i snapped all my Ribe tool bits. They should do it without charging.

 

[youngstig]

yer thats probably the best bet tbh, ill run it in at the weekend and see what they say. cheers

im scared to attempt it with the allen keys just feels like its going to thread it into a circle.

 

[Budgie]

If it's solid, it'll either round of the allen key or split the thread.

Take it to a garage, get them to spin it off

 

[youngstig]

yer i think ill do that! cheers guys

 

[Tigger]

If it's solid, it'll either round of the allen key or split the thread.

Take it to a garage, get them to spin it off

THIS ^

 

[dciRon]

I used a sparkplug socket (16mm? translates into 21mm fitting!) with a ringend spanner on the top of it - so I can fit the long end of an allen key through the hole in the top, holding the allen key short end in an adjustable spanner...

 

[dciRon]

Just checked - 14mm sparkplug socket...

 

[youngstig]

Ended up taking it in to a local garage and they buzz gunned them off for free, he tried with socket and allen key but there was no chance they were coming off manually