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Problem with Front Suspension, MR coilovers?


JuxtaGT

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Well, I'm stumped at the moment. Ever since I put my Megan Racing coilovers in I've had a clunk form the front suspension on bumps and tight turns. At first it was just the right side, now both. I orginally though it was my Cusco FSB, and have done a bunch to make sure that is not it.

 

I had no problems or clunk from the front suspension with iON springs in and the Cusco FSB. I thought my front endlinks were toast, but I put new ones in today, and the problem prosists. I have re-torqued everything a few times now. Only variable left is something to do with the coilovers in seems. Or, the bushings in my a-arms are gone (hope not)?

 

I noticed that when I put them in, there was a little play between the camber bolt and the lower shock mount. That is the only thing left I can think of. For some reason, do you put the camber bolts in backwards, or something?

 

If anybody has any other ideas, I'm game.

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i have the exact same problem except i'm still on my stock struts

when i put my MR coilovers, i'm gonna check whats wrong with my cusco FSB and endlinks

Perrin BIG maf intake

Perrin Turbo Inlet

HKS SSQV BOV

Megan Racing header with UP (ceramic coated)

HKS DP (WRX)

DMH E-cutout

Custom 3" catback

UTEC

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Alright, I want to be very,very,very sure it's not the FSB. Anybody see a problem with removing it all together to test?

 

I've replaced the endlinks, and looked for point where it could be rubbing, nothing.

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Preload? Are you suggesting that the coil is shifting because the is not being firmly held in place with enough preload? Easy thing to try. How much preload should be on there? I'm not running much, maybe 2-3 turns from contact with the coil.
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I think i might have suggested it before, but check the dust boots. I know that sounds stupid, but they tend to fit very snugly and under compression they sometimes get pushed on too far and then bind up. Pull them up off the shock body and use a zip tie to cinch a little belt around one of the lower bellows so that it cannot wedge itself back down the shock body. I had a similar clank on one side with the prototype units and this cured the problem.
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Things to check from my experience

1- type of top mounts you are running? May be missing a washer or spacer between the top of the spring hat and the bottom of the mount

 

2- spring preload, does the spring move freely under full droop, it should be "captured" or under at least a minimum amount of preload.

 

3- swaybar or PS mount bushing are week on the legacys, POWERFLEX is a good replacement for these.

 

Best of luck,

-mark

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I think i might have suggested it before, but check the dust boots. I know that sounds stupid, but they tend to fit very snugly and under compression they sometimes get pushed on too far and then bind up. Pull them up off the shock body and use a zip tie to cinch a little belt around one of the lower bellows so that it cannot wedge itself back down the shock body. I had a similar clank on one side with the prototype units and this cured the problem.

 

 

Well, I don't care if it sounds stupid, it seems to have worked. I pulled off the wheels before work this morning and there was two twisted up, and wedged down the body, dust boots. I straightend them out and put a zip tie around them like you suggest. While I was at it, I put a few more turns of preload in such that it is not easy to move the coil back and forth under full droop.

 

Blissful silence over bumps and turns. Fingers crossed it stays this way.

 

Next time you are at MR, you might let them know there is an issue with the dust boot having this problem, so maybe for future revs they can spec a different boot. Or, supply zip ties with them.........

 

Thanks Boostjunkie! (aka coilover whore)

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Well, it mostly worked out. Things have improved GREATLY, but I still get a clunk every now and then. Knowing what I know now, I'm tempted to find a way to put something like rubber between the coil and coil mount. That way any movement of the coil will be damped from clunking. But, it is WAY better, I was going nuts for a little bit.
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There should be a little foam rubber pad on both the top and bottom of the springs. You might want to check the pillowballs and lube them up as well. SnoDork had a clunking problem with his Cusco coilovers and it was the pillowball binding up and causing the spring to hop around and make noise.
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Well, I'm way stumped again. Still get the "pop" clunk, and I've messed with everything I think. I lubed the pillowballs, though one was so stiff I couldn't move it by hand. I put enough electrical tape on the spring perch to stop any play between the coil and the perch. And still the pop/clunk.
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Dude, I don't know what to suggest. Aside from the dust boot working itself down and making noise, I've never had any noise problems with either set of MR's I've, both the prototype and the production units. There has to be something else going on.
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OEM bushings tend to do this. We see it a lot on race cars. As every other component is stiffened up, the flex has to go some were else. Bushings on lateral links, ball joints, steering rack mounts. If it is not the shock / pilo=ball mounts, that is my bet.

 

-mark

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Preload? Are you suggesting that the coil is shifting because the is not being firmly held in place with enough preload? Easy thing to try. How much preload should be on there? I'm not running much, maybe 2-3 turns from contact with the coil.

 

that will vary based on your spring rates.. I normally run as much as 100 lbs (but nothing more than that on a lighter car, the GT can probably deal with it, but even for mine I only put in 50 up front and 25 lbs in the rear).. you'll have to do a little math to find out how much you need to compress the spring to give you that number.. and you'll have to count the threads to find out how many turns it takes to compress that amount.

 

In my case for one of my cars, I have a 10kg/mm spring up front.. so that translates to 560 lbs.. (it's 1kg/mm ~ 56lbs/in)

 

so for me to preload about 50 lbs of preload, I just have to compress the spring 1/10".. which is fairly easy because the threads on the shocks are 10 full turns = 1" of travel (how convienent).

Keefe
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