Lift Help! Mudd/Tjkj..... Anyone

JeepFreak091580 · **Posted:** Mon Aug 08, 2011 12:25 pm

Just installed my BDS kit with new front Bilstien struts. The BDS kit comes with a front strut relocation bracket to use the orignal struts, but i replaced them with bilsteins anyways... I got everything on and it rides great on the road/speedbumps/country roads ect... But when I am going downhill and coming to the bottom about to go back up the hill both sides of my front end makes a banging sound as my suspension compresses to absorb the change in the road. This also happends when i drop of from a curb or hit a pothole.. I havnt yet noticed it while hitting a bump.. It very well could do the same thing. It sounds like a big knock as if the struts were being compressed and bottoming out. It could also be the front end extending after the being compressed and maxing out the other way... I also thought it might be my UCA hitting the bumpstop? Or maybe its hitting something somthing else...These are the possibilities I have come up with... Note: I have not replaced my stock bumpstops yet because they are on order.... I figure my struts have to have more travel compressed then the travel between the UCA and bumpstop so i find it hard to believe the strut is bottomign out.. On top of that to compress my 435 pound spring that far on pretty much normal driving conditions...Please Help before I break somthing! If this is confusing or im not making sense ill try to clear it up.. its hard to explain.

tommudd · **Posted:** Mon Aug 08, 2011 12:31 pm

Are you sure you installed all of the bushings back in plus torqued the upper nut to specs when you tightened the top nut on the shocks?
Depends on the "bump" you are going over but you could be compressing the front shocks enough to hit.
Also did you make sure to tighten the top plate good, only tighten the sway bar links after it was back on the ground?
I know lots of questions but just thinking through what you may have missed or overlooked already

JeepFreak091580 · **Posted:** Mon Aug 08, 2011 12:44 pm

This was my first time ever doing a lift...
Also I did not have to easiest time installing the front end so there is a possibility of messing up.
Tightened the top plate to the body? Yes used an air ratchet...
I dont think i missed any bushings... If you can explain how many and how they go i could tell you if i did it wrong...possibility because that could be the problem.
I also didnt know the nut had to be tightend to specs?? what would that do...
and i acutally didnt even touch the sway bar during installation....hmm

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Mon Aug 08, 2011 8:26 pm

Yeah sounds like your bottoming the front shocks out which will damage them pretty fast.

You'd be supprized how often in just normal daily driving you hit the bumpstops and why OTT spacer lifts and coil lifdts without extended bumpstops ruin shocks.

RED_KJ_666 · **Posted:** Mon Aug 08, 2011 10:50 pm

It's possible your Upper Ball Joints are loose. Also check for the spring hitting against the chassis.

kjon · **Posted:** Tue Aug 09, 2011 9:58 am

Could be anything listed above. I'd start by ensuring you tightened everything to spec. For the sake of everyone else on the road, you shouldn't touch the front end without ensuring things get tightened properly... Google liberty torque specs- All the specs are on a wiki page. I had new tires put on by sears a month er so ago (will never give them a dime again, but that's a real long story). When I went to retorque my lugs after 100 miles (like you're supposed to, but only a fraction do...) I could unthread at least one lug per wheel with my fingers! They used an air ratchet and no torque measuring device to put the lugs on- I watched... Honestly, I'd take it to a pro to make sure your install was legit. Should be cheap to just have them go over everything you did. Ya might even learn something!

JeepFreak091580 · **Posted:** Tue Aug 09, 2011 2:14 pm

Ok ill make a checklist and go through them all... Can someone that has installed bilstein front struts give me a diagram or give me a rundown of how everything mounts inside the coil in order. I know i mounted the whole assembly right to the body and the clevis... But i might of messed up with the hardware that comes with the struts...

Is it wierd that I didnt disconnect the sway bar links to install my lift???
Is that a good thing or bad thing.... I really didnt need to so i didnt

Also shouldnt my struts have more travel then the a arm to my bumpstop?? I didnt install new ones because I figured my struts would never bottom out becuase the travel length and how heavy my coils are...

Checklist

1. Make sure everything is bolted down tight
2. Tighten top nut on plate to specs
3. Make sure coil isnt hitting the frame
4. Check if upper ball joints are loose
5. Check if bumpstop hits.

Does anyone else have any imput...I really think it has to do with my struts bottoming out because both sides do it when the suspension is comressed equally. Also one side does it alone if only one wheel is compressing....

It has only happend twice and the second time was on purpous to show somebody what was happening. It wont do it on 90% of normal driving conditions.

tommudd · **Posted:** Tue Aug 09, 2011 2:31 pm

Install Teraflex bumpstops first

JeepFreak091580 · **Posted:** Tue Aug 09, 2011 5:28 pm

Just got off the phone with Marlin over in Pa. What a nice guy! Got my bumpstops on order now.. He agreed that was my problem. I will go over everything else to make sure everything is right. Im also going to get hockey pucks for the back...My lift is a 2 inch. I need 2 hockey pucks per side right? And i just drill them into the bottom of the rubber that the spring sits on? Also can someone give me some direction on how to instal bumpstops.. It seems pretty simple but i'm about done with screwing up :banghead:

slipmo · **Joined:** Sun Apr 10, 2011 12:35 pm **Posts:** 6

Yeah, mine also makes a very noticeable clunk, when the front wheels drop. I have a 3" coil lift, and OME shocks to suit.
I would be very interested to hear about the difference after u install the extended bump stops, as it sounds like I need to do the same thing.

anyway cheers from Oz

tommudd · **Posted:** Tue Aug 09, 2011 6:51 pm

Pretty simple to install the rear bump stops / hockey pucks. Yes you'll need two per side, find the center of the spring pad and drill a hole through it. Then using a 2.25 or 2.50 inch long bolt with nut / lock washer on the bottom, bolt them down. Right angle drill makes it easier to drill. Can't mess it up too bad. :roll:

JeepFreak091580 · **Posted:** Tue Aug 09, 2011 7:58 pm

If your hearing the same clunk I would recommend looking into it fast. Marlin said i could bend the rod or break the seal at the bottom by bottoming the strut out. Tom, how do you install front bump stops? I cant really tell just by looking at it. I also got 2.5 inches of lift... I guess i might need 3 hockey pucks per side...

JeepinJarhead03 · **Posted:** Tue Aug 09, 2011 9:12 pm

pull the old ones out with a screw driver then put some lith grease or something in the sockets, then use a 2x4 or your hands and shove them in

tommudd · **Posted:** Tue Aug 09, 2011 10:11 pm

JeepFreak091580 wrote:

If your hearing the same clunk I would recommend looking into it fast. Marlin said i could bend the rod or break the seal at the bottom by bottoming the strut out. Tom, how do you install front bump stops? I cant really tell just by looking at it. I also got 2.5 inches of lift... I guess i might need 3 hockey pucks per side...

2 per side is fine, unless you are running 8 inch wheels which may tear the rear flares off.

and the way jarhead stated will work great just take your time, helps sometimes to put some dishwashing detergent or other substance on it first

JeepinJarhead03 · **Posted:** Wed Aug 10, 2011 8:41 pm

KY lube works too.. cept.. then ya spend 20 mins tryin to pick it back up after the first time you drop it..

tommudd · **Posted:** Wed Aug 10, 2011 10:30 pm

But people question when you have that in the garage jarhead!!!
Don't ask how I know......... :oops:

JeepinJarhead03 · **Posted:** Fri Aug 12, 2011 1:26 am

people learn not to ask questions .. lest they get demonstrations

ridenby · **Posted:** Fri Aug 12, 2011 2:09 am

With out proper bumpstops you will F some stuff up. please believe me on this.

JeepFreak091580 · **Posted:** Sat Aug 20, 2011 12:47 pm

Well i guess im a little to late. I just got my bumpstops in this morning and installed them and when i was looking Undewr the strut all i see is green grease everywhere!!! :banghead:

So it looks like i broke the seal of my strut from normal driving condition... Will someone confirm this???

Anyways so now i have to start the installation over... will someone please give me a diagram or a rundown on how to assemble the front struts just to make sure im clear this time.. Im gonna be using bilstein front struts again.. The front struts came with 3 rubber bushings and two metal washers per side... I also have a BDS kit so im using the relocation bracket...

I also noticed that my passenger side spring (the side that the strut is still good) is not seated on the rubber with the end of the spring touching the rubber stopper...can the spring twist away on the rubber pad??

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Sat Aug 20, 2011 10:08 pm

JeepFreak091580 wrote:

Well i guess im a little to late. I just got my bumpstops in this morning and installed them and when i was looking Undewr the strut all i see is green grease everywhere!!! :banghead:

So it looks like i broke the seal of my strut from normal driving condition... Will someone confirm this???

Green grease is a bad CV boot slinging CV grease.Time for a new CV axle,get remaned and not those "new" CV's.

Lift Help! Mudd/Tjkj..... Anyone

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