I need to change my front strut and spring seat. I have the spring compressor. The Haynes manual notes using three Volvo tools to(1) unscrew the strut mounting nut while(2) holding the protruding portion of the piston rod and finally (3) removing the shock absrorber retaining nut. Has anyone done this job on their own? What about these 3 tools...do I have to purchase them, if so from where, or can I use some substitite tool? Last question...the Haynes noted to use 3 new nuts when taking off the strut upper mount and 2 new nuts when removing the bolts securing the suspension strut to the steering knuckle....is this necessary or can I re-use the old nuts? Thanks...as always...in advance!

I have done this twice (one each side). The cross nut can be difficult. The first time I mangled it. The second time I bought a vise-grip style chain tool, and it was sooo much easier.

See http://www.toolup.com/productinfo.asp?id=20R&Manuf=IRWIN+Vise-Grip&Page=1
for a picture, I bought a cheap one at Northern Tool for about $8.

I would be interested to know how much the "real" tool costs. Of course the previous caveats about torque apply.

In retrospect, I would have done both sides at once, since you need to align the car afterwards. Depends on the age of the car and reason for repair.

I used the Volvo special tools to remove the big retaining nut and the cross-shaped nut (star nut). With these special sockets, I could tighten those nut back to the right amount of torque specified in Volvo book without stripping the nuts.

I saw many people who didn't use the special sockets and still successfully replaced their struts. This is your call, these sockets ain't cheap though.

Ching-Ho Cheng
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1995 855 NA, Bilstein Strut & Shocks, Volvo Protective Grill, K&N Filter, E-Code Lens, Alpine CD-Changer, AutoDim RearView Mirror, 6000K HID

I changed my front struts a couple of years ago, and did it without any special tools other than the spring compressor. The top of the piston rod was sqared off, and I used either an adjustable wrench or a vice grip to hold that. The strut mounting nut was a standard metric nut, and I used a box end wrench. The cross shaped shock absorber retaining nut I removed using a 12-inch adjustable wrench. Assembly torque is a problem without the specified tools.

I reused the old bolts for the strut to knuckle, but if you do so, keep in mind that the torque plus x degrees assembly procedure is intended for new hardware.

Phantom

i've replaced the upper strut mount and didn't need any special tools. I went to Auto-Zone and loaned a strut spring compressor and that was it. That should do it if you have a good shop of tools.