Is it impossible?

I dropped off my 2013 BMW M3 because it was making a clunking noise from the front suspension. After inspection, the technician advised that he cannot install the new strut mount and damper because the top nut on the strut shaft is seized.

He mentioned that the only way to remove it would be to cut the strut rod (please see attached picture for reference). I would prefer to avoid damaging the struts if possible.

Are there any proven methods or techniques to loosen a seized strut shaft nut without cutting the rod and ruining the strut?

I am located in Charlotte, NC, and would appreciate any recommendations for a shop that has experience handling this type of issue properly.

lgururajan wrote

I dropped off my 2013 BMW M3 because it was making a clunking noise from the front suspension. After inspection, the technician advised that he cannot install the new strut mount and damper because the top nut on the strut shaft is seized.

He mentioned that the only way to remove it would be to cut the strut rod (please see attached picture for reference). I would prefer to avoid damaging the struts if possible.

Are there any proven methods or techniques to loosen a seized strut shaft nut without cutting the rod and ruining the strut?

I am located in Charlotte, NC, and would appreciate any recommendations for a shop that has experience handling this type of issue properly.

Looks like someone cross-threaded the shaft. In my opinion it appears that the shaft is fuked. New shock is probably required.

Being that it’s the rear strut, I can’t think of any reason why that rear strut shaft and threads look like that or how they would seize. If you unscrew what appears to be a dampening adjuster knob on the end and use a deep socket, a breaker bar should remove that.

The only hope is probably to get something soft and vice grips on the shaft on the outside and then try to impact the nut off but I agree it looks cross threaded and is probably fubar.

I had the same thing happen, used a small bit on a dremel to slot the nut then split it off the shaft with a chisel. Careful with slot depth, don't cut into the shaft threads.

What brand are the rear shocks? They might not be worth saving but, if they are, I second the approach to slot the nut and drive it open with a flat head screwdriver or chisel.

First of all, that's a picture of a rear shock, not front strut.

Secondly, I recommend using a Schwaben Strut tool to get to the nut and an open end to hold the shaft from spinning.

https://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-377177-strut-nut-socket-set-5-piece/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22488307384&gbraid=0AAAAAD_rX5aiiWLKUpVeotzhzG2trXYxB&gclid=CjwKCAiAkvDMBhBMEiwAnUA9BU1YsWTLjjYRVEeVyuBlLktashek7O1WeIp4SrzwOQjKa3jWSz9rThoCZysQAvD_BwE

Example below