2001 Montero Front Strut Replacement Question

[grandpa]

I also posted this on 4x4wire. Maybe someone here will have some input.

I'm getting ready to replace the front struts on our 2001 Montero. The manual says to remove the upper A-arms. Does anyone know if this is necessary to remove the strut? Any tips to make this easier?

Thanks.

 

[Inyo_man]

You can replaced the front strut and coil without removing the upper arm, but it's tight.
One of the tricks that helped was after the rig is on your jack stands, put a jack under the lower arm and compress the spring before attaching the spring compressor. Compressing the springs is the biggest PITA. After the coil is compressed disconnect the shock. To remove the strut and coil, push down on the lower arm to gain enough clearance to remove the assembly. It's tight, but doable. Be careful with the compressors, they can be very dangerous.

 

[grandpa]

Thanks for the info and tips. I'll be doing it this weekend.

 

[grandpa]

If anyone else is attempting this. I found that I couldn't remove the strut without removing the upper a-arm mounting bolts and moving the a-arm to the side. It was not difficult to change the struts. Much easier than I thought.

 

[Inyo_man]

Sorry to hear about that Grandpa...it was tight, but I was able to pull it off when I replaced the front suspension.

 

[grandpa]

No problem. It was easy to do.