So there are many of us riding on coilovers. From Ark, to Megan, to Racelands, and many others, there are quite a few options out there.
Regardless of which brand you have, a coilover is pretty much a coilover (in overall design) and again, regardless of which brand you have, may have come across noise.
I've put about 12k miles on my Racelands after I installed them earlier this year. I daily drive my Tib so it gets put to use over various road surfaces.
They have been a great purchase, but recently I've been getting some spring "pop" noises in my front driver's side suspension and I wasn't sure what it was about.
I've searched the boards and the net and honestly, I see this problem occurring quite often regardless of brand, with no clear solution. A search here on NT. yielded little as well. So in my ventures I found this, so I figured I'd share it, taken from Megan Racing's website. It was very informative and should apply to most systems out there:
CDK: Why do I hear noise from coilovers?
Megan Racing has designed a minimalist coil-over design that is easy to adjust and tighten, limiting the amount of hardware that may potentially become loose over time. With only a 17mm nut at the very top of the shock shaft to maintain its torque specification aside from the 3 locking spring perches in most applications, there is nothing difficult about diagnosing noise issues with the coil-overs.
The noise that occurs from aftermarket coil-overs are more prevalent on McPherson strut suspension lay-outs since the entire strut assembly moves along with the hub/knuckle and the drive wheels, when the steering wheel is turned by the driver. All of the rotating forces that result from steering is transmitted through the coil-over assembly in a McPhersono strut lay-out, and when combined with the cornering loads on top of the rapid oscillation from bumps and dips in the road, there is no preventative maintenance to keep the shock body and spring perches from getting loose besides regular maintenance which is as simple as checking the coil-overs to make sure they are tight periodically. While it is good practice to do the same for double-wishbone suspension lay-outs, it is not necessary as double-wishbones do not turn the shock body when the steering wheel is turned.
There are two typical noises that result from coil-overs:
1) The first typical noises are commonly described as "rattling" and "clunking."
2) The second typical noise from coil-over assemblies is "coil-bind."
A) "RATTLING" AND "CLUNKING"
The rattling and clunking usually sound like metal-to-metal contact and usually is a sharper, more direct noise. This first issue is caused by loose components of the coil-over assembly. The best way to diagnose this type of noise is to make sure all of the components of the coil-over assembly are tightened.
1) First, you must understand that the entire "coil-over assembly" is built around the shock body-- the lower bracket is threaded onto the threaded shock body, and is locked in place by a single locking spring perch. On the piston shaft of the shock, there is a bumpstop and dust boot. The spring is held in place by two locking perches (locked against each other) on the shock body. Above the spring is the upper spring mount. On top of that is the pillow-ball upper mount, which has the lower and upper pillow-ball bearing surrounding it. The pillow-ball mount is usually incorporated into the top hat, which is what has the studs built in that bolts through the chassis holes. On McPerson strut applications, the pillow-ball mount is mounted onto the camber plate.
2) Now that you are aware of the miscellaneous parts of a coil-over assembly, this first noise is usually caused by either the locking perches on the shock body being loose, or any of the components above the spring, which is all secured in place on the shock shaft by a single 17mm nut. To access the top 17mm nut, you must remove the damper adjustment knob which is simply threaded onto the very tip of the shock shaft.
3) To tighten the 17mm nut, after the removal of the damper adjustment knob, the top of the shock shaft will be exposed. You will notice there is a 6-sided shape within the top of the piston shaft-- this is to be used for a hex tool of the appropriate size. All of our Megan Racing coil-over damper kits come with this hex tool for this very purpose (as well as to tighten the camber plate allen head bolts for strut applications). Using a closed-end wrench along with this hex tool, tighten the 17mm nut. The typical torque specification for an automotive 17mm bolt is about 40-60 lbs/in. This is a good baseline to aim for, but the critical part to take notice of is to make sure that as you are tightening the 17mm bolt, that the shock shaft is not rotating with the nut-- otherwise, the nut is not actually getting tightened. It is also a good safeguard to use an impact gun after the hex tool and wrench were used to assure that the assembly is tightened up to spec.
NOTE: Remember to torque the top 17mm nut at the top of all McPherson struts to 40-60ft/lbs with properly calibrated torque wrench. Improper torque specification can cause the assembly to come loose and cause symptomatic clunking noise, or may damage the threads on the shock shaft when overtorqued. The "crash bolts/eccentric bolts" holding the lower steel bracket onto the knuckle also needs specific torque specs. You will need to follow the OEM torque specifications for these bolts. Your local dealership should have these torque specifications for your particular vehicle. Torque specifications for these bolts are critical to the safe operation of your coil-overs on you vehicle. We recommend you double check these torque specs with the vehicle manufacturer. Please replace the bolts with brand new OEM hardware once torqued down to specification. Due to the nature of these bolts and the excessive loads it experiences, these bolts will stretch after repeated use, rendering the possibility of hardware failure. These are one-time-use only bolts. Failure to do so will void certain warranty applicability.
B.) "COIL-BIND"
Coil-bind is only found on McPherson strut applications due to the nature of the strut design. Coil-bind is a "springy" noise that only occurs at low speeds while turning the wheel. Typically, coil-bind is usually experienced for example when maneuvering at slow speeds in a parking lot, where speeds are low and there are a lot of steering angle inputs. The "springy" noises is distinct from the sharper, more direct noises that occur when the assembly is loose and a component is rattling and clunking around from the miscellaneous loads stressed upon the coil-over assembly.
Many times, coil-bind is difficult to diagnose and fix-- some vehicles experience this moreso than others, and it is not a brand-specific issue. What we have suggested as a coil-bind remedy is to apply grease to the upper and lower spring isolators, also referred to as noise prevention cushions. Grease should also be applied to the lower and upper pillow-ball bearing-- this step may require disassembly of the entire coil-over unit.
The details of the coil-bind remedy are depicted in the following photo:
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Hopefully this will help explain certain noises that may occur and how to address them.
I for one, will be disassembling the upper pillow ball mount on both sides and lube them up. Simply opening the hood and turning the wheel showed me that my passenger side upper bearing is not turning like it should. I guess dust/dirt over time is binding things up.
A lesson learned and another item to add to the maintenance check list. Once I finish mine up, i'll post results here to confirm the results.
Regardless of which brand you have, a coilover is pretty much a coilover (in overall design) and again, regardless of which brand you have, may have come across noise.
I've put about 12k miles on my Racelands after I installed them earlier this year. I daily drive my Tib so it gets put to use over various road surfaces.
They have been a great purchase, but recently I've been getting some spring "pop" noises in my front driver's side suspension and I wasn't sure what it was about.
I've searched the boards and the net and honestly, I see this problem occurring quite often regardless of brand, with no clear solution. A search here on NT. yielded little as well. So in my ventures I found this, so I figured I'd share it, taken from Megan Racing's website. It was very informative and should apply to most systems out there:
CDK: Why do I hear noise from coilovers?
Megan Racing has designed a minimalist coil-over design that is easy to adjust and tighten, limiting the amount of hardware that may potentially become loose over time. With only a 17mm nut at the very top of the shock shaft to maintain its torque specification aside from the 3 locking spring perches in most applications, there is nothing difficult about diagnosing noise issues with the coil-overs.
The noise that occurs from aftermarket coil-overs are more prevalent on McPherson strut suspension lay-outs since the entire strut assembly moves along with the hub/knuckle and the drive wheels, when the steering wheel is turned by the driver. All of the rotating forces that result from steering is transmitted through the coil-over assembly in a McPhersono strut lay-out, and when combined with the cornering loads on top of the rapid oscillation from bumps and dips in the road, there is no preventative maintenance to keep the shock body and spring perches from getting loose besides regular maintenance which is as simple as checking the coil-overs to make sure they are tight periodically. While it is good practice to do the same for double-wishbone suspension lay-outs, it is not necessary as double-wishbones do not turn the shock body when the steering wheel is turned.
There are two typical noises that result from coil-overs:
1) The first typical noises are commonly described as "rattling" and "clunking."
2) The second typical noise from coil-over assemblies is "coil-bind."
A) "RATTLING" AND "CLUNKING"
The rattling and clunking usually sound like metal-to-metal contact and usually is a sharper, more direct noise. This first issue is caused by loose components of the coil-over assembly. The best way to diagnose this type of noise is to make sure all of the components of the coil-over assembly are tightened.
1) First, you must understand that the entire "coil-over assembly" is built around the shock body-- the lower bracket is threaded onto the threaded shock body, and is locked in place by a single locking spring perch. On the piston shaft of the shock, there is a bumpstop and dust boot. The spring is held in place by two locking perches (locked against each other) on the shock body. Above the spring is the upper spring mount. On top of that is the pillow-ball upper mount, which has the lower and upper pillow-ball bearing surrounding it. The pillow-ball mount is usually incorporated into the top hat, which is what has the studs built in that bolts through the chassis holes. On McPerson strut applications, the pillow-ball mount is mounted onto the camber plate.
2) Now that you are aware of the miscellaneous parts of a coil-over assembly, this first noise is usually caused by either the locking perches on the shock body being loose, or any of the components above the spring, which is all secured in place on the shock shaft by a single 17mm nut. To access the top 17mm nut, you must remove the damper adjustment knob which is simply threaded onto the very tip of the shock shaft.
3) To tighten the 17mm nut, after the removal of the damper adjustment knob, the top of the shock shaft will be exposed. You will notice there is a 6-sided shape within the top of the piston shaft-- this is to be used for a hex tool of the appropriate size. All of our Megan Racing coil-over damper kits come with this hex tool for this very purpose (as well as to tighten the camber plate allen head bolts for strut applications). Using a closed-end wrench along with this hex tool, tighten the 17mm nut. The typical torque specification for an automotive 17mm bolt is about 40-60 lbs/in. This is a good baseline to aim for, but the critical part to take notice of is to make sure that as you are tightening the 17mm bolt, that the shock shaft is not rotating with the nut-- otherwise, the nut is not actually getting tightened. It is also a good safeguard to use an impact gun after the hex tool and wrench were used to assure that the assembly is tightened up to spec.
NOTE: Remember to torque the top 17mm nut at the top of all McPherson struts to 40-60ft/lbs with properly calibrated torque wrench. Improper torque specification can cause the assembly to come loose and cause symptomatic clunking noise, or may damage the threads on the shock shaft when overtorqued. The "crash bolts/eccentric bolts" holding the lower steel bracket onto the knuckle also needs specific torque specs. You will need to follow the OEM torque specifications for these bolts. Your local dealership should have these torque specifications for your particular vehicle. Torque specifications for these bolts are critical to the safe operation of your coil-overs on you vehicle. We recommend you double check these torque specs with the vehicle manufacturer. Please replace the bolts with brand new OEM hardware once torqued down to specification. Due to the nature of these bolts and the excessive loads it experiences, these bolts will stretch after repeated use, rendering the possibility of hardware failure. These are one-time-use only bolts. Failure to do so will void certain warranty applicability.
B.) "COIL-BIND"
Coil-bind is only found on McPherson strut applications due to the nature of the strut design. Coil-bind is a "springy" noise that only occurs at low speeds while turning the wheel. Typically, coil-bind is usually experienced for example when maneuvering at slow speeds in a parking lot, where speeds are low and there are a lot of steering angle inputs. The "springy" noises is distinct from the sharper, more direct noises that occur when the assembly is loose and a component is rattling and clunking around from the miscellaneous loads stressed upon the coil-over assembly.
Many times, coil-bind is difficult to diagnose and fix-- some vehicles experience this moreso than others, and it is not a brand-specific issue. What we have suggested as a coil-bind remedy is to apply grease to the upper and lower spring isolators, also referred to as noise prevention cushions. Grease should also be applied to the lower and upper pillow-ball bearing-- this step may require disassembly of the entire coil-over unit.
The details of the coil-bind remedy are depicted in the following photo:
Hopefully this will help explain certain noises that may occur and how to address them.
I for one, will be disassembling the upper pillow ball mount on both sides and lube them up. Simply opening the hood and turning the wheel showed me that my passenger side upper bearing is not turning like it should. I guess dust/dirt over time is binding things up.
A lesson learned and another item to add to the maintenance check list. Once I finish mine up, i'll post results here to confirm the results.