Hi all,

I've installed Vorshlag camber plates and ST coilovers on my 2011 MCS and I'm getting a lot of rattling up front. I also had Mach V in Sterling set up my ride height/camber/toe. If something was loose I'd think they'd catch it. The only thing I can think of is maybe the top nut where the pillow ball joint is located isn't torqued down enough.

Anyone have experience with the Vorshlag camber plates? I've done some googling and I'm pretty sure this noise isn't normal. I've contacted Vorshlag too and I'll pass along whatever I hear back from them.

Thanks.

Brian

 

There shouldn't be any sort of rattling. The most noise you should hear is some slight binding or creeking from the springs depending on the set up. The main nut to the shaft is a common culprit since unseated parts can make the nut seem tight during intstalation, but actualy still be loose. As a precaution though I'd check all the bolts/nuts removed during the intstalation.

Check all the spring perches and lock rings too. These can cause a rattle if they are loose.

If every thing seems tight then check to see if the pillow mount is bad. You can check this some times by simply pushing down on one corner of the car while listening for noise. You can also jack a corner up and watch if you see the shaft/nut drop slightly in the mount. This would indicate a worn or defective pillow mount.

 

Thank you! When I torque down the main nut should I do that with the car on the ground (compressed)? Or should I tighten the nut with the car off the ground (uncompressed)? Or doesn't matter? I tried pushing down on the driver's side shock tower and listen for noises but my 180 lbs couldn't budge it.

 

Well you want to make sure all the bushings are resting correctly in the pillow mound and on the shaft. If you can verify this on the car then yes you can tighten in on the car with weight on it. You want to make sure you get it tight and try to avoid spinning the shaft. Spinning it too much, especially with an impact gun can loosen the internal nut holding the piston in place.

 

Well the shaft bolt is definitely tight and I couldn't see any movement around the top assembly as I raised the car. The passenger-side spring wasn't quite rotated all the way against the stop on the spring perch and there seems to be a little less rattling on that side. I didn't get around to checking the driver's side yet.

 

Quick update: Rattling with Vorshlag camber plates and ST coilovers.

I put the car up on jackstands, torqued down the top nut and checked all other nuts and bolts and still had the rattling on the test drive. My father-in-law and I were able to reproduce the rattling by leveraging the front suspension up and down with a lever and fulcrum setup. The rattling was the same on both sides and I located it to the tophat area.

I then pulled out the passenger-side suspension assembly to take a closer look. With the top nut still torqued down and the spring lowered I was able to grab the top hat and rock it up an down which gave be a clue to the source of the rattling. The top nut was very tight and I had to give it a couple blips with the impact wrench in order to remove the nut with my box wrench while holding the shaft with the allen wrench.

With the top nut off, I was able to see that the camber plate assembly was wearing away at the top of the coilover rod, near the threads. I took a picture of it and you can see the finish on the rod is worn away from the rattling.

I've contacted Matt from Vorshlag.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7706961@N03/6985846214/