I installed illuminas and sleeve overs with new blox LCA's on the crx, now, every time I hit a bump, it sounds like the top of the shock is loose in the tophat.....even just little bumps....the harder the bump, the louder the knock....
ONLY IN THE REAR THOUGH......


I took them back out and checked everything..and its all tight....WTF!?!?!?!?

 

pics.....

 

Dude you need to put the rubber rings down in the sleeves. You should use three of them, also just something many of us do. Get a roll of electrical tape and tape over the rings until the sleeve fits snuggly over the electrical tape and rubber rings. You will thanks yourself it reduce those freaking sleeves rattling on the shock body. I see that you have one of the rings all the way at the top of shock body.

Did you cut your bump stops? If not you need to cut them in half, it doesn't look like it is cut in the picture. Are the rear top hats bolted down tight. Also did you make sure to tighten the nut on the threaded part of the shock that comes through top hat.

How low are you?

 

The rings are taped in. that one was just extra, spaced off that it was even there.
The sleeve is tight. The nuts are all tight.

Bump stops are the ones that came on the illuminas, they are not cut.

And I still have 2 fingers between the fender and the tire. Not slammed at all.

 

Sweet, you definitely did it all correct. I'd definitely cut those bump stops in half. Remember they sent you ones to put those shocks on a stock car not a lowered one.

 

Im pissed man, I cant for the life of me figure out what is making the knock noise!?!?1

 

Well if all the bolts are tight that is strange. It might be the a new sound with all the new equipment. Get a friend in the hatch and go drive around.

 

Whatever is wrong is wrong on both sides. If I hit a bump, the sound is the same from either side, or one at a time, depending on what side hits the bump.

 

Is the bolt diameter you have mounting the shock to LCA the same diameter of the LCA's bushing?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by T- rex &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Is the bolt diameter you have mounting the shock to LCA the same diameter of the LCA's bushing? </TD></TR></TABLE>

Hmmm, good question, but as far as I can tell the noise is coming from the top....

 

is the top hat bolted down tightly on the strut? did u remember the washer on top and under the top hat? how did you assemble the shocks on the back?

lets see some pics of the top hats in the back from inside the car


EDIT: i think tyson is on to something below....


Modified by welfarepc at 11:56 PM 1/26/2008

 

do you have the rubber bumper that fits under the top hat? so it holds the spring in and fits between the spring and top hat?

 

Ensure that the washer on top of the rear shock is facing with the curved side up (did this wrong the first time I did my old illumina's and it would make that sound because I wasn't torquing down the top nut correctly).

Other than that everything else has been answered in the thread. Consolidated though:

1) Ensure the top washer is assembled correctly and torqued to spec.
2) Ensure that you reused the large rubber piece between the tophat and the spring.
3) Ensure that the threaded coilover sleeve is not rattling around and is secure with o-rings/electrical tape

Also, is it a rattling noise or a squeaking noise? If it's a squeaking noise, check your trailing arm bushings for wear. I need to replace mine because after lowering the angles were no longer optimal and the bushing destroyed itself (they were 17+ years old already at the time).

Btw, let me know how the bushings in those blox LCA's hold up...I've been hearing some bad things about the rubber bushings eating themselves away in under a year of use/abuse .

 

is your sway bar connected? doesn't look like it in the picture.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by welfarepc &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">is the top hat bolted down tightly on the strut? did u remember the washer on top and under the top hat? how did you assemble the shocks on the back?

lets see some pics of the top hats in the back from inside the car


EDIT: i think tyson is on to something below....


Modified by welfarepc at 11:56 PM 1/26/2008</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yes, everything has been triple checked.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Tyson &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">do you have the rubber bumper that fits under the top hat? so it holds the spring in and fits between the spring and top hat?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yes, but the size of the Skunk2 spring is narrower than stock....

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 1989CivicSi &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Ensure that the washer on top of the rear shock is facing with the curved side up (did this wrong the first time I did my old illumina's and it would make that sound because I wasn't torquing down the top nut correctly).

Other than that everything else has been answered in the thread. Consolidated though:

1) Ensure the top washer is assembled correctly and torqued to spec.
2) Ensure that you reused the large rubber piece between the tophat and the spring.
3) Ensure that the threaded coilover sleeve is not rattling around and is secure with o-rings/electrical tape

Also, is it a rattling noise or a squeaking noise? If it's a squeaking noise, check your trailing arm bushings for wear. I need to replace mine because after lowering the angles were no longer optimal and the bushing destroyed itself (they were 17+ years old already at the time).

Btw, let me know how the bushings in those blox LCA's hold up...I've been hearing some bad things about the rubber bushings eating themselves away in under a year of use/abuse . </TD></TR></TABLE>

Triple checked.....

Im about to throw this **** in the trashcan.

The left rear shock split where you put in the alan key to tighten the nut.

Illuminas are garbage. *EDIT* THESE illuminas are motherexpletiveing garbage.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by howangseg &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">is your sway bar connected? doesn't look like it in the picture.</TD></TR></TABLE>

The swaybar at this point is not even on the car.

 

Is the LCA hitting the exhaust anywhere when the suspension is compressed?

 

Not even close.

 

found this in the suspension forum might help you out
"Rob.

you cant slamm ef's anyways, the upper control arm will bang on the inner fender on a bump or highway slope.

Just raise the rear and call it a day. "

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by nosyt &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">found this in the suspension forum might help you out
"Rob.

you cant slamm ef's anyways, the upper control arm will bang on the inner fender on a bump or highway slope.

Just raise the rear and call it a day. "</TD></TR></TABLE>

Wtf? That only applies for the front. The rear has more than enough clearance to slam given the proper offsets for wheels/rolling the rear fenders.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by SIred91 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Illuminas are garbage. *EDIT* THESE illuminas are motherexpletiveing garbage.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I've never had a problem with my illuminas when I had them. What's wrong with yours? If they've already blown out then send them back in with the warranty. The perch springs on the other hand...I wouldn't trust anything other than GC anyways.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by SIred91 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
The left rear shock split where you put in the alan key to tighten the nut.

Illuminas are garbage. *EDIT* THESE illuminas are motherexpletiveing garbage.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Is there where the noise is coming from? If so you can still get it tight even though the allen key split if you get some air tools on it you can tighten it down. I know that from experience

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by nosyt &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">found this in the suspension forum might help you out
"Rob.

you cant slamm ef's anyways, the upper control arm will bang on the inner fender on a bump or highway slope.

Just raise the rear and call it a day. "</TD></TR></TABLE>

LOL...thanks but Im not any where close to slammed....

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by CRX Toad &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Is there where the noise is coming from? If so you can still get it tight even though the allen key split if you get some air tools on it you can tighten it down. I know that from experience </TD></TR></TABLE>

Alas, the noise is the same from either side........

What a total waste of money. I think Im gonna be sick.

 

i asked how to assembled them and for a pic from the inside because there should be a lot of threads sticking out above the nut.

i ALWAYS use an impact gun with a deep 14mm to tighten mine. i found with the illuminas i recently installed on a buddys car i had to hold the rod between the springs so it wouldnt spin... they spin easy

my buddy also broke one of his stuts with an allen key/wrench... told him just use the impact.

also its kinda strange the shock doesnt fit the tophat snugly. that might be a problem too.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by welfarepc &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i asked how to assembled them and for a pic from the inside because there should be a lot of threads sticking out above the nut.

i ALWAYS use an impact gun with a deep 14mm to tighten mine. i found with the illuminas i recently installed on a buddys car i had to hold the rod between the springs so it wouldnt spin... they spin easy

my buddy also broke one of his stuts with an allen key/wrench... told him just use the impact.

also its kinda strange the shock doesnt fit the tophat snugly. that might be a problem too.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I thought about that and put an extra washer above the bumpstop thinking maybe it was not able to compress the bushings enough....bit it didnt make a difference in the noise.

What do you mean the illuminas dont fit the tophat? Is this a problem?