schwank

I have had this shock on my race car for barely over a year. Currently I am trying to do some suspension tweaks ahead of a corner balance coming up soon.

I am trying to assemble the front right shock and when trying to attach the springs and camber plates the shock compresses and does not come back out at all without assistance. That just does not seem right to me. I can not get things back together as the shock just compresses whenever I try to put the camber plates onr. FWIW I run adjustable ride height with 450lb springs and helpers. I ran all last year with 350's and only one weekend to date with the 450's.

Is it toast? Do I need to add a shock to my list of other randoms to buy?

JohnKoaWood

Mine were slow when new, but still extended them selves... does it still dampen?

Travis - sflraver

The extension when compressed is because of the gas inside. This has nothing to do with the function of the shock. As long as they show resistance when compressed / rebounded, they are still good. Lacking the compressed gas does show the outer seal is giving way but that should not effect the shock itself since it will be hard for the fluid to escape from the top where that seal is located. When you start seeing a gap in the compressed / rebound resistance, then it is time to have them rebuilt or replaced.

schwank

Maybe I have not had enough coffee yet Travis... what is a 'gap in the compressed / rebound resistance'?

The shock offers some resistance to compression but not as much as I would expect. It then just stays compressed in the body. I can pull it out slowly with some resistance... if this is what you describe.

However due to the ease with which it compresses, there is no way I can get a 450lb spring, with a helper, and a camber plate on top. The camber plate is a tight fit over the threads on the top so as soon as I try to get it on the shock compresses. I have not had this issue in the past when assembling these shocks.

I know 450 is at the top of the spring range... any chance I blew it out? If so I probably need to find another solution. I just don't want to pay good money for a corner balance and then have to take it all back apart again. Thanks!

Travis - sflraver

Me, being me, I took apart a Koni front strut some years ago. I blew the damn thing thru the ceiling of the shop.
A call to Koni and I was told all about how they work. The gas inside is only to push the shaft out and has no effect on the shocks function. I was told exactly how much fluid to put back into the shock before assembling it again.
Because there was no gas inside the shock it would not stay fully extended on its own but it would damp exactly how it was supposed to. Resistance going down and coming up. What you do not want is resistance to a point in the travel then a "gap" where it falls or rises easily. This would mean that there is not the correct amount of fluid in the shock.

I hope this helps. I was in the middle of something last night when I posted that and I could have been clearer.

67King

I used to think the same thing, but apparently I was mistaken. FWIW, a set of LEDA's I have does the same thing. One was rebuilt, and when I picked it up from Racer's Edge, it was compressed. I had to pull on it to extend it (again, this was a newly rebuilt strut). I wouldn't sweat it, as long as the car rebounds, and stops (as opposed to continuing to go up and down a few more times) when you push down on a bumper, and let go.

schwank

Alrighty then... it does indeed have compression resistance so sounds like it is ok. Just never noticed this behavior before. I will try to find some way to get it together again. Thanks gents!

bader$

The gas also prevent aeration of the fluid under aggressive use.