Jump to content
SAU Community

Recommended Posts

Hi SAU, I need your help. This is a long going issue with my R34GTT that I havent bothered fixing yet, I fitted Bilstein coilovers from another R34 and got new bumpstops n grooves cut in by Sydneykid sometime ago, the pics are old btw.

Issue is all the clanking (esp from the rear strut tops) when hitting mild bumps and imperfections at even 30-40km/h. The fronts also do this, on top of that they creak real loud like a mofo when turning/braking esp on drives, humps etc. At normal speeds you cannot really hear the creaks when turning.

I need to identify which part from my first pic I need to replace, from what I know its the strut mounts or tops but my ones not a single item, rather a series of washers n rubbers>>first pic. So what do I replace and from where, any alternatives or has to be Bilstein? Thanks

post-49401-14238867390831_thumb.jpgpost-49401-14238867568213_thumb.jpg

Well.....only the washers and nuts are Bilstein. Everything else is Skyline.

OK, OK, the bump stops are not OEM, but hell, as if they matter.

They're not really strut tops at either end of the car either, because all they really are is upper spring retainers. There's no bearings in there to make noise. if there's creaking and shit going on, then it's probably in the dampers themselves (or possibly in any one of the other bushes/bearings in the rest of the suspension) and perhaps you should just take it to Gary and get him to have a look.

The noise only started with my Bilsteins- it wasnt there at all with my Cusco coilovers and its definitely coming from the top of the struts both front n rear ( front creaks during turning), so what else could it be- as u said it dorsnt look like these struts have bearings..my suspect is those thick black rubber/plastic washers but please enlighten me

Well, at no time does any part of the damper need to rotate around its axis - there are not "struts"....therefore, any creaking from turning the wheels is either coincidental, or maybe just maybe because the top nuts are loose or something. Otherwise, it's as I said in 1st reply.

The springs are not fully captive if they're banging and clunking, possibly from deteriorated rubber or that the springs are too short for the shock. Creaking from the top hats could be that the rubber has deteriorated and causing the spring edge to rub in its mounting position because it's not completely captive.

Does the spring move at all if you try and jerk it in its mount? Try it on a bench vise.

Sorry guys been pretty busy with stuff, the 'loose spring' is what it probably is because it is not that sprung when captive in the car, I am pretty sure I could turn it on its mounts with a little bit of effort while its still on the car. Will report back later

And loose possibly because I moved it down on Sydneykids standard cut grooves to give the height I want.

I always wondered how people went with the grooves. You could try getting some spacers and placing them inbetween the top hat and lock nut to force the spring captive. But I hold no responsibility if anything happens, as it's just the first idea off the top of my head.

The problem with all this is you are running out of shock travel - note shock travel not spring travel. I don't care how good the shock absorber is if you don't have any stroke for it to work in it wont work.

See here.

http://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/374385-bilstein-coilover-conversion/page-1

Part of the fix is to replace the strut tops which gets you shock travel back. As an aside replacing all that old stuff will also get rid of your squeeeeeking & clunking.

  • Like 1

Wont the use of spring spacers simply be the same as moving my springs UP on the cut groves- will give more height n shock travel like spacers will. We pinpointed the creaking to the front left strut (not sure if its from the strut tower top or bottom joint) when turning during the LAST 20-30% of full lock and when the car is leaning sideways on that shock during turning. During the last turns close to lock is when the creaks happen even when parked but moreso at low driveway speed.

The rear strut clanking n rattling tops during small bumps is a separate story

  • 2 weeks later...

My R34 GTT has similar symptoms, I had bilsteins fitted and re-used the stock springs at near-stock heights (dropped the rear a little bit via the circlip grooves on the shock to make it sit level.. the front stayed the same). Occasionally clunks a bit when at slow speeds and turning, eg into/out of driveways. I haven't managed to narrow down what's causing it yet.

I seem to have this issue as well. Clanking and clunking when going over speed humps or moderate road imperfections. I'm running Bilstein B6 Dampers and King Springs.

Rather than a dull thud, the car makes more of a 'crashing' sound for lack of a better term, when going over bumps.

  • 2 weeks later...

Rather than a dull thud, the car makes more of a 'crashing' sound for lack of a better term, when going over bumps.

Check how much "droop" you have. By droop I mean measure the centre-of-wheel-to-arch when the car is on the ground and then jack the car up so the wheels are hanging in the air and measure it again. You need at least a few inches of droop or your shocks will 'top out' out on the exit of a bump. Basically, your car goes over the bump, wheels go up, which pushes the car body up a bit. On the exit of the bump the body is higher, wheels extend and BANG the shocks reach the end of their travel, there is no bump stop in this direction and it sounds really ugly (and will destroy the shock).

The workshop who installed my Bilsteins (who SHOULD KNOW BETTER given their proximity to the Bilstein importer) did not remove the spacer inside the shock that limits droop when used with lowered springs. They gave me a car back that had zero droop at the back. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes I wouldn't have believed it.

Just and update, I remove a front dust boot and reinstalled the strut into the car. On level ground there is about 1cm of travel between the (shortened) bump stop and the shock body. That is with King Spring lows and a 1cm lower slot in the spring perch. So I guess I have been bottoming out on everything larger than a pebble lol. Time for some base-height adjustable coil overs.

Just and update, I remove a front dust boot and reinstalled the strut into the car. On level ground there is about 1cm of travel between the (shortened) bump stop and the shock body. That is with King Spring lows and a 1cm lower slot in the spring perch. So I guess I have been bottoming out on everything larger than a pebble lol. Time for some base-height adjustable coil overs.

No. Time for some new strut tops to allow the reinstatement of shock travel.

These ones.

http://www.isccoilovers.com.au/coilover-spare-parts

Get the ones with the rubber bushes front and rear but you have to ask them for the front ones as they aren't listed.

But read this first to understand you need a couple of other bits to make them fit your Bilsteins - plus they work with 65mm springs not the Kings. If you want to retain the King springs you may need something different. Not sure what that would be.

http://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/374385-bilstein-coilover-conversion/page-1

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • Yeah i found that alot of parts can be wrong or "very" hard to get the real right one. I already bought some brakes years ago on me "old" GT calipers and they were wrong too 😄  I told them too. Even send them pictures...but they said "EBC catalogue has them on my car... So i dont know what their answer will be. I call monday them and let them know that they are really not on my car. If they were they would be already on a car...
    • Welcome to Skyline ownership. Yes, it is entirely possible parts websites get things wrong. There's a whole world of inaccuracies out there when it comes to R34 stuff (and probably 33 and 32). Lots of things that are 'just bolt on, entirely interchangable' aren't. Even between S1 and S2 R34's. Yes they have a GTT item supposedly being 296mm. This is incorrect. I would call whoever you got them from and return them and let them know the GTT actually uses 310mm rotors. Depending on where you got them from your experience and success will obviously vary.
    • Hi...a bit a "development" on the brakes. I spoke to the guys where i get brakes from...and they are saying that 296mm EBC are for R34 GT-T. I then went to their site: https://www.ebcbrakes.com/vehicle/uk-row/NISSAN/Skyline (R34)/ and search for my car(R34 GT 1998 - it has GTT brakes) and it show me this USR1229 number and they are rly 296mm rotors... So now iam rly confused... The rotors i have now on the car are 310mm asi shown... So where is the problem? Does the whole EBC got it wrong or my calipers are just...idk know what?  
    • Oh What the hell, I used to get a "are you sure you want to reply, this thread is XX months old" message. Maybe a software update remove that. My bad.
    • This is a recipe for disaster* Note: Disaster is relative. The thing that often gets lost in threads like this is what is considered acceptable poke and compromise between what one person considers 'good' looks and what someone else does. The quoted specs would sit absurdly outside the guards with the spacers mentioned and need  REALLY thin tyres and a LOT of camber AND rolling the guards to fit. Some people love this. Some people consider this a ruined car. One thing is for certain though, rolling the guards is pretty much mandatory for any 'good' fitment (of either variety). It is often the difference between any fitment remotely close to the guards. "Not to mention the rears were like a mm from hitting the coilovers." I have a question though - This spec is VERY close to what I was planning to buy relative to the inboard suspension - I have an offset measuring tool on the way to confirm it. When you say "like a mm" do you mean literally 1mm? Or 2mm? Cause that's enough clearance for me in the rear :p I actually found the more limiting factor ISNT the coilover but the actual suspension arms. Did you take a look at how close those were?
×
×
  • Create New...