Thumping noise. tien coil over suspension

[Champinco]

Hi Guys,

I dont really know a lot about suspension but here it goes...

my rear right suspension is stuffed. I took it to a suspension place and he said something about the oil leaking...or breaking.

Every time i go over a ditch or small or large bump my back left suspension hits my chassis ( i think). A loud noise coming from that area (although does sound like my boot hiting). Im pretty sure its my suspension as he put his hand where the suspension is and his hand was pretty much covered in oil.

Im not too sure what he was on about and my reaction was where to fix and how much.

Just wondering if anyone has has this problem b4? how did u fix and approx how much. ohh and if ur in melb where did u get it done? In particular to Tien Coil over suspension.

Thanks heaps.

[Jay95R33]

I had one that used to thump like what you have explained.

I pulled the strut out of the car and there was a little bit of play in the top hat. It ended up being the top nut was loose about 1 turn !!!

I gave it a tighten with a spanner (about 2 turns) and then it was totally silent.

Unless you've got oil leaking all over the place which is an internal thing, then it could just be something as simple as the top bolt.

J

[4 Doorz]

may need to get new struts (2) at >$300 each...over $600 for your suspension - not including fitting!

Worst case scenario though

Is Fulcrum's way though.

[Nismo32]

The seals in the sus are gone. So the shock is working on the spring mostly so it probably tops and bottoms out a bit. There are quite a few places u can get it fixed. You could try suspension city in north melbourne.

Cheers

[predator]

For Japanese suspension, I believe a lot of the time to get them reconditioned is just not worth it as its pretty expensive and most places will fall over if they see a TIEN, Cusco, HKS, or Zeal suspension and just say "its stuffed, buy our XXX aussie brand"... not knowing those setups in Japan would set you back $4-5k. But you can try what Nismo32 suggested.

Try putting weight on the corner in question and pushing down and letting go quickly.. does it bounce up and down a few times?? Should only bounce once if they're still in decent condition. If it bounces visibly a few times your strut is on its way out.

Apparently the upper pillow mounts can also go before the rest on coilovers.. I'm not sure exactly what they do, but i believe they are like rubber bushes that keep everything all secure and in place where the strut meets the strut tower. That could explain the thumping as well.

[predator]

I believe an upper pillow mount looks like this:

[Al]

Pred: Tein suspension are damn hard, even when they are stuffed, i will give you a demo in my car next time i see ya.

Champinco: When my suspension blew a seal and had a worn shaft (just like yours probably has) my mechanic took them to a place called "Cruise Tune" in Dandenong. I didn't pay for the repair as they were only 2 weeks old from JMS. JMS are the people that recommended them, apparently they send all their suspension repairs there, even though JMS are based in Sydney.

They done a great job. You should get both your front suspension done to match them up. Be warned though, as they can sometimes be hard to get in contact with, as they do alot of track testing for race cars.

[Champinco]

thanks guys....greatly appreciated with all ur input.

thanks pred...makes a little more sense now.

nismo32...i went to the place u told me to go to (north melbourne) off abbostford street) suspension city and the guy (i think damian) told me he cant do it and he gave me a contact in moorabin. the only problem is...its too f!@#en far. i live in the west. are there any other decent places around the city or west or north? or is every supsension place too scared to touch skylines!!!

Cheers

[Al]

I too live in the west, but am always willing to travel to get the best work done on my car

[hippy]

jms are based in adelaide ..

[R31Nismoid]

Originally posted by hippy

jms are based in adelaide ..

was thinking much the same thing.

An AL... depends what type you have ad to how hard/not hard it is.

Like i've said before.

GT Suspension - Mt Alexander Rd Flemington.

The wont shudder at the work Tien or anything.

when mine custom set was repaired they had a box of brand new tiens sitting there for a car.

So they DO know what they are.

[Al]

Originally posted by hippy

jms are based in adelaide ..

Yes, that's correct :uh-huh: .

They sometimes send their 2nd hand suspension down here to get repaired by these guys, as they cater for racing cars and know their shite.

[Al]

I have only known Tein suspension to be hard, even on the softest setting. As their coil-overs are mainly designed for racing and drift. Also Japan's roads are so much more smoother than ours, so stiffer suspension is barable.

Please, correct me if i am wrong.