Hello everyone. Great forum, lots of smart people here, and I look forward to contributing as soon as I wrap up my front shock (spring coil, not air) replacements (rears are very easy, covered nicely on Youtube).

With the fronts I got as far as removing the ball joint from upper control arm, sway bar from the shock, but when I attempted to lower the wheel enough to take out the old shock there was not enough room for the shock to clear the drive axle.

I didn't see any other things to remove for it to lower further, kind of at the finish line and a foot popped out and tripped me!

Has anyone done this before and have any advice on getting the shock out, clearing the drive axle?

I don't think I want to tackle the removal of the wheel hub but if that's what it takes then I may give it a shot.

Any help would be appreciated!

Andy

As you have spring suspension and not air, you can't use the standard procedure as follows:
Bolt the strut back to the lower control arm, then use a floor jack to compress the strut.
Then get a strap or some wire and pass it around the strut so it can no longer extend. Loosen the 3 upper nuts so you have some room to pass over the strut.

However the lower knuckle has just enough movement to make this possible.
Using some wire, re-connect the upper knuckle mount to the end of the upper A-arm so that it cant move sideways too much, which also protects the lower ball joint from over extension.
Then use your foot to push down on the brake disc/knuckle assembly. It will move down just enough to pass the strut over the driveshaft.

Source: have done this 16 times (it's very long story about faulty parts).

Andy, do you just plan on replace the springs only? If you are, it is an extremely dangerous job without the knowledge and the correct equipment.

Watch it when you press down on that knuckle and driveshaft. The inner cv joint is only held in by a thin wire circlip, it's easy to displace.

Don't ask me how I know....

Hello sclasspilot, Maj. Dundee, and and texterted!

Maj. Dundee - I am only replacing the strut, transferring the old spring to the new strut, and have a a spring compression tool to use once old strut is out of the car, if needed.

sclasspilot - I never thought of compressing strut using strap/wire, which is a great idea!

Do you strap the strut (top area to fork) or just the coils? If just the strut then I'm getting it out but then need to compress the springs to transfer to new strut. Would be nice if possible to jack up and strap the coils while still in the car, then transfer over to new strut.

If so then it looks like I'll have to remove the plastic wheel well cover to get that high.

Will 2-3 ratchet straps work?

Thanks again and I will talk to you soon.

No, I would definitely NOT use ratchet straps for your intended job - what you are proposing is extremely dangerous!

My opening comments apply ONLY to vehicles fitted with air suspension, where the air is exhausted from the bag to relieve the tension. The shock absorber component of the strut is pressurised with nitrogen, and always wants to extend. This minor force can be overcome relatively easily.

You are talking about overcoming the tension in the coil road spring, which is orders of magnitude greater.

If you cannot make the distinction, I would strongly recommend you rethink your ability to safely undertake this job!

I warn you again that the coil spring is under extreme pressure. You need special equipment to remove and install them,

Hello and I am sorry for the misunderstanding! This post was all about spring shocks, not air, which are covered quite well in Youtube videos. Looks like I am back to the drawing board.

I am confident there's a safe way to do this at home for a DIYer, without special tools (other than a spring compressor, which I have).

Maybe back to removal of the wheel and/or axle? In the following video I see a similar car with air shocks experiencing the same "clearance" issue, with the axle being pulled out slightly at around the 3:07 mark:
It's a W166, not W164, but possibly similar resolution, and the wheel and brake stay put, too.

Labor charge to get these two installed is only $500 but I like a challenge, as long as it's a safe one, and wanted to provide a write-up since it's not covered anywhere.

Thanks for everything thus far and I hope to hear back on any final thoughts. I am looking forward to providing a write-up for other brave souls who want to do this, too.

I take it no one knows how to do this. I'll try to find out elsewhere and will post what I find to help others.

Knows how to do what?

I'm in the same boat, got stuck and couldn't get shock over front axle.
Someone must know how, without fully removing axle. Spring compressor doesn't fit on coil while it's still on the car...

Front axle? Do you mean the axle shaft?

Regular springs or Airmatic?

Regular springs, same as OP. The shaft coming out of the front differential, aka Axle.

Axle is one thing, axle shaft is another.

Here are the instructions.

Thanks but step one is Remove suspension strut...which is the step I and original post for stuck. How to remove strut, without removing axle. Instructions you posted say nothing of this.
Looking for personal work experience with someone who DiY this job

Again with the axle, it's axle shaft.

Here are the instructions.