Hard to find a 18mm strut socket locally

[BlitzcrankJapan]

I've always just tightened them with an impact gun.

The reason this is not recommended is it can cause the piston nut to loosen.

Also if you are an actual idiot you can destroy the seals and bushes if you spin the shaft a lot.

Thirdly it is also very hard to determine the torque you are applying to the top nut.

 

[roofdweller49]

How are you supposed to properly torque strut nuts down with a torque wrench?

 

[mreisner]

I've always just tightened them with an impact gun.

Exactly. Except too many people think you spin it like a lug nut instead of just bumping it and the shaft doesn't spin.

 

[mreisner]

?

 

[APEowner]

The reason this is not recommended is it can cause the piston nut to loosen.

Also if you are an actual idiot you can destroy the seals and bushes if you spin the shaft a lot.

Thirdly it is also very hard to determine the torque you are applying to the top nut.

Sure, you can screw all of that up if you're a ham fisted idiot but the torque isn't that critical and I've done it hundreds of times without issue. That includes removing shocks that I later rebuilt so I'd know if I loosened a piston.

 

[BlitzcrankJapan]

How are you supposed to properly torque strut nuts down with a torque wrench?

A socket like in post #43.
A torque wrench with an open-end wrench end or ring (offset) spanner end.
A torque wrench and normal socket and use a shaft clamp, or as a normal mechanic use a strap wrench to hold the shaft.

There are a heap of ways to do it 'properly'.
Using an impact wrench to tighten the nut to some unknown tightness is definitely not the right way though.

 

[atikovi]

I see Amazon has these sets pretty cheap, but something I may use once every few years, not sure I want to spring for it.

https://www.amazon.com/DPTOOL-Socket-Suspension-Spreader-Absorber/dp/B09QLZJWNF/?tag=atomicindus08-20

https://www.amazon.com/RALBIL-9PCS-Strut-Nut-Socket/dp/B0BY2FK3N6/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[dnschmidt]

A socket like in post #43.
A torque wrench with an open-end wrench end or ring (offset) spanner end.
A torque wrench and normal socket and use a shaft clamp, or as a normal mechanic use a strap wrench to hold the shaft.

There are a heap of ways to do it 'properly'.
Using an impact wrench to tighten the nut to some unknown tightness is definitely not the right way though.

Except for the fact than 99% of mechanics do it that way without issue thousands of times a day.

 

[BlitzcrankJapan]

Except for the fact than 99% of mechanics do it that way without issue thousands of times a day.

They put wheel nuts on with impact wrenches to unknown torque levels probably millions of times a day around the world too. Still doesn't make it any proper way of doing it.