Guidance needed... I'm ready to give up!
 

Hi!

I installed Megan Coilovers (most recent version), TSW endlinks, & Hsport control arms. When the coilovers were installed, only a quarter's width (25-cent coin) remained between the top two interlocking nuts and the bottom "lowering" nut.

Fronts & rears are 16 clicks back from full-hard. I've played with the setting, but the THUNK doesn't diminish AT ALL.

It's been approx. 200 miles since the install.

I've had to endure a most-annoying THUNK sound/feel when encountering certain bumps on my daily route--bumps that NEVER caused a problem before the recent suspension (ahem) upgrade.

I've done searches on NAM and even posted a few requests for the torque specs, but haven't received any response.

After talking with the club member (Warped1966) who helped with the install, he mentioned that the rear endlinks were installed with the OEM length...ie: not shortened even though the car was lowered. We cannot remember if the front endlinks were installed with the OEM length or not, so I've come to realize that I will need to compare the TSW lengths against the OEM lengths.

The THUNKING has consistently occurred in the rear--both sides now--and only occasionally in the front.

The springs on the coilovers don't wiggle, except for the passenger rear, if that makes any difference.

I love Schultze, but the constant THUNKING is wearing me out and I'm sadly finding myself driving the Ford Escape more frequently.

If anyone has the torque specs for the following, that'd be fantastic:

Endlinks
Control arms
Rear sway bar
Rear subframe
Upper strut tower front
Upper strut tower rear
Lower strut front
Lower strut rear

Any advice or guidance that can be provided would be ever-so-greatly appreciated. I really need to eliminate the THUNKING before I lose what's left of my sanity...

I'm sure somebody here has some answers. I'll be surprised i they don't

Moved to 1st Gen suspension mods... I think you'll find more useful feedback here. :)

did you check to see that all the set up is nice and tight...the nut that attaches the strut to the strut mount...if anything is loose the clunk will happen...take it all out and double check that everything is as tight as physically possible...if it is the least bit loose it will clunk

Try adding some pre-load to the spring. I had the same problem with my coilovers and that fixed it.

Sounds like you didn't tighten the top hats in the rear enough ! I too had the "clunk". The noise for me was coming from the drivers side but, I took both rears out to check the tightness of the top hat screws. If you didn't use an impact gun (or even if you did) you just didn't tighten it up enough. I had to compress the springs with all my weight while my friend used the impact gun on them.

How do you add preload?

What is the torque spec for the top hats?

I don't know about torque specs (with suspension just get on it), but I'd put money on the top nut as all the other posters have said. You'll need an impact wrench for sure (and since the nut and the central shock post spin inside the shock body, you can't put a torque wrench on there anyway.)

torque specs are in the Bentley. Impact wrench ok for disassembly. may snap shaft if putting it together with an impact wrench. with the specialized sockets, a torque wrench can be used. one can mod a standard deep socket to allow the allen key to fit the shaft. others have reported a spark plug sock to be effective as well. I used a gearwrench product that is effectively an open socket and I torqued via an allen key socket ccw.

I find this hard to believe, but go with what you feel comfortable with. I ripped an allen wrench apart working on the stock damper, so I'm no fan of that advice.

raise the bottom spring seats using the spanner wrench

on a cheap aftermarket damper, anything is possible. :lol: the problem is two fold - under and over torquing. be that as it may, I did not use an allen key either, rather a hex socket. but perhaps we should have purchased the $1000 gonzo chro-vandium 30 lb allen key bmw/mini uses for assembly. :grin:

k-heuvo's excellent spring how-to lists the torque spec's as well as Smokey's post.

I wanted to say T-H-A-N-K-S to Mugami for taking time during his day off today to drive 1-1/2 hrs. to my house to help me fix Schultze. :thumbsup:

The thunking is GONE and the handling improvement is PHENOMENAL! I was literally grinning just the same as I did the day I brought Schultze home for the very first time! :nod: :nod: :nod:

Erika

Don't pre-load springs, and, never use a torque wrench to tighten self locking nuts on the front or rear shocks!

Pre-loading springs for a vehicle used on a road course and street does nothing but steel spring travel. Buy the correct spring length. The springs should be just tight within the upper and lower perch at full droop. This technique will prevent the springs from unseating as the supension moves from compression to droop.

If you use too much torque on the front the strut bearings will wear prematurely...and may bind in the process. On the rear, there is a beveled washer (flat on top and rounded on the bottom) whose purpose is to create a seat for the steel dowel, but also, to allow this dowel and and pistion the move in slightly different axis - as the suspension moves up and down. I have seen a few of these beveled washers bent down like an umbrella from using a torque wrench...this steels suspension travel, sqeezes the bushing in the upper perch and in general applies an awful lot of tension where it need not exist.

If I remember, the front strut nut is rated at 38ft lbs and the rear I simply tigthen by hand snug - never had a problem, not in 145,000 miles.

What was the problem????
and fix

You are over exaggerating the "pre-load springs". Preloading springs about 1cm is ok to make sure the spring sits correctly. The correct size spring will not always sit correctly without some adjustments. You're actually supposed to preload springs to get the correct spring rate from them. When a spring is just sitting with no pre-load the spring rate is not accurate. Getting the correct spring rate requires pre-loading springs about 10% of the compression. Of course, all springs vary, but just so you know, you're supposed to pre-load your springs.

...the spring rate for a linear rate spring is the same for any infinitesimal amount of movement - so long as that first infintesimal movement in suspension is not used to seat the spring. So my point has always been one that suggests enough pre-load to simply capture the spring so it does not un-seat. To be clear, this is at full droop.

The pre-load subject from my perspective has been casually discussed here, not in detail - which requires a fair amount of knowledge about individual setups. My suggestion is really meant to keep folks from purchasing springs that are too long in length or not long enough for a given rate.

I agree, springs are a compromise, but over exaggeration to me is necessary when the car in question has very little actual suspension travel.

Do some spring dynos and you'll see that is far from the truth. :lol:

I understand...so I'll preface my comment above with the words, 'in theory'...or wishfull thinking.:wink:

So, in theory, a linear rate spring's rate is constant. Most folks do not have access to testing equipment to verify manufactured rates, me included - most of the time.

So we have to trust that all 300# linear rate springs from Eibach, for example, are indeed 300# springs and perform uniformly as individual springs, and as, springs in pairs.

Race teams leave none of these criteria for granted.

The problem was that I didn't have the springs tight enough. The solution was to tighten the springs via the locking nut.

However...now there's a new issue and I'm going to start a new thread shortly.