Quote:
Originally Posted by MattBelliveau
Yeah, the whole spring thing was what I was getting at. I just planned on jacking the body up enough to gain access, but leaving the wheels grounded for support.
|
On the w123, the shock provides the stop for the spring extension, so yes you are right to be concerned. But there's also a stop up underneath the upper control arm that will prevent hyper extension of the spring. You are supposed to be able to trust that stop, but I don't know how solid they really are (mine seem solid enough to trust, so they are probably OK if in good condition).
I've been reading the FSM for all sorts of front end related stuff recently, and as I recall, they recommend putting a jackstand under the lower control arm to prevent it from moving downward enough for the UCA to hit it's stop. Note, they aren't talking about supporting the vehicle on it, just preventing the UCA stop from taking the load. I'd recommend you double check me on this.. I might have it confused with some other front end related work procedure.
No matter how you figure it, you'll need to take the wheel off to get to the lower bolts. You'll also probably want to turn the wheel to provide better access to those bolts. Personally, I'd probably just pop the tie rod ball from the steering knuckle arm so I could rotate the hub extra far for better access.. but I've gotten pretty adept at popping ball joints by now.
