Ground Control Pt 2 / i_rebel...

[b-b00gie]

i_rebel...


the GC's dont need to be compressed. when you put the GC sleeves over the struts and put the springs on, you should be able to secure the upper strut mounts to the piston and still have play.


in other words, after assembling the setup and before mounting them to you car, you should be able to grab the spring and move it up and down freely between the upper and lower perches.


it sounds to me that before you put them on your car you already had tension on them much like a stock suspension.


this is no good...


when the combo is mounted to your car and jacked up, you should be able to freely move the spring up and down so that you can easily adjust the height collar. once you lower the car onto the wheel the strut will compress and the perches should then (and only then) compress the spring...


some things that may have gone wrong...

-are you *sure* the struts are the correct ones ?

-did GC possibly send you the wrong springs? possibly too long??

-is the GC sleeve completely seated in the right position?

-the GC kit you got, is it specifically for your struts? it *does* matter


hope this helps...

[b-b00gie]

one thing... could you possibly snap a pic of the setup?


we may be able to tell where the problem is.

[i_rebel]

Thanks Boogie for the reply . . .

That's more or less the kind of info I needed.

As for the concerns you raise:

Yep, everything is correct . . . that's one thing I DID make sure of.

After reading through your post, I can see that I went wrong when I compressed the springs before installing them.

Funny, how you mention: "already had tension on them much like a stock suspension" because, that's exactly why I did it . . . I figured if the springs that I took off were compressed, then the one's I put on should be too.

But I only did it with the front springs.

I've got one question now . . . about the piston rod . . . you know, the top of it where it is threaded? How much should I tighten the lock nuts when I put them on?

As far as I can tell, that's the difference between having tension in the spring and having no tension . . .

In other words, If I DIDN'T compress the spring, how far down on the piston should that "camber-plate" be?

thanks again . . .

[i_rebel]

I've taken a few, but I can't remember what's on the roll right now.


I'll try to snap some more this evening, from whatever angles I can easily (without tools) get to . . .

I'll have them all developed to print and floppy this weekend, and next week I'll show them here . . .

[b-b00gie]

ok.. the pics may help.


as far as how much to tighten the nut down...

i'm not sure that would affect the upper mount position. the "rod" of the struts should have a notch on them where some sort of bumpstop and washers go. then the upper mount sits on that and you tighten it down w/ the nut. the amount of torque you put on the nut should not effect the height.

did you maybe put all the bumpstops, washers, brackets on but in the wrong order?




where's mr. bump909 at????

he had some good pics of his install, but the link isnt working anymore...

[i_rebel]

In this pic . . .

you'll see the assembled front suspension before install on the vehicle.

notice how the spring is under tension . . . and you should be able to see that all components are there. stock rubber bushings . . . washers . . . etc.

[b-b00gie]

ok..

so right there in that photo, are you able to easily lower the spring perch?

btw, is the allen head bolt loosened which secures the lower spring perch?


from what you described earlier, there is so much force on the lower perch that you cant spin it

[i_rebel]

exactly . . .

The allen head bolt is tightened.

I installed it on the car exactlly like this . . . and then when I loosened the allen head bolt and tried to adjust the spring height . . . the perch wouldn't budge . . . I had wedge a chisel in one of those slots and tap it with a hammer to get it to turn.

after I loosened the piston lock nuts at the top of the strut (accessed at the strut tower in the engine bay), then I could turn the perch easily by hand.

[i_rebel]

Here you can see the top of the piston shaft . . .

The yellow bracket shows the amount of the piston rod that is left after i compressed the spring and tightened the lock nut.

If it's too tight, that means I tighened the lock nut too far down on the piston rod.

I tightened it as far down as it could go.

If I should have it loose . . . then how far down should the lock nuts be?

[b-b00gie]

You shouldnt have to loosen the lock nuts on the top...


The upper mount should be tightened down securely as you did...


I'm scratching my head as to why it wont budge..


...anybody???

[b-b00gie]

Ok... I know this is gonna seem like a pain...


But you should dissassemble the whole thing... 2 reasons...


1) you should really add more duct tape in there like George had mentioned. since you only did one layer, eventually it will wear through and you'll have to take it all apart and fix it again anyway.


2) this time do not tighten the allen head bolt for the spring perch. make sure the spring perch is completely lowered. put the spring on (uncompressed). put the upper mount on and completely secure it down. mount the combo to the car and then adjust the lower perch to raise the car as needed. lastly, tighten down the allen bolt..

[i_rebel]

Yeah . . . I'll be taking care of the duct tape thing in the near future. That only applies to the rears though.

This issue is with the fronts . . . only the fronts.

You didn't mention anything about the piston lock nut(s).

That's what I've been looking for information/assistance with.

I guess nobody has looked at the setup this closely . . .

[P10DET]

Originally posted by i_rebel
I guess nobody has looked at the setup this closely . . .

Not true.

[b-b00gie]

the lock nuts that secure down the upper mount, should be fully tightened..


when you have that on, and the lower spring perch completely lowered, the spring should move freely and also the upper mount should not have any play in it.

[PrimeraGT]

wow, those fronts are much diff than the P11..