# How to - Mk2 3.2 Front Top Strut Replacement



## GaryChatts (Feb 26, 2016)

Hi all,

So after many months I have tracked the source of an ongoing steering creaking problem to the top strut mounts - I assume the bearings. Have bought the full replacement kits so ready to go.

In anticipation of the bottom of the assembly being an absolute betch to hammer off, I have today jacked up the car, removed wheel and all the associated cables etc to clear the area, and applied about a gallon of WD40 and will let it stew until Saturday morning when the action will begin.

Having looked at the main bolt that I need to remove before pulling the bottom off, it appears to have what looks like a large torx head bolt. Can anyone confirm that it is torx and not 'special' and also the size of the bit I need?

Also, if anyone does have a link to a set of instructions or YouTube clip for replacing on the Mk2 that would be great  I can only find Mk1 stuff.

Thanks all!
Gary


----------



## MT-V6 (Jan 11, 2015)

I don't know the bolt type but it will be either torx, spline or allen.

If it is a 12 pointed star, it is spline (triple square/XZN) which is quite common on VAG cars
If 6 pointed star then torx


----------



## GaryChatts (Feb 26, 2016)

Thanks MT, got my head in there properly and it is a spline.
With a tape measure, around 16mm.

Amazon Prime here we come


----------



## MT-V6 (Jan 11, 2015)

Halfords do a set too and comes with lifetime guarantee


----------



## AndreiV93 (Mar 29, 2017)

Hi Gary

Like you said, not much on this for the MK2, so a few pics or brief write up would be awesome! 
Also, link to the full replacement kits you bought would be helpful. Cheers


----------



## GaryChatts (Feb 26, 2016)

Cheers MT, have ordered from amazon now as had a tentative tug on the main nut and decided on a decent 18mm socket and a 750mm lever bar  
All arriving in the morning.
Always nice to gain some tools when doing a new job - at least that's how I try to convince the Mrs!

Andrei - yes indeed, am already on that and will post after a hopefully successful weekend.


----------



## Franzpan (Mar 17, 2013)

You'll need either the proper spreader socket or else a chisel will work to spread the hub apart to allow the strut to slide out easier. Otherwise its a heck of a lot of hammering!


----------



## GaryChatts (Feb 26, 2016)

Thanks Franzpan, have added to the order  
Looks like £7 that will be well spent.


----------



## SwissJetPilot (Apr 27, 2014)

If you go into the KB, you'll find a link for the workshop manuals. This one for suspension may come in handy -

*FAQ - Audi TT (8J) Workshop Manuals & Self Study Programs*
*5.1 Suspension, Wheels & Steering (D3E80075730)*
https://www.ttforum.co.uk/forum/viewtop ... &t=1833829


----------



## 83kY (Apr 5, 2017)

Front strut bottom bolt is a M14 XZN (triple square) with a 18mm nut on the other side. Top mount is 3x13mm bolts, open carefully, the captive nut below the top mount loosens up very easily and is a bi*tch to remove with it spinning, very tight place to fit wise grips (been there done that :? ) Best way is to unwind it and if any resistance is felt, spray some penetrating oil on the threads and wind it back in, rince and repeat until the bolt is out or the captive nut "drops down" and causes pain :roll:

I suggest to remove the driveshaft bolt on the hub also - usually 27mm, put a few wheel bolts on with a big nut below them without the wheel, fit the biggest screwdriver you can fit on the disc cooling ribs and rest it against the caliper while you unwind the big bolt, or have the car on the ground with the wheels on without the center cap and have a friend apply the brakes. Or if you don't fancy this then you will have to unbolt the flange from the gearbox (6x XZN M10)

Having the driveshaft loose will help you on the removal. If the driveshaft is attached it will limit how much you can move the hub/steering knuckle around while trying to remove the strut. You won't also put so much stress on the inner driveshaft joint.

Leave the top mount last until you have the strut free from the hub, like said before - a chisel works fine on sprearing the clamp but note that there is a big locating tab on the strut which will come in the way.

When reinstalling you the strut will go all the way down in the knuckle. There is a notch down there which will prevent it from going through so it will rest against it, and also locate that tab I just mentioned to the. Again it is best to connect the top mount 3 bolts first, then wiggle the strut back to the knuckle (remember to reinstall the driveshaft at this point, no need to tighten the bolts yet, just make sure it is in its place). Lift the hub/knuckle with a jack and align everything, use a chisel again to spread the clamp and the strut will find its home again.


----------



## GaryChatts (Feb 26, 2016)

SwissJetPilot - Thanks very much for the links, really useful.

83kY - Great info, thanks 

Tools arrived yesterday, time to get to work.


----------



## GaryChatts (Feb 26, 2016)

Hi all,

Right - job going really well, had the whole thing apart in about 45 mins, no real hassles - spreader socket a great investment I think!
Question - looking at the manual from the links provided, it states that the top strut nut and the main nut/bolt that clamps the hub around the bottom of the strut, should be replaced each time they are removed.
Is this actually necessary as long as I torque them up correctly?
Looking through, it seems to say this for pretty much every nut and bolt on the car!
Any thoughts :?:

Gary


----------



## GaryChatts (Feb 26, 2016)

Just to answer my own question - the nut on the main fixing where the strut inserts into the hub has a nylon insert, so will need to be replaced. I will also replace the top strut main nut seeing as I have to go to the dealers now anyway.
Update you soon.


----------



## brittan (May 18, 2007)

GaryChatts said:


> Question - looking at the manual from the links provided, it states that the top strut nut and the main nut/bolt that clamps the hub around the bottom of the strut, should be replaced each time they are removed.
> Is this actually necessary as long as I torque them up correctly?
> 
> Gary


Welcome to stretch (or torque to yield) bolts. The idea is to create the greatest possible clamping force from a bolt of a particular size. Or you can put that another way: to use the smallest diameter bolt required to obtain a particular clamping force - or even to reduce the number of those bolts in any particular application. The return for the manufacturer is in the cost of using smaller bolts and/or less of them.

Have a search for load v elongation (or stress v strain) graphs for steel. The first part of the graph is a straight line and then the graph goes into a curve. The top of the straight line is the yield point. On the straight line portion of the graph, the bolt will return to its original length when the load is removed. On the curved part of the graph, the elongation is permanent - ie the bolt has started to yield.

The greatest clamping force is at or just before the yield point. A stretch bolt is usually apparent when the book gives the tightening force as a torque plus so many extra degrees. That's for dry threads too, so no grease on them and no Loctite as a "just in case".

Since the bolts are taken to the limit of their ability to recover their original length, they are always noted as one-use-only fasteners.

I have tried re-using an Audi stretch bolt and the difference in 'feel' through the wrench on the extra 45, 90, 180 degrees part is very obvious compared to a new bolt.

Nyloc nuts are also often declared as one-use-only fasteners. With some common sense applied on how they feel when doing them up, I'm comfortable with re-using them 2 or 3 times before replacement.


----------



## GaryChatts (Feb 26, 2016)

So, job done. Grumbling/creaking noise gone. Steering feels smoother and ride better. Fantastic result. Thanks to all above who chipped in and advised, and some great technical info too 

Parts purchased were:
Eurocarparts 609440810 (Qty of 2) this contained all I needed inc the bearings. About £45 - look out for discount codes.
Tools purchased (that I didn't have):
Set of spline bits - £13
750mm long breaker bar - £13
Spreader socket - £7

Procedure:

Jack up car, secure as normal, remove wheel.
I did this a night or two before in order to give a good soaking of WD40 to the bottom of the strut where it inserts into the hub, the main bolt that clamps the hub around the strut at the bottom, and the main nut on top of the strut in the engine bay. Good to cover the brake disc etc for obvious reasons.

Carefully pull the brake line/wiring away from it's mounting bracket and remove the bracket.









Then I removed the attachment of the stabiliser bar to the rear of the strut assembly.









Loosen the main hub nut/bolt, I put the spline bit on a standard socket and levered on the nut with the breaker bar, loosened off with no issues. I think you'd struggle trying to use a normal length socket set without some kind of extension on it. That fixing see's a fair amount of water/dirt over the years.

With the nut/bolt well loosened I installed the spreader socket (or take the nut/bolt right out first, makes no difference). Spreader socket just goes in to the split on the rear of the hub, and you rotate it 90 degrees with your ratchet. It'll bite in and fractionally spread the hub apart. I then made a slight score around the strut, just as a guide when re-assembling so knew it was back into the hub far enough.









With the spread socket in place, it took maybe 8-10 reasonable taps with the hammer to drive the hub off of the bottom of the strut. Be sure to have some support underneath - you don't want sudden stress to be placed upon CV joints etc, or for joint bearings to start popping out. I used wood for this, and as the hub moved lower, I removed a piece of wood until the hub was clear of the strut and then supported nicely underneath.
The assembly might also try to pivot sideways now- ie as if you were turning the steering wheel. Again, try to avoid this - simply place something heavy on the ground up against the side of the brake disc.

I then loosened the three top of strut bolts within the engine bay (13mm). Easy to do fortunately.

The whole assembly was then removed from the car.

Spring compressors then applied, and main top strut nut removed. I was left with something that looked a bit like this:









Took the opportunity to give everything a good clean up and inspected for any damage, but all good.
Replaced the bearing assembly with my shiny new one and re-assembled, top nut was replaced as discussed in this thread.









Note that on the top of the bearing assembly are some arrows, these need to face the direction of travel of the car, so effectively are on the outside when you refit to the car.









Refitting is just the reverse of removal as they say.
Inserted the new assembly and attached the three top bolts first (new bolts). I had an issue with one, where the captive nut on the bearing assembly came loose as I was tightening the bolt. Bit fiddly, but I managed to get a 1/4" drive 13mm socket up there to stop the nut from spinning so I could torque up the bolt.
Then, a bit of a faff to get the hub back on to the bottom of the strut. Just be patient, don't rush it. If it's not sliding on, it's not aligned. Don't force it. I used a jack below the hub to lift it back into place over the bottom of the strut to the line I had previously scored on the strut body. It will only go in so far. Make sure the tab on the rear of the strut is aligned with the slot  
Main nut/bolt again replaced with new - torque figures all as per manual links above.

Replace the other bit's removed and you're good to go for a cautious/hopeful test drive, hopefully to return with a satisfied smile on your face 

Thanks again to all.


----------



## MT-V6 (Jan 11, 2015)

Good write up and helpful photos. Will also come in hand if springs or dampers need to be replaced

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk


----------



## SwissJetPilot (Apr 27, 2014)

Well done! Thanks for taking the time for the DIY instructions and supporting photos. [smiley=thumbsup.gif]


----------



## Dan_Sideways (Jan 25, 2019)

Brilliant write up, thanks for this, will come in handy tomorrow as I'm doing the same job using 034 motorsport parts, they are quite good with their install instructions but have nothing for the high density strut mount or strut bearing installation.

Could you please advise if I need to buy new nuts and bolts to repair and replace suspension or am I ok using the old ones, if so do I need to use loctite? Could someone please tell me the torque settings for these nuts n bolt too as when I try to open the links for the manuals it just takes me to a caution load of bullocks and doesn't allow me to see anything more than that, any ideas why? Thanks for your time


----------



## SwissJetPilot (Apr 27, 2014)

See if this helps - 
*
FAQ - Quick Reference Specification Guide - Torque Values*
https://www.ttforum.co.uk/forum/viewtop ... 1#p9022301


----------



## Dan_Sideways (Jan 25, 2019)

Thanks


----------



## daedaldee (Feb 10, 2021)

A word of caution to anyone thinking of tackling this without taking the hub off: Don't. It is very difficult to get the shock out of the hub, and very difficult to get it back in. It will probably get jammed. Either go the whole hog, as per the Audi service manual, or take it to a professional. Why Audi had to make this so difficult I don't know, but the spreader design seems willfully obtuse from a maintenance point of view. I have changed shocks on other cars, and this is by far the most frustrating job I have ever undertaken.


----------



## Jezzie (May 24, 2020)

Dan_Sideways said:


> when I try to open the links for the manuals it just takes me to a caution load of bullocks and doesn't allow me to see anything more than that, any ideas why? Thanks for your time


They force you to go through ~3 pages of caution and then click a button to prove you read it. Then it drops you onto page 1.


----------



## Jezzie (May 24, 2020)

Dan_Sideways said:


> when I try to open the links for the manuals it just takes me to a caution load of bullocks and doesn't allow me to see anything more than that, any ideas why? Thanks for your time


They force you to go through ~3 pages of caution and then click a button to prove you read it. Then it drops you onto page 1.


----------



## SwissJetPilot (Apr 27, 2014)

@ *Dan_Sideways* - If you're having trouble opening the PDF files and getting past the first three *OK* pages, try using *Foxit Phantom PDF Reader*.

It's free -

https://www.foxit.com/pdf-reader/


----------



## daedaldee (Feb 10, 2021)

So I finally got the shock back in. There is still about 2mm between the base of the strut and the retaining lip on the bore, but I might have to settle for that. What eventually eased it through the last 15mm or so was a combination of:

1. loosening the top mount bolts to allow the shock to angle;
2. adding a coin (then two) to the spreader;
3. lots of dishwashing liquid as lube;
4. wiggling the shock and jacking up the control arm over and over and over again.

It looks like I might have got an unlucky knuckle, as it's already been hammered to hell.

The same problem here, here, and here with useful tips.

Update: The other side took me about 30 minutes. Absurdly easy after spending 3 days on the RH side: spreader in, strut out. But my gad, the RH side was a struggle. I guess some knuckles lose spreading force or the barrel becomes slightly warped or something. I had to wedge a scissor jack in between the hub and the spring perch to get the strut out.


----------



## SwissJetPilot (Apr 27, 2014)

Update - what top bearings can look like when they go bad. Original post *here*.


----------

