just did RSMs, have a question

I just installed my Rogue Engineering RSMs, pretty straight forward install, but I did have a few minor snags.

RE says to tighten the nut on top of the strut to 11 lb. ft. Well due to the rubber bushings twisting and whatnot, I could never even get my torque wrench to reach 11lbs. After while the bushing, shock etc... would just keep twisting. I feel like the nut on top is pretty tight, but on one side I managed to get the nut further on then on the other side.

You know how the top of the strut is threaded then it tapers into a square. Well maybe 2 millimeters of the nut is above the very last thread of the strut before it tapers. I just cannot get it to go down further. Do you guys think this is acceptable? I dont want to have put back in my interior just to have to strip it back out later.

I also plan on doing my full suspension in the next 6 months, if that makes a difference.

The other snag I had, was screwing in the nuts on the underside of the RSM... getting them on with the top of the strut dust cover was a pita. I couldn't get a socket there to use the torque wrench, so I just had to use a regular wrench and get it as tight as I could. While first attempting to jam a socket into it so I could use a torque wrench, I ripped a bit of the top strut plastic dust cover, so it came off. I didnt want a loose dust cover wobbling around the strut and getting in the way so I just removed it. How critical is that dust cover... also take into consideration I will change the shocks in the within 6-8 months or so.

thanks for the advice.

Reply » just did RSMs, have a question

Quote:

Did you try to do this with the strut on the car? That would be the hard/impossible way. I'd get the nuts snugged down, there will some ugliness if one of them backs off.

Once the nut is on past the top of the strut, use a crowfoot on the top of the strut rod for the torque wrench, and hold the nut with a box wrench or the like. I don't remember the size of the flats on the top of the stock strut, but if you have a full set of crowfoots, you shouldn't have trouble finding one that fits.

If for some reason you can't do it this way, you can put the strut rod in the vice (with soft jaws or some other means of protection). As close to the RSM as possible, so that if you somehow mar the strut rod, it'll be on a part that never passes through the seal on the strut housing.

Quote:

I also plan on doing my full suspension in the next 6 months, if that makes a difference.

The other snag I had, was screwing in the nuts on the underside of the RSM... getting them on with the top of the strut dust cover was a pita. I couldn't get a socket there to use the torque wrench, so I just had to use a regular wrench and get it as tight as I could. While first attempting to jam a socket into it so I could use a torque wrench, I ripped a bit of the top strut plastic dust cover, so it came off. I didnt want a loose dust cover wobbling around the strut and getting in the way so I just removed it. How critical is that dust cover... also take into consideration I will change the shocks in the within 6-8 months or so.

thanks for the advice.

If you're going to aftermarket shocks in 6 month, you'll likely be able to slide the dust cover / bump stop down the strut rod and out of your way. This is a picture of my KW V3 going in, with the dust cover / bump stop slid out of the way.

In the interim, you might be able to get a socket in there with an extension and a universal. Or use a crowfoot flare for final torqueing.

Reply » just did RSMs, have a question

Oh duh, you can't put the stock strut rod in a vice since the dustcover can't be slid down. So forget about trying that.

Reply » just did RSMs, have a question

After trying unsuccessfully to get a socket on the nut from below I took the shock back off, removed the dust cover and ground a couple of socket clearance grooves into the metal washer that mounts the dust cover. Re-installed the dustcover and that allowed me to force a socket onto the nuts and torque them to the right values.

JCHMCoupe

'99 MCoupe

Reply » just did RSMs, have a question

Just want to make sure Im understanding you correctly. So I hold the nut Im trying to get over the bushings etc... with an open wrench, and use a crowfoot with a torque wrench on the square part of the strut that sticks up above the threads? Im guessing you need a pretty small crowfoot for this.

thanks

Quote:

Once the nut is on past the top of the strut, use a crowfoot on the top of the strut rod for the torque wrench, and hold the nut with a box wrench or the like. I don't remember the size of the flats on the top of the stock strut, but if you have a full set of crowfoots, you shouldn't have trouble finding one that fits.

Reply » just did RSMs, have a question

Quote:

Right, use any method you can to get a torque wrench on there and not spin the strut rod in the housing. If it'll clear, use a crowfoot on the nut. It doesn't matter which you put the torque wrench on.

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