Should Coilovers Be This Hard To Adjust?!

[NZa31]

Hey guys, I recently got some new coilovers for my cefiro and I'm having some trouble adjusting the ride height on the rears. When they are out of the car they are really easy to spin the threaded part of the shock up or down in the body to adjust height but when they are bolted into the strut tower and onto the hub carrier the are super hard to spin with the adjusting spanners, the only way to spin them easily is with a long bar on the end of the spanners and it makes an awful squealing noise. I've CRC'd the thread but still the same. Seems like there's side ways pressure on the coilovers and it's not wanting to spin freely. Only suspension mods in the rear are adjustable camber and toe arms, gtr sway bar and s14 hubs. Sorry for the novel length post but any help would be great!

[Plattsy]

do you have the car jacked up when your adjusting?

[Frosty]

▲ LOL

but yes car must be jacked otherwise you would be in a world of hurt

[NZa31]

Yep have both rear wheels off the ground and the bottom locking ring undone

[NZa31]

Any ideas?? Anyone?

[colourclassic]

There would be some upward pressure applied to the damper by the sway-bar, as well as the lower mounting bush applying lateral load, but that shouldn't be enough to make it that difficult to turn the adjuster. Have you inspected the threads for damage since they were mounted?

[V28VX37]

... When they are out of the car they are really easy to spin the threaded part of the shock up or down in the body to adjust height but when they are bolted into the strut tower and onto the hub carrier the are super hard to spin with the adjusting spanners ...

I've had similar experience but in the front, BC Racing coilovers being hard to adjust on an R34. Rears spin easier.

The only way I've found to make it a bit easier is to move the LCA up or down slightly, I've used a separate jack under the wheel hub when the wheel is off. It seems that there is some vertical tension in the whole suspension assembly that you have to get out in order to make adjusting the height easier.

I'm also keen to know if there's an easier way?

[NZa31]

They are brand new and the threads are mint. There seem like a lot of side ways pressure on the coilover which is stopping the thread from spinning easily. I also tried a separate jack on the hub to take a bit of tension up but no luck. Could it be anything to do with the s14 hub carriers being different to s13/a31? Thanks for the replies

[1400r]

just disconnect the bottom mount and adjust it that way and then reconnect using a jack to lift the wheel up

so you can be sure your not f*king something it seems very strange

if there brand new

[NZa31]

Yeah it's strange as. I'll give that a shot cheers

[GH05T]

same in the stagea, rears are easy but the loan on the fronts make it a bitch. mine were still movable just with a squeal. or yeah undoo the base and take the load off to adjust.