Apparently seized rear Bilstein

[TomB]

Please help before I send a torque wrench through the windscreen.

 

I am nearing the end of a rear end rebuild. I took the dampers off this morning to re-fit the roll bar and I think they were fine.

 

Upon reassembly, i find the RHS rear damper wont compress, no matter how hard I squash it or bang it with a lump hammer. There is no flex in the RHS rear suspension. What on earth has happened in the 6 hours since I removed it and how can i fix it? Does it need to go off to Bilstein for repair, or am I looking at new dampers?

 

Just absolutely fed up with the car atm. I thought I was going to be able to go blatting tomorrow with other 7s. It was going so well. I only had to put the rear arches on. I started at 9am this morning and now this.

 

🙆🏻 🙆🏻

[Richard Price]

Tom,

Are you certain that it is solid?

When you say it won't compress at all, is that with it on or off the car?

Do you have adjustable platforms, has the top springs platform slipped off the seat at the top eye?

Do both spring/damper assemblies look the same?

Do you have clearance all around each assembly. I can't remember quite how it all goes together and my car's 10 miles away so I can't go and look. Have you missed a spacer out or something?

[TomB]

>Are you certain that it is solid?

Yes

>When you say it won't compress at all, is that with it on or off the car?

Both- jacked it from the de dion - no flex in RHS suspension. Also had all my body weight on it on the floor - solid as a rock

> Do you have adjustable platforms, has the top springs platform slipped off the seat at the top eye?

They are adjustable, dont know if anything had slipped. I cant turn the spring on the damper like I can with the LHS unit

>Do you have clearance all around each assembly

Clearance is fine, its the unit that appears to be locked

 

I was wondering if being removed from the car it could have been extended too far leadig to it jamming?

 

Happy Christmas Richard!!

 

[TomB]

If it needs refurbishing, what are my options? Havnt found any local speciallists in Yellow Pages. Does Bilstein have a UK factory/ refurb facility?

 

Do people even bother refurbing - how much would a new rear pair cost?

[Richard Price]

I cant turn the spring on the damper like I can with the LHS unit

 

Tom,

this sounds like the spring may be under compression. Have you measured the eye to eye length of the dampers at full droop, and the coresponding spring length?

[Miraz]

Are you sure it is the damper?

 

if you overtighten the trailing arm/watts link then you can immobilise the suspension fairly effectively.

[TomB]

Miraz, this was the first thing I thought of - all the nuts were untorqued, but still there was no movement in the suspension. Removal of the damper confirmed that the problem was the damper assembly as it is solid.

 

I havnt emasured the length of damper/ spring versus the unloaded LHS unit. Job for tomorrow. I might take the unit round to Kwik Fit in the morning in the hope someone might know something about spring/ damper assemblies.

 

I have thought of finding a spring compressor/ G Clamp to compress the spring & get it off the damper so I can see if anything has turned & is getting stuck.

 

[LancasterBob]

Been thinking about your damper problem whilst in the pub (which has become a much nicer place to be as of tonight )

 

Could the piston barrel be corroded where the piston doesn't normally travel i.e. region of full extension. You removed all load, the piston setlled to its fully extended position where coroded surface might be preventing it from shifting.

 

How much travel can you get on the un-affected unit by squishing it with your weight? Is it a noticable amount? Maybe you need to apply some leverage to the thing to get it moving.

 

Off to get some shut eye - leaving here at 7 tommorrow morning! See you monday, enjoy you're drive up!

 

1400 Supersport with much improved aerodynamics (25% complete)