Tokico Struts

[scirocco16vr32 at gmail.com (Chris Bennett)]

Ok... I know I was asking how to disassemble the struts a week or so ago. I 
finally got off my butt and went to the Auto-hobby shop in Norfolk. Grrr. 
THAT was an adventure. I had to take a quiz as there seems to have been a 
rash of people getting friggin squished by hydraulic lifts. How the hell do 
you get SQUISHED by a hydraulic lift?!? I mean really if you are that 
dumb... you shouldn't be poluting the gene pool ANYWAY. One of the questions 
was... It is NORMAL for a hydraulic lift to leak a little oil... True or 
False. Maybe that's what happened... dude was UNDER the car looking at the 
hydraulic leak and WHAM!!!
 So by the time I took the 30 question or so quiz (and why do I care if they 
don't allow tandum welding and painting?!?) I was pretty steamed. I brought 
the suspension parts in the place with a large plastic bin and they still 
wanted to charge me for a bay... I don't really get that either. But I was 
tired of f***ing with it so I was like whatever. I get in there compress the 
spring, zip it off with the impact wrench (You guys were right that was MUCH 
easier... I am not worthy), and while I was at it I degreased 20 years of 
slime and crud off the strut housing. So I put the new strut in and hand 
tightened the cap that holds it in place... That was mistake #1.
 I was kinda in a hurry, kinda pissed off, kinda not really knowing what the 
heck I was doing. 
 I looked at the bentley's, I had the tokico directions which tell you to 
fill the strut housing with oil for heat transfer and then follow the 
manufacturer's instructions for strut replacement. No pics, no parts 
lists... CRAP. So I reassemble according to the bentley's (missing the 
tighten the "strut housing" cap, jackass part) 
 Now I have heard that there is a washer that you have to put in somewhere 
that is CRITICAL to keeping your strut from piercing your hood like a 
javelin, and you aren't supposed to reuse it. They didn't include that peice 
but they did include a bunch of other crap that isn't in the bentley's 
diagram at all. 
 Any clues? There was a nylon spacer/washer that goes on top of the strut to 
keep the oil bath in place. (but there was a fat one and skinny one and they 
both would not fit.) Also there were several washers that were close to the 
diameter of the strut housing but don't seem to fit anywhere. 
 I installed new bump stops, new strut bearings and I did get the little 
sleave out of the old one for the top of the strut shaft. I do have the 
splash guards in place and I have released the springs... No launches yet. 
After the fact I remembered I only hand tightened that cap and went back and 
monkey wrenched it on. 
 I guess now that I have wasted all of your time I am asking if I did it 
right or am I going to have dimples in my hood?
 Anyone installed tokico struts on their car? I also put H+R sport springs 
on it.
 They are still out of the car I can go back and check it out again I 
suppose.
 TIA

-- 
Build a man a fire and keep him warm for an evening...
Set him on fire, and keep him warm for the rest of his life.