3 nuts onthe top of the struts; question

[dltalfa]

I have just finished repainting under the hood of my 240. I painted over the 3 nuts on top of the strut towers. I have purchased new nuts to replace them.

My question is; can I simply remove the old nuts and replace them, (assuming I do not move the car),..or will that throw something out of wack??

Also,...the best I can find on line,...the torque for these nuts should be 18 to 25 foot lbs. Does that sound correct?

[d240zx2]

Yes, that sounds about right. Pull 'em and replace.

[240260280z]

You can replace all 3 at once but if the wheel is off the ground, just replace one at a time to save a headache.

[tlorber]

I thought the torque spec on those was closer to 40 lbs. 20 sounds light for 14 mm nuts.

[cbuczesk]

Removing those nuts will mess up the paint around the washers...if that matters to you.

Chuck

[Bonzi Lon]

FSM page FA-21, Strut Assembly, Nut used to install the strut assembly on the body--18.1-25.3 ft-lb or 2.5 to 3.5 kg-m.

Bonzi Lon