Are you talking about the suspension damper or the engine damper? I've never heard of an engine damper making noise as the suspension flexes.

To remove a front suspension damper/shock use the slot to keep the nut from turning the shaft as you lose the nut. If you're reusing the shock anyway. If you're replacing it, blast away with a motorized wrench.

Sixto
83 300SD
98 E320 wagon