Sorry for the noob question. I've search but couldn't find anything. Those of you how are familiar with Koni shocks, I'm trying to raise it up the car by one notch or perch. I can do it for the front shocks because the spring isn't compressed. (springs are short).
But the back shocks are compressed to the perches. How do I decompress those springs without taking it apart?

Please don't flame when I say this..... can I use a spring compressor? Or is that just used only to remove the springs? Thanks guys

 

You have to take these apart....or simply lower the spring perch, but then you have to keep track of the ride height

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by meb58 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You have to take these apart....or simply lower the spring perch, but then you have to keep track of the ride height</TD></TR></TABLE>

I can't lower the spring perch, the spring is compressed on it. Is it safe to use a spring compressor? anyone else?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 91tegra07 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

I can't lower the spring perch, the spring is compressed on it. Is it safe to use a spring compressor? anyone else?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Jack up the whole rear of the car, and disconnect the rear swaybar. That should let the rear springs dangle freely.

If not, then wow thats some preload. The easiest thing would be to set the car down on the ground, remove the nuts off the top of the rear shock shafts, jack up the rear, and let the shocks fall out of the upper mount as the chassis lifts, releasing the springs.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 91tegra07 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I'm trying to raise it up the car by one notch or perch. I can do it for the front shocks because the spring isn't compressed. (springs are short).
But the back shocks are compressed to the perches. How do I decompress those springs without taking it apart?
can I use a spring compressor? </TD></TR></TABLE>

I've done this without removing the struts. If you have any pre-load (and you definitely should, if not then the springs are poorly engineered or being used incorrectly in the wrong application) then you need to use spring compressors fitted in situ (and upside down so that you're fitting the ratchet to the compressors from beneath). Compress the spring until you can lift the perch slightly higher than the next higher clip groove. Then with the spring and perch lifted, pry out the clip and work it up to and into the higher groove. It's a bit awkward, but it can be done.

Jack both sides of the car up (wheels off the ground) so that the ARB doesn't limit suspension droop (I'd strongly suggest then placing the car on car stands). Fitting the compressors may be problematic if the compresser screw / bolt shafts foul the inside of the strut towers, especially as the spring becomes more compressed and the shafts protrude further upwards.

Be careful!

 

sounds like its going to be much easier to remove the shock and reassemble the proper way.

the rear is even easier to remove than the front. 30 minutes (if you know what youre doing.)

why would you even consider trying to do it while its still in the car....

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Tyson &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">sounds like its going to be much easier to remove the shock and reassemble the proper way.
the rear is even easier to remove than the front. 30 minutes (if you know what youre doing.)
why would you even consider trying to do it while its still in the car....</TD></TR></TABLE>

At least on the CB7 removing the rear struts is a bit of a pain (more so than the front struts), especially once you have them loose and are trying to lift them up and out past the outer edge of the wheelarch while pushing the hub downward with your foot, but maybe I haven't practiced it enough!

At any rate I found adjusting the rear Koni perch height in situ much less of a pain than pulling the whole strut out (then putting it back in which has it's own little pains), it's wasn't all that hard...

 

cb7=!DC

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by johnlear &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
then you need to use spring compressors fitted in situ (and upside down so that you're fitting the ratchet to the compressors from beneath).

</TD></TR></TABLE>

Hey thanks for your help. I'm sorry what do you mean by "fitted in situ"? Can I rent spring compressors from places like "Kregan". How much is it to rent? Thanks again.

 

In Situ - "at the place" in the world of art or Landscape Architecture...but it is a common term in Chemistry/biology. In my world it is meant that some details cannot be developed on a piece of paper, they must found or will be revealed while standing on site, at the place.

I have the very same setup and I cannot imagine doing anything but removing these from the car. ( not in situ) Why on earth would you want to bother with spring compressors in that tight space when all you have to do is remove three bolts? Then you can access all of the parts on a bench and perform the work safely. Also, you should have a special wrench that raises or lowers the spring despite a little load on the spring...there should be enough load to retain the spring at full droop.

 

'In situ', meaning; "in it's original place or position", according to the Britannica dictionary (there are no more specific definitions listed, which I checked for out of curiosity after meb58's post). It's latin, but in such common usage that it didn't cross my mind that might cause any confusion.

The type of spring compressor I'm talking about is the kind that comes as a pair of long 'bolts', each 'bolt' fitted with hooks that fit over the coils. The compressors are fitted each side of the coil and tightened up using a ractchet (the head of each 'bolt' has a 1/2" drive fitting / depression for the ratchet drive). For clearance reasons the compressors need to be fitted 'upside down' to the springs.

These compressors are fairly cheap, I wouldn't bother trying to rent them.


Modified by johnlear at 2:30 PM 2/12/2008

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by meb58 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I have the very same setup and I cannot imagine doing anything but removing these from the car. ( not in situ) Why on earth would you want to bother with spring compressors in that tight space when all you have to do is remove three bolts? Then you can access all of the parts on a bench and perform the work safely. Also, you should have a special wrench that raises or lowers the spring despite a little load on the spring...there should be enough load to retain the spring at full droop. </TD></TR></TABLE>

On my car (CB7) it's just less hassle to do it in situ than to pull and replace the struts. It's quite safe as long as the compressors will fit properly to the spring.

To remove the strut you need to undo the three top nuts, and the lower bolt, which (on the CB7 at least) can be somewhat difficult to refit due to alignment issues with the bolt as it passes through the flanges of the strut and through the rubber bush in the upright (these don't align well with the suspension at full droop).

Also on the CB7 it's awkward to actually remove the strut from the wheelarch even after the strut is fully unbolted and 'free'. You can't manouvre it into a position where it just easily lifts out past the top outer edge of the wheelarch, you need to push the hub downward quite hard with your foot (while balancing on the other) to create enough clearance. This is even with the ARB detached from the suspension, the resistance coming from the rubber bushes in the suspension linkages.