Update! Got the driver's side in. Had to be smart w/ the spring compressors and really get them compressed. Should work for passenger side. IDK if I'll get done tonight. Working 12hr days takes a beating.
New problem. Passenger side decided to be fickle. No matter what I do I can't get any hole to fit screwdriver into upper hole. When I push on it or aid it with a strap and ratchet, that's the closest I get. It feels like I'm just moving the CV in, which can't be good to be doing that over and over. There's plenty of clearance below the strut thanks to the compressor.
So it looks like you can get the bottom bolt in? If so, put the bottom bolt in then use a bar clamp or c-clamp from behind the strut to the flat part on the front of the knuckle right in front of the upper bolt hole, That's what I did. Put a block of wood or something behind the strut so you aren't pushing against a small area on the strut, or you may dent the tube. Don't worry about the CV going in to far, You're just compressing the tripod joint in to it's cup, it's designed to do that..
I have drivers in both they ain't budgin at all. I'll try to get bolt started in bottom and try to clamp the top part or something. I'm just confused as to why the driver's side didn't have this issue. Not trying to break anything.
Could be binding the CV joint at full droop? You could try getting the bottom bolt in, take out the spring compressors, then jack up the lower control arm to see if getting a straighter shot with the axle gives it more freedom to move in. Also, have you tried spinning the axle shaft?
One direction or the other, I would think you could... The bind I'm thinking is the axle shaft hitting the bottom of the bottom of the tripod cup...
Here's a good graphic of a Tripod joint, I'm thinking if you could be binding the axle shaft onto one of the spots that dips in towards the center of the joint, and if you can just turn the shaft 30 degrees either direction, you would be able to push the joint in much deeper.. https://grabcad.com/library/tripod-joint-1
You are sooo close. If you were able to get the screwdriver in any one of the holes, you won. PRY HARDER, it is going to go in. At the point that you are in now, you are going to win. Remove the spring compressors. I would leave the screwdriver in the lower hole; remove what you have in the top hole and put something in there with a little more girth (a larger screwdriver for example), put pry driver in there only half way so that you can pry from inside the hole (leverage). Pry down in the driver lifting the spindle up into place. While holding pressure, remove the lower screwdriver and replace it with the mounting bolt.
Hey all, another new member here.. just got the 2.5 avid (subframe, exhaust, & drivetrain delete) in my ‘17 TH this past weekend and had similar issues with the passenger front strut too. +5 hour delay. Wouldn’t budge. finally figured I could tie off the strut to the vertical bolt behind it and jack up the strut assembly till the bolts lined up. perhaps try as suggested by releasing the tension to allow it to nudge? it seemed to me once one was in it pivoted the other one up perfectly. Mike
push the strut out of the way. bring the steering knuckle up to where it would be attached to the strut and try to put the strut here with the jack, I had tied it with a string (3 loops) to keep it pulled inside while it was raised up. had the strut opening angled towards the front of the jeep and the knuckle twist fit in. try to jack it up right where it would need to be. I could’ve did this alone but help arrived to man the jack while I maneuvered the linkages together. hope you get it!
So before reading all these replies, I went and compressed the springs more, the offset on top hole was a bit off vertically still. I got a camber bolt in the lower hole and still have screwdriver in top hole. I don't have a punch or spud wrench and was able to pry down on screw driver on the driver side to get a skinny socket in there that matches the diameter of the bolts. In this case, the screw driver won't move at all. I didn't have much time to fiddle with it before sunset so I'll try again tomorrow, but does everyone agree with taking the compressors off now? Because I'm not sure how that will make it easier to get the knuckle to rotate up. Also pics of my CV attached.
I think so.. you can always put the compressors back on. I’m willing to bet you’ll get exactly what you need as you ease the pressure out to the right spot..
I think so also. It might be the compressor that is in the way now. … and you could always put it back, as stated above.
This advice helped a ton. Exactly fixed it. Had to have a friend remind me to put it in neutral first after wondering why it wasn't budging. Got her in perfect. On a side note that I should have asked earlier. Did y'all use the camber bolts provided by Avid or the OEM bolts? Also, same for the top strut bolts. Pics from Avid made it seam like they used the OEM ones, so that's what I did. Wondering if using the Avid camber bolts if it will help the alignment shop. Also, how did y'all attach the sway bar. The strut is sitting about 2" lower than where the top of the sway bar should be? Maybe after I get the wheel back on lower it on the ground I'll have the ability to get that in? Or should I jack up the control arm or wheel knuckled to get it in?
Use the original strut mounting bolts but take the camber bolts with you to the alignment shop. they will use them if necessary. The sway bar will spin in the sway bar mounts to line up. They might be a little stuck.
I didn't use the Camber Bolts, and ended up with one front wheel that was .1 degrees outside of spec that couldn't be brought into spec. Not enough to make me want to put the much weaker camber bolts in, but I'm very hard on equipment..
the avid 2.5 came with adjustable arms for camber. those had to go on, seemed like an inch or so was needed on each side to push the front of the rear tires back out (camber right?).. they were pointed in knock-kneed.