front shocker replacement question
Hi all
I just removed my front struts and compressed the first spring and removed the shocker to find the strut sleeve full of oil !!!
It appears to be a wet sleeve type shocker!
I haven't seen /come across this before!:confused
Is installing the cartridge type just a matter of tipping out the oil and dropping the new one in or do I need a rubber bush or something to drop into the bottom of the strut?
cheers Rileyp
on holiday
tip the oil out and stick the new strut insert in and lock it down with the new nut.
About 5 minutes ago I dropped the new insert in and figured once I lock up the nut its going nowhere.
Thanks for the fast response and confirmation.
cheers rileyp
Make sure the nut is done up well. You don't want it coming undone.
and use lock tight..otherwise it can come undone even when you tighten it up to the max...happened to me sis vp. Not very nice driving along with a massive clunk and thinking wtf......new strut later and all fixed...plus lock tight lolOriginally Posted by VT-565
mate the manual says to put 30mm of oil in when you change the insert.
not sure why this is the case though.
Now I have one other question.........
I just purchased new strut upper bearings (nolathane ones)
Should I pack them completely with grease or just two thirds....
cheers rileyp
centy, the oil helps with cooling the strut insert (you don't want an insulating air gap between the insert and the outer case. Oh, and lock-tighting the nut in is a must!
rilyp, pack the thing as much or as little as you want! Won't make much difference cause it's nylethane?
cool oil to cool the strut.
That makes sense.
I have only come accross one vp with stuffed bearings in the top, most have perished rubbers or like mine punch the bearing out completly.
I would probably go a little lithium grease (or maybe moly) as it is a high pressure grease were as std grease is high temp.
The bearings were rough to turn and had a bit of wobble in them approx 5-7mm at edge of tower plate(bearing housing) and so I considered that stuffed.The bearings themselves looked awfully dry and the grease that was supposed to be in them was sitting beside them. At $145 a pair I wasn't keen on replacing them I can assure you but Im not that keen on ripping apart my front end again next weekend either.The rubber attached to the bearings were fine.
cheers rileyp
Jizz in my pants
I take it this isn't the same when changing to gas struts? The oil in m VP Struts was used for the dampening force as the bottom of the insert is a valve which pushes past the oil (slowly). Just like a Hydraulic Ram in a digger or truck. I put Gas shocks in the front of mine (made heaps of difference) and took all the oil out as its only there for the oil type inserts.
even with the gas ones you are suppposed to put a small amount of oil in them......but didnt with my vn and parents vn and sisters vp and i/we havent had a problem yet
I'm never using gas struts again, I've saved the oil ones from my VP and next time I need shockers they are going back in rebuilt with new seals
And your reasoning is?I'm never using gas struts again, I've saved the oil ones from my VP and next time I need shockers they are going back in rebuilt with new seals
My two are sitting in the bin in the shed....
Maybe I could ebay them lol
Jizz in my pants
The Oil ones I had seemed to be smooth but slow, yet the gas ones are hard and faster. If that makes any sense to anyone
p.s greeny should I go grab my old oil ones from the skip and keep them?
It does but it doesn't
Smooth and slow equals soft ride?
Hard and fast equals no shockers/every bump in road is felt to some degree?
............. Gas shocker don't work that good?
Well on installation of my new top bearings they appear to have the same amount of free play (5-7mm) as my old ones and so it was probably a good waste of $145
I noticed on the old ones they were marked lhs and rhs and yet the nolathane ones were not... this bothers me.....
I noticed on my other vp the 4th hole lines up with hole in the inner gaurd. yet if install the nolathane ones so that the fourth hole lines up they make the shock sit in a different location.
At the moment they sit slightly towards the rear and wheel side of the centre of the the tower hole.
[URL=http://imageshack.us]
where do everone elses sit?
I noted people speaking of locating the notched side toward the wheel (in the jc's shockerspring replacement guide)on installation but this is possible in 2 locations.....
I'll add some photos soon
cheers rileyp
Last edited by rileyp; 24-09-2008 at 10:42 AM.
mate compare your old ones to how they sit now and you will find that you have put them on the wrong sides.
the nolo jobs do have a left and right but are not marked.
from your pics you can see that the bearing plate is not sitting in the same place.
I had the same hassel when i done mine.
I think its just the camera angle. Ive added another pic in the middle above...
This arvo when I was just about to install the second top bearing I noticed them marked Lh and Rh and I ended up removing the first one I installed as it was on the wrong side from my comparing.
Ive just double check them with the old ones by knocking out the studs.
When I place the lh one upside down above the rh nolathane one with the notch inwards it aligns perfectly with the shock shaft and like wise with the rhs one
I did mark one of the old ones before removing and for those that dont know or have been misinformed by others the notch faces inwards on original bearings and theh fourth hole also aligns on both left and right side of the vehicle.
I have 2 vp and they both were like this.
Ive spent virtually all day stuffing round with these bloody things and I really wish I'd just paid Kmart auto to install my new shockers for $150
Im so ****ed off with it all... I had a $14 pedders check on my suspension so I could work out why I had steering wheel vibrations at 100k on brand new balanced tyres.
They basically gave me a list saying every steering and sunspension component was worn and could be the source.
Ive replaced link pins shockers engine mounts shocker top bearings rack ends and the ****en piece of **** steering wheel still vibrates slightly at 100kmh
So may I ask? Do all vp steering wheels have a slight and visible steering wheel vibration at 100k.
Ie when I look at my hand its shaking slightly. I find it annoying. The other vp I have is'nt on the road so I dont know from it.
Rileyp
Last edited by rileyp; 23-09-2008 at 08:25 PM.
rileyp, It's saddens my heart to hear your story from pedders, of course everything is worn, it's a 20 year old car! Vibrations in the steering wheel wont' come from worn suspension parts as a rule, the worn parts will just wear faster. If you have good tyres?? that are in balance the likely cause is your brake discs or loose wheel bearings but the later is very unlikely. If you think about it, to get a vibration you have to have something that rotates causing it? I had a new set of tyres put on my new VX a while back but they were cheap nankang or something (dealer put them on), didn't matter how much I balanced them I could not get rid of my vibration at about 100km/h. Eventually I went and watched them on the balance machine and saw they were so out of round we couldn't get them inside 5grams (if they won't come to 0, you will feel it on the front). Got new tyres, no more vibration. After 30 years as a mechanic, I have found this often. I suggest checking your tyres again, I bet they are the source of your problem. Get a different tyre place than where you bought them (in case their machine has not been calibrated properly?) to check the balance of the front ones. If not, your discs may be slightly warped but to be honest I've only ever seen this cause problems once or twice and you will feel it as soon as you touch the brake pedal! As for your shockers, don't know as I've never done a VN but it sounds like you have it right anyway.
Actually I think your onto something there VNheartache
( It did cross my mind as Ive had tailshaft and tyre balance issues on other cars and yes the spin thing is definately source of all things vibro)
We just put new tyres on it and asked for a wheel alignment.
They said inner steering rack ball joint rhs was stuffed and so couldn't do the alignment which makes perfect sense
We decided to get the $14 pedders check prior to replacing tyres and and they ticked every bush and block and piece of rubber on the vehicle and all shocks and spring as well.
Thanks very much pedders
So anyway Ill get a wheel alignment where I got the tyres (re92 bridgestones)
and make them rebalance what needs doing as well and hopefully its problem solved.
Oh wheel bearing have been repacked as well and are fine
Thanks for the support fellas
Cheers rileyp
also with the strut tops they can go back on 3 different positions....the position that it shoudl be all depends on when you get a wheel alaighnment...i lernt this when i did mine. The guy said it depends on the car...so he fixed it up and only took like 2 min...jack car up (air jack) loosen 3 nuts and drop a little, re position and all set
I did actually rotate mine in situ as you suggest.It is a bit of a fiddle but it can be done.I wouldnt say its easy... not with the weight of the wheel on anyway which is how I did mine.
The notion of turning to suit wheel camber/caster not sure which it would be did pass my mind as well but regardless of this there is still definitely a left and right hand bearing and its critical they go on the correct sides.
Im 99% surer mine are correct in this regard and so its time for the wheel allignment and balance.
cheers Rileyp
on holiday
i think they only say left and right to get the relation between caster and camber correct they are a mirror of each other if you know what i mean.when i lowered my vp i swapped the left for the right cause i couldnt get rid of enough camber and keep my level of caster and it made the car a pig when it had nice camber but the wrong caster. it felt way better with to much camber and the correct castor so i swapped them and it allowed me to have the same amount of caster but way less camber and made the car handle sweet as.
yeh some are left and right and some brands are just teh same...all depends...the ones i got were teh same either side
DIO..
Dun heaps of strut tops & font shocks on Commy's.I've always lined up the hole in the new tops with the hole in the suspension tower.I use a tape measure & str8 edge to line up the steering afterwards myself.I always take it 4 a wheel alignment after i've dun any front end work but they hardly do any adjustments & ask me how i did it at home..
Tony 308vkcalais:
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