Coilover adjust help!

The clunk is when the suspension drops / shock gets extended.

I have not greased the spring perch area, I will try that when I get it back from the dealer (airbag recall).

Thanks for the feedback!


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If the clunk when it gets extended, I think your shock is blown. I had similar symptoms when I blew a front BC shock. I was also leaking oil, have you checked for oil at the top of the cartridge where the adjustment is? Honestly the shock isn't too expensive. I bought a replacement for $130.
 
J3FF3R$0N said:
Pillow ball mount bearings are probably seized, mine makes this noise right now on slow turns
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+1 on seized bearings if you hear the thunk on turns...

If over bumps, check this:


You can remove the adjuster by just spinning the knurled part under the adjuster with your hands. It'll expose the nut so you can use a torque wrench on it.
 
zk0ot said:
are your wheels spaced? PS looks great... mine went on the other day... front alittle raked. camber is off. i have spacers but worried about the fenders.
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Thanks brotha! Actually I'm running 22x10.5+32 and dropped the front even more after the picture you quoted. I'm actually going to put 20mm spacers in the rear soon, but currently I don't rub at all but my coils bottom out on big bumps/ driveways. I would probably raise the front of your car if you are concerned about camber wear...
 
check the youtube videos for clunking noise on BC coilovers. there is a nut on top of the coil that has to be tightened. i had a similar issue while going over hard dips on the road, not speed bumps but dips. I just found this vid on youtube. hopefully this works on my BC coils and yours.
 
I just installed mine and I'm hearing a constant clunk/rattle with each bump on the road, maybe something loose? I did the install 2 in the am after work so maybe I just need to tighten some bolts
 
FX808702 said:
I just installed mine and I'm hearing a constant clunk/rattle with each bump on the road, maybe something loose? I did the install 2 in the am after work so maybe I just need to tighten some bolts
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did your kit come witht he shock pads to put between the top plate and the mounting surface??
 
FX808702 said:
I just installed mine and I'm hearing a constant clunk/rattle with each bump on the road, maybe something loose? I did the install 2 in the am after work so maybe I just need to tighten some bolts
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Definitely check those bolts under the dampening adjuster knob... They kept getting loose on my MEGAN's... Still looking good on my BC's though, but I know about it and check it often.
 
Went back there today to adjust the height/preload and found one of the bolts holding the top strut mount wasn't tightened down and the ring adjust on the spring was also loose. All is well now tweaked the dampening 10 clicks from stiff (F) 15 from stiff (R) and she's riding nicely. Just won't work on my car straight after work 2 in the morning anymore, loose bolts and parts in the suspension is scary
 
FX808702 said:
Went back there today to adjust the height/preload and found one of the bolts holding the top strut mount wasn't tightened down and the ring adjust on the spring was also loose. All is well now tweaked the dampening 10 clicks from stiff (F) 15 from stiff (R) and she's riding nicely. Just won't work on my car straight after work 2 in the morning anymore, loose bolts and parts in the suspension is scary
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That's the nut I was talking about... From what I've seen, if it loosens once, it loosens all the time. I'd check it at least once a month and have a torque wrench handy. My MEGAN's used to get loose ALL THE TIME which is why I'm running BC's now... But I've heard the BC's can get loose as well...
 
zk0ot said:
did your kit come witht he shock pads to put between the top plate and the mounting surface??
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No I don't believe so, I just put the paperish material that was on the stock strut, but like I said no noise after doing some tightening and setting the preload
 
DatMan said:
That's the nut I was talking about... From what I've seen, if it loosens once, it loosens all the time. I'd check it at least once a month and have a torque wrench handy. My MEGAN's used to get loose ALL THE TIME which is why I'm running BC's now... But I've heard the BC's can get loose as well...
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No it wasn't the bolt under the dampening adjust knob, it was actually the bolts that held the actual strut down on the top mount plates, but I did check those bolts and they were fine, but I'll continue to check those bolts just in case, thanks for the tip!
 
If the top mount bolt under the damping knob keeps coming loose, you can use loctite. That's what I always did because I was always taking the shock apart to swap springs, rebuild, etc. With loctite, it never came loose on it's own.
 
shadow191 said:
Set the spring height where you want it to be. Then set the shock length 5mm shorter. At that point the spring is pushing on the shock and that's the preload. To be honest, it doesn't matter at all. Preload is just the to prevent the spring from rattling or coming loose. It has zero impact on handling or ride since BC uses a linear rate spring.
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Reviving this thread. I'm hearing mixed feedback about adjusting preload, some people say you don't need to touch the preload and some people say you need to adjust it if you lowered the vehicle. I lowered my vehicle a little bit from BC's factory setting, do I need to adjust the preload? if so, how do you adjust the rears? what do I measure to determine the adjustment length?
 
In the front, adjusting height will not impact preload as they are separate adjustments. In the rear, the height adjustment and preload are related so you will need to adjust. To adjust the rear, you have to unbolt the shock after changing height and thread it so it's 5 or 10mm shorter than whatever you set the height at (or whatever your preload is). I believe BC provides instructions but it's all over the web as well.

Adjusting Spring Preload for BC Racing Coilovers with Separate Spring

It's not a huge deal if you don't adjust as long as you haven't changed your ride height drastically. Pre-load doesn't impact handling or ride and it's mostly there to prevent noise and to a lesser extent, a rear spring popping out. When I had my FX, I never really messed with preload after initially setting it on install and I dropped my car substantially afterwards without adjusting (just lazy). Never had issues with noise or a rear spring coming loose even when I wasn't running collars.
 
shadow191 said:
In the front, adjusting height will not impact preload as they are separate adjustments. In the rear, the height adjustment and preload are related so you will need to adjust. To adjust the rear, you have to unbolt the shock after changing height and thread it so it's 5 or 10mm shorter than whatever you set the height at (or whatever your preload is). I believe BC provides instructions but it's all over the web as well.

Adjusting Spring Preload for BC Racing Coilovers with Separate Spring

It's not a huge deal if you don't adjust as long as you haven't changed your ride height drastically. Pre-load doesn't impact handling or ride and it's mostly there to prevent noise and to a lesser extent, a rear spring popping out. When I had my FX, I never really messed with preload after initially setting it on install and I dropped my car substantially afterwards without adjusting (just lazy). Never had issues with noise or a rear spring coming loose even when I wasn't running collars.
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Thanks for this. I am hearing a clunking noise in the rear going over small bumps and can't figure out what it would be from. I'm wondering if this could be from not adjusting the preload?
 
It wouldn't hurt to take a look. It could be preload or maybe the spring collar isn't set correctly in the bucket. Also check for loose mounting bolts on the shocks - the upper ones are pretty small so they sometimes loosen.

whin9000 said:
Thanks for this. I am hearing a clunking noise in the rear going over small bumps and can't figure out what it would be from. I'm wondering if this could be from not adjusting the preload?
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