Problem installing front shock 2010 civic

[nuzuki]

Hi all,
I swapped out a knackered shock yesterday. All was going well until I put the new shock in and noticed I can't get get hub up enough to put the second strut to hub nut/bolt in place. I have a feeling the shaft at the engine end may of come out a bit. I've tried a few different scenarios... steering locked either way, jack under the lower control arm, g clamp the shock to the hub to try and close the gap and tried compressing the spring with strut fitted but no joy. Any ideas?
Thanks for reading

 

[Burnerman]

That's curious as you've already done the hard bit!
I tend to leave the strut top bolts loose until it's all back together and then tighten everything so you could try that.
Have you tried knocking the top of the hub with a hammer to see if it budges at all?
John

 

[carmanmemoranda]

Id take a guess and say the inner or outer cv joint has come apart and is not allowing everything back in place.

But yes, youve done the hard work.

Bad as it sounds. Take the strut back out, and check the shaft is fully right, and then re try.

 

[Burnerman]

The CV looks ok, but this one is surely a mystery!
John

 

[nuzuki]

A mate of mine reckoned the inner shaft has popped out the engine. I shall get underneath today and have a better look I had a tooth out yesterday so had a lazy day and lots of soup

 

[cdbe]

Easily done, normally accompanied by a bit of gearbox oil on your driveway unless you jacked it up pretty high.

 

[nuzuki]

I managed to get the shaft in just by spinning the hub with a jack under lower ball joint and a g clamp pulling the hub towards the shock. Car works a treat and now has no knocking noise

 

[carmanmemoranda]

I managed to get the shaft in just by spinning the hub with a jack under lower ball joint and a g clamp pulling the hub towards the shock. Car works a treat and now has no knocking noise

That's good.

But....

I'm a bit concerned it needed a gclamp to pull the hub in. It should be easy by hand. Definitely sounds like the driveshaft was the issue. Hoping it's not damaged a retaining circlip . Sounds like it was that, that was stopping it pulling in by hand.

 

[ReganAndCarter]

Did you have both front wheels off the ground? When I changed a front spring on the strut a few years ago, I made the mistake of only jacking up the problem corner, leaving the other front wheel on the ground. When I came to refit the strut I couldn't get the holes at bottom of strut to line up with holes in hub.

After much head scratching, I realised that because the other front wheel was on the ground, it was putting turning force through the anti roll bar and forcing things out of line on the side I was working on. Jacking the other front wheel so the weight was off it meant everything then lined up and the bolts went in.

Now whenever I'm working on suspension on one side, I always make sure both wheels are off the ground. Every day's a school day.