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Recently purchased a bit of a project 06' R53 and am tracking down some noises. When I was lowering it off the jack yesterday after changing the crank pulley, I noticed that the left rear suspension shuddered on the way down. I took the rear wheel off to inspect and saw that to my eye, the bottom of the shock looks out of alignment with the top.
Those look like original equipment and the RSB is stock. Best money to spend on a '06 MINI is on those very things. A 19 or 22 MM adjustable RSB and KONI FSD struts are the best bang for the buck anywhere. You won't believe the difference in handling and ride.
Check these guys out for best price on struts and sway bars. http://www.motoringwerks.com/default.aspx
It looks to me like the shock was taken apart and not put together properly. Like the upper spring pad/cone assembly isn't put together right. It's not to hard to pull the shock off, compress the spring, and then pull it apart. You might find something broken or you might be able to put it all back together properly. If you need a single shock, I just replaced mine and have oem take offs with 75,000 miles on them.
It looks to me like the shock was taken apart and not put together properly. Like the upper spring pad/cone assembly isn't put together right. It's not to hard to pull the shock off, compress the spring, and then pull it apart. You might find something broken or you might be able to put it all back together properly. If you need a single shock, I just replaced mine and have oem take offs with 75,000 miles on them.
Thanks, after doing a little research, I think you're right. If the weather cooperates today I'll take it off and see what the problem is.
If I had to guess, I'd say the previous owner had coilovers or something aftermarket on it and very hastily removed them and replaced them with the stock setup before selling. The top hex socket that you counterhold to remove the top nut was completely rounded out and the nut wasn't tightened down as much as it should've been. I'm going to have to dremel the nut off to replace the strut when my new ones come in.
that's a bummer! you might be able to grab the shaft with some vice grips and hold it while you loosen the nut. I've heard pretty good things about the B4's.
that's a bummer! you might be able to grab the shaft with some vice grips and hold it while you loosen the nut. I've heard pretty good things about the B4's.
I tried that for a bit, but my vise grips weren't up to the task. I may try to see if I can find a narrower pair and see if that'll work, otherwise I'm going to have to cut the nut off. The B4s sounded like a good option, since the FSDs everyone loves were a bit out of the price range for this project. Ended up getting all four Bilsteins for a hair over $200 shipped from Rock Auto.
