The Toyota Landcruiser Owners Club

[Landcrusher]

Someone posted recently about the difficulty in changing the rear dampers - I can't for the life of me find the thread, but I did mine today - so I thought I'd stick the results in a new one.

The top mounts are situated in a cup attached to the chassis. Amazingly, these fill up with scrunge over time and are 3 parts impossible to get to anyway. You are working blind. If your Yota is anything like 5 years or older, there is a good chance that there is little left to get hold of with a socket. The previous poster found this too.

So after digging out a skip full of silt, I used a mirror to ascertain that the nuts were totally screwed. OK, plan B.

I removed the upper anti roll links to get better access to the top of the shock and simply used a power hacksaw to cut through the top of the strut. This took me about 15 mins in total on the off side as the access is better. The near side is a little restricted, but possible.

Once I could see the top nut in my hand, I realised that there wasn't a hope in hell of ever getting them undone.

One further point. Milner's struts come with 2 top nuts, the intention being to lock-nut them to prevent them coming loose. If you can get two hands and two spanners up there, you are a better man than I!

The thread is as yet unidentified, but once I have sussed it, I shall stick a nyloc on instead.

Just though that I'd share.

LC

[Google]

[24Seven]

I took a different approach

14mm socket on a Breaker Bar on the top nut, then stilsons on the piston guard.

You don't turn the top nut but turn the piston guard with the stilsons, holding the top nut still with the socket / breaker bar. It's really a two person job though, one sheared off, one came undone

[DJR]

I did mine recently, too.

Inside the boot area, there's a small bung/grommet. If this is removed, there's just enough angle to get a socket on the nut from inside the back of the truck.

It's still a sod of a job, and, like 24Seven, one sheared and one came undone.

[Landcrusher]

The top access route through a grommet, is I think, only possible on a LWB. There is certainly no access point on my SWB, I looked there first. There wasn't enough left to get any king of grip on with anything. Just little rusted stump!

LC

[Landcrusher]

The thread on the top of the Milner dampers is M10 x 1.25 in other words Metric Fine. Most M10s are x 1.5 Looked in my goodie box, nope. I need a couple of ny-locks

Anyone got a couple lying about?

LC