Shock absorber replacement/fitment guide

[Russler]

hi all, I have ordered some Bilstein B4's to replace my tired leaking shocks and fancy fitting them myself (Ed China says its easy )

 

I have had a look on the forum for a fitment guide or Haynes manual but cant find a thing? does anyone have any tips on specific tools needed i.e how do I undo the topmount nut as it is buried and looks like a swan neck spanner is required however I cant seem to fit the one I have in the hole! 

 

Any help or advice is really appreciated

 

Thanks,

Russ

[ChrisRs]

If you don't get anywhere can I suggest you ring Al @ Awesome GTi

Very knowledgable and will help I'm sure

[dohboy78]

Rears are a damn sight easier than the rears.

SNH fitted mine for me. Had a friking nightmare getting one of the fronts in. The anti-roll bar kept getting in the way.

My advice... Find someone who has done it before.

[dohboy78]

With the fronts we dropped the whole shock assembly with top mount out. Then separated once detached.

[Russler]

Rears are a damn sight easier than the rears.

SNH fitted mine for me. Had a friking nightmare getting one of the fronts in. The anti-roll bar kept getting in the way.

My advice... Find someone who has done it before.

This was the response I feared! My bro will be helping me and he has done it on a couple of his cars (all French though!)

I really want to try it myself

[dohboy78]

It's doable... But be prepared for a battle and give yourself plenty of time.

B4s are nice shocks. Got them on mine with 55mm drop H&Rs!

[Russler]

I will be running the standard springs (as long as they are not fubared!) my issue is how do I undo the topmount nut as it is hidden....

[dohboy78]

Undo the top mount by undoing the 3 smaller bolts in engine bay. Then drop whole lot out and separate once out.

[Russler]

Undo the top mount by undoing the 3 smaller bolts in engine bay. Then drop whole lot out and separate once out.

awesome, thanks

[dohboy78]

You should drop it a few mm... Some nice Eibachs or H&Rs??

[dohboy78]

Have you got new top mounts??

[Russler]

Nah I like the ride height/comfort and dont want to drop it....yes it looks cool but is not practical (I Live on a farm)

 

I dont have new top mounts but they were replaced in March this year so should be all good right?

[dohboy78]

No worries. Would of thought your top mounts should be all good.

[brad1.8T]

It's the same as a Golf GTI.  There are a million how-to guides out there.

 

Your top-mounts will be fine

 

At the front:

You'll need a spreader tool to remove the strut from the hub.  You can make one by grinding flats on a 8mm bolt shaft.

 

I usually leave the driveshaft nut in place & undo the 3 ball joint fasteners & push the lower control arm as far down as possible - this allows the hub to drop enough to remove the strut.

 

It takes about 45mins per side to do the R&R but if you haven't done it before & haven't got a half decent tool kit, allow 2 hrs/side.  A rattle gun & long sockets is essential but you can get away without the triple-square sockets - especially if you have rattle-gun & vice grips.

 

The rears are ridiculously easy.  30m/side is ample

[Russler]

It's the same as a Golf GTI.  There are a million how-to guides out there.

 

Your top-mounts will be fine

 

At the front:

You'll need a spreader tool to remove the strut from the hub.  You can make one by grinding flats on a 8mm bolt shaft.

 

I usually leave the driveshaft nut in place & undo the 3 ball joint fasteners & push the lower control arm as far down as possible - this allows the hub to drop enough to remove the strut.

 

It takes about 45mins per side to do the R&R but if you haven't done it before & haven't got a half decent tool kit, allow 2 hrs/side.  A rattle gun & long sockets is essential but you can get away without the triple-square sockets - especially if you have rattle-gun & vice grips.

 

The rears are ridiculously easy.  30m/side is ample

Thanks Brad, have managed to get a buzz gun and have a fairly comprehensive tool kit so fingers crossed it will be all good!

[Russler]

https://www.dropbox.com/sc/q99h2ytgm44wnlm/AACpqGC8xRCUzmyXE-n7s8GNa

They have arrived

[KnightRider007]

Hi

 

When I go over a speed bump my front end will bounce a couple of times, does this mean I have bad shocks?

[Guest]

I have tried several times to take a short cut and not remove the driveshaft nut when replacing front springs, every time I always had to remove it and slip the driveshaft free of the hub otherwise there wasn't enough clearance to lift the strut free of the hub.

 

IIRC the driveshaft jams on the wishbone before the hub can be removed from the strut.

 

For all the hassle involved, remove the driveshaft nut, the driveshafts are secured inboard unlike some French types so won't drop out and spill all your gearbox oil.

 

Try to have both fronts off the ground simultaneously to make dealing with the anti roll bar easier.

 

As previously posted, it's a simple job with the most important tool being spring compressors.

 

The hub needs to be spread to free the strut, the strut has a small fin which locates in the hub, bear this in mind when you try to spread the hub as you may well hinder your progress by jamming things with whatever you use to spread the hub.

 

TBH I found this was the hardest part until I made a spreader (I've a post on here detailing it).

 

If you're not overly concerned with the old dampers, once you've compressed the spring, move the bump stop to allow access to the uppermost part of the rod and wrap a bit of thick card around it and secure with strong self locking grips then hit the nut with an impact wrench. Sometimes a ring spanner isn't available and/or the strut Allen keyway is rounded from rust. If you're careful you shouldn't damage the chrome surface.

 

Undo all the lower fittings first so you can use a bit of force to free the hub from the strut while it's still attached to the car then remove the 3 upper bolts and remove the assembly.

 

I think I've covered most of it!

 

An intimidating prospect until you've done it once then it's easy, just take your time and don't go ape**** with a big hammer.

 

Holy crapolla talk about necropost, I never even thought to check the date.

 

Hopefully somebody will find the info useful.

Edited 1 October, 2018 by MicMac

[Guest]

@KnightRider007

 

Signs point to yes.

 

Open the bonnet and push down on an inner structural part and see how the suspension rebounds.

 

It should return to rest in one stroke with no clicking, scooshing or other strange noises.

 

I'd refrain from bouncing on the outer wings, they're liable to dent easily.

[MetalMedic]

I'm looking at doing this myself, on the driver's side to get to the top mount, need to remove the plastic covering it but do you need to remove the windscreen wiper? Seems the wiper is stopping the plastic coming off to get to the top mount. Might be a silly question I know but this is a big undertake and step up for my novice skills 😅

[Guest]

For ease of access it's best to remove the scuttle cover.

 

1. Pop wiper retaining nut plastic covers off.

 

2. Remove nuts and wipers (you may require a puller) noting blade position on windscreen-mark with sticky tape.

 

3. Pull rubber scuttle cover trim/seal away and lift scuttle cover out.

[MetalMedic]

Scuttle cover! That's what its called. I did notice what I assumed to be a plastic cover over where a nut or bolt would be holding the wiper arm in. Cool need to find something small enough to pop it off with. 

 

Thanks for you help!