Bilstein shock help

[Phil Stuart]

Bilsteins

I just put a set of 4 on my '02 yesterday evening and had all the hardware and instructions with them. I guess I was lucky seeing lot's of you didn't receive all the parts. When I first started to read this thread I got worried, but know now I had everything and the install was a fairly good one except for the drivers side front .

On the right rear,I had to remove the sway bar link bolt and push the sway bar link down just a bit so the shock bolt would slide out. Then when I put the new shock back on I installed the bottom bolt the other way so I didn't have to push down on the sway bar link. Seems there's plenty of clearance between the sway bar and the lower shock bolt so I'll leave it like this.



Phil

 

[CIverson]

Sorry if this had already been posted (didn't feel like reading through all of those pages , but Daystar makes Poly bushings for the upper shock mount, they are also the same bushings as used on teh sway bars (for the 94-02's)

 

[damon]

me too....

I've had the bilsteins for about 9 months and 20k miles. I still like the shocks a lot but the truck started making the noises up front, and I noticed the bushings (or lack of. )



Of course my friends at TDR had a 4 page thread on the topic... thanks guys !

 

[CORed]

Couple question

I am going to do this install soon and have two questions that everyone seems to refer to one time or another. I'd like to know more info before I start.



1) Everyone says the drivers side is much more difficult than the passenger side. Is that only because it is more difficult to get at all the bolts on the drivers side due to all the wire looms, etc on that side and not on the passengers? If not, why?



2) Anyone have the part # for the daystar poly bushings that are recommended for the upper mounts on the shocks? Also, and probably more helpful, can they be found at a decent auto parts store or online? Where?



TIA... love the site... been a member for only 9 months and I have already received my $35 back in help / hints / suggestions from you all!!



Steve

 

[Rogue Ram]

CORed, to answer #1, yep, the various lines and hardware make getting around in there a b#$&$!!!. One suggestion, lift the truck up by the body carefully to expand the shock, and it is easier. Just go slow, you will bust your knuckles, so just be prepared.



Don't know anything about the other bushings though.



Good luck,



RR

 

[damon]

drivers side shock

I've seen many mentions of the drivers side shock being tough to remove/install, and I don't know if it's already been said, but a 24" extension on your ratchet or air gun will fit right between the brake lines and wire looms and allow you to access the nuts from above all the mess - and no bloody knuckles



I also jacked the side up that I was working on so you don't have to fight the shock expansion - it is really quite an easy job, maybe an hour for both sides.

 

[damon]

an update to the problem

After my temporary fix wore out and the noise is back, I called Bilstein today and they shared a couple of things.



First, they now have the top rubber grommets in stock - over a hundred of them when I called and they are all of $1. 50 each. It's nice to see something priced reasonably for what it is. So they are shipping me 4 of them today (just in case. )



And just as important, they had identified the reason for the failure. Most guys installed the top hourglass grommet as it was shipped, with the metal sleeve installed in the rubber. This is wrong and does not allow the grommet to seat properly. The proper method is to remove the metal sleeve from the grommet, install the grommet on top of the shock, let the grommet push through the shock tower and seat, then install the sleeve from the top and finally the washer and nut which will bottom out on the sleeve.



Hope this helps for future reference. And I did not read back over all 60+ messages, so sorry if this is redundant.



Damon

 

[tractorface]

Still working

The "Top" bushings I made are still working just fine. I have a little more bushing than a stock set up but have seen no ill effects from this. Anyway Just thought I wiuld update since my last post on the subject was a very long time ago. BTW I really like the Bilsteins and since I bought new tires the truck rides great 121000 and gettin better every day.

YeeHaaOo.

 

[Rogue Ram]

Damon, I'm trying to picture what you are saying is the correct way... ... ..... I can't picture what the diff iswhether the sleeve is put on either inside the grommet or after the grommet is seated. Wouldn't the washer and nut bottom it out on the other washer that sits on top of the shock when the top washer/nut is tightened down???? Just trying to picture this... ... .....



RR

 

[damon]

You'd think it wouldn't make a difference. But according to the tech at Bilstein, if the sleeve is left in before the grommet is seated up through the shock tower, it won't seat properly because the sleeve keeps the grommet from compressing inward enough, and the top washer won't bottom on the sleeve, leaving play.



Being 1 1/2 years ago I don't really remember how I installed mine, and I thought I would recognize it if the grommet didn't seat right, but who knows. I do remember thinking that it was an odd setup at the time.

 

[Rogue Ram]

Hmmm... ... I had to have a shop get my hardware installed after I put the grommets in with NO bushings (weren't supplied). The tech mentioned something about a certain way to do it, so maybe that was what he was up to.



Just this week, developed a CLUNK in both shocks. Took it back in (I'm in a rental with my tools boxed up) and we found the lower shock bolts were loose! Weird. We hit them with an air tool and a torque wrench originally.



Glad it all works now for everyone!



RR

 

[Crowhurst]

After reading all the above thread, I still needed to phone Bilstein tech support to install my set this morning. Thanks to the TDR, the install went easily, after getting a 20 inch extension for my socket set, and jacking-up the front body to assist with installing the front shocks, as advised by the above posts. It took 3 hours for this shadetree mechanic. There were no instructions with the shocks which related to the parts that came with the shocks. The tech support guy says he has suggested to his management that this might be a good idea... ... ... . The shocks come with a large washer, a smaller cupped washer, a rubber bush, a steel sleeve, and a nyloc nut. Anyway, the install order is as follows:-

1. When the front shock, including the upper blue sleeve, is installed with the lower bolt and flag nut (loosely) only, and the shock tower is still off, first place on the top threaded rod the large (about 2 1/2 inch diameter) steel washer.

2. Lubricate the rubber bushing (pictured above in this thread at https://www.turbodieselregister.com/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=650412 ) with silicon, inside and out (I used brake fluid).

3. Push the rubber bush into the hole in the shock tower until the groove in the rubber engages with the steel edge of the hole in the tower. The bush is inserted, small end first, from inside the shock tower, so that, when installed, the larger section of rubber, below the groove, is hidden from view, and the smaller tapered section is visible on top. The photograph shows the correct orientation.

4. Install the tower with its rubber bush over the shock and tighten the 3 nuts to 55 ft pounds.

5. Lubricate the small steel sleeve with silicon, and slide it down over the threaded rod until it disappears into the rubber bush.

6. Place the smaller thin washer, cup edge down, over the threaded rod.

7. Install the nyloc nut loosely onto the threaded rod.

8. Lower the body so that the weight is taken by the wheels.

9. Tighten the lower shock bolt to 100 ft pounds.

10. With two wrenches working against each other at the top of the threaded rod, tighten the top nyloc nut down until it comes hard against the hidden steel sleeve. This ensures the correct pre-load on the top rubber bush.



Nick.

 

[damon]

not again !

I'm tired of this now.



I got the new bushings not even 2 months ago and installed them exactly as Bilstein described. Was heading down some washboard yesterday and the familiar noise was back on the drivers side. Checked the bushings on the top tower, and the rubber above the tower looks like something a rat had chewed up and spit out.



So I don't get it. Some guys have had the Bilsteins for years and never had this issue. I know that they were installed correctly, for the second time, and this time the darn bushing didn't make it 60 days.



Is it something with 4x4's only, towing (13K#) or ???



I need a solution now, as I refuse to put the same in again. Does Rancho use poly bushings with thier front shock ? Or I might just go order the stock bushing setup. I don't remember if they would have worked, but I don't see why not.

 

[Rogue Ram]

Damon,



If they are installed as Crowhurst as written, you shouldn't have the problem. Do you in fact have steel sleeves inside the rubber bushings? Are the rubber bushings installed small side above the shock tower?



The only way they should get chewed is if they are loose... . I agree, the install stuff is cheesy, and the lack of instructions for such expensive shocks is even cheesier.



RR

 

[damon]

they are installed correctly - metal sleeves in from the top after the small side of the rubber pushed through from the bottom side of the tower and seated properly. Large washer on the bottom of the rubber, below the shock tower, and smaller washer on top of the rubber, above the shock tower and bottomed out on the metal sleeve. The locknut was tight and did not loosen. All of this was correct which is why I am at a loss. I even called Bilstein myself on this and posted the correct installation method a while back.

 

[JPittman]

i just talked to Shane at Bilstein about this issue. He told me to install the sleeve from the bottom of the bushing (when it's in the tower) so it will be flush with the bottom of the bushing and the large bottom washer is touching it. Then put the cupped washer on the top and tighten the nut. With the sleeve at the bottom, the nut will compress the upper part of the rubber until the cupped washer comes in contact with the sleeve.

 

[damon]

the funny thing is that Bilstein's answer has been the direction from which the sleeve should be installed. They told me to install the sleeve from the top not 2 months ago. But really, as long as the sleeve is in the bushing and bottoms out on the top of the shock, then the upper washer bottoms out on the sleeve, it's all the same.



There's something more to this issue than the order of the sleeve installation... .

 

[JPittman]

Damon,



I have to agree with you, it shouldn't matter whether the sleeve is installed from the top or the bottom. A couple of weeks ago I called Bilstein before buying them. Another person (not Shane) explained how to install them and mentioned that the rubber bushing and the sleeve is installed from the bottom. After reading your post about the new bushings being damaged, I called Bilstein again, that's when I talked to Shane. After answering my questions I then said something like. . so the sleeve is installed from the top. He said no, install it from the bottom so when the nut is tighten on the washer it will compress the bushing. I installed the rears this past weekend, will install the fronts next weekend and will install the bushing from the bottom... we'll see what happens, will be on a trip the next weekend.



Bilstein, I hope you're reading this and can post the exact instructions to clarify these issues. You have an excellent shock, you should also have exact instructions printed out so your shocks work the way they should.

 

[LFarrar]

one of the things I found troubling was that there are no up bump stops, so shock takes all the load. I raced many years off road and you need both up and down bump stops not rely on the shock to take it all( hear that dc?):-{}

 

[damon]

they may not be reading this thread, but Bilstein is listening. I spoke with a tech today who is sending me some replacement parts - gratis this time. The good thing is that they are not going to be the same old bushings, but instead he is sending me something that they have been testing on race vehicles with the top stud mount like our truck - a 2 piece grommet setup.



I'll let you know what I get, and likewise I promised to let Bilstein know how the install goes and how they hold up over the next few months. I got a strong feeling that at least this person knew they needed a permanent fix for this recurring problem.