Michael Benno

Hey folks, I am in the middle of shock replacement, among other projects, and I have a couple quick questions....

1. when I reinstall the shocks, where should I set the adjustment collars to set the initial ride height. I realize I will need to do the settle the suspension thing after a few miles, but I'm looking for some BTDT guidance on how far up to threat the collars.

2. when I removed my rear shocks I noticed some sticky goo between the chassis and the upper mounting plate. I presume to seal out water. The WSM make no mention of this so I am wondering if I re-apply and which way will be compatible? I was thinking silicone caulk.

3. Is there any part of the suspension i tighten down after I get wheels on the ground, like the link rods to the sway bars?

Mike
88 S4

terry gt

others may give you better answers
1 leave the collars where they were , mine were 1/3 up
2 the goo is to seal water /dust/ noise whatever will work
3 not that I can recall , sway bar links are easer to connect with everything in the air
4 make sure the big pin on the lower rear A arm is put in right with the conical washers going the right way

soontobered84

When I have done shocks in the past, I have always cleaned the threaded collars and the adjustment nut well. I have used antiseize to lube the assembly because it tends to stay and won't wash off easily. It is important to clean each one individually (if you're going to clean) I count the threads and put the adjustment nut in exactly the same place as it was before as a starting place. The antiseize will make it easy to adjust the height later if it needs tweaking.

I've never reapplied the sticky goo to the rear shock assembly. It always seemed to me that there was plenty left to make that seal.

I believe the WSM says to screw the LCA bolts in until only 2 threads are visible and after the car is settled, then torque the LCA bolts. This makes sense due to the bonded rubber on the LCAs needing to be correctly oriented prior to torqueing.

Make sure that the hard plastic dust boots that cover the shock shaft slide easily on the shaft. If they don't, they will disintegrate the first time you hit a hard bump. Don't ask me how I know.

dr bob

^^^ Adding to what the others shared above ^^^

The rear suspension doesn't seem to have the same "settlement" issues that the front suspension enjoys. Getting the ride height set is a lot easier since you can unload the springs by lifting the car a little (if needed) and make your adjustments. The rear collars are pretty easily accessed for adjustment without any lifting.

Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind is that the two rear collars should be set at the same positions when you install. I put a paint mark on the collars so I can count the turns on each as I adjust for ride height. If I adjust NN turns on one, I adjust the same NN turns on the other. Absent access to corner balancing scales, this will give you a reasonable chance of keeping the loading consistent between the two rear springs. There's a horror story available on the effects of not doing this.

The sealing at the top where the assembly connects to the body is a non-hardening body caulk. Besides limiting water intrusion, it also eliminates possible squeaks and grinding noises from the junction, and also noise and possible exhaust gas pass-through into the cabin. I use 3M "Strip Caulk", which comes in preformed strips that you can roll in your hands into a rope shape, then place it on the connecting faces where it will be squeezed out as the three nuts are tightened in the cabin. A single package of strip caulk is a lifetime supply for the average DIY person, so you might try a local body shop to see if they will donate or sell you a few pieces for your project. Else you can get it from any body shop supply or auto paint supplier. Many NAPA stores keep it in stock too. Additional 928 uses are where the fenders mount to the fenderwall, etc.

hacker-pschorr

Rule of thumb with all rubber mounted suspension pieces:

You want the part as close to "neutral" as you can before torquing them down. This applies to every suspension component on every car ever made.

The 928 further complicates things with the settling "issues" up front.

Bottom line, you don't want the rear pieces or front upper arms at full droop when you torque up the fasteners.


It's the front lower rear bolts:
https://rennlist.com/forums/928-foru...lt-torque.html

Nowhere in the WSM does it say to drive around with loose suspension parts (please point out where if I'm wrong).
It says to torque them down once the car is at proper ride height.

This goes along with the WSM procedure for doing a proper alignment which entails lifting the car, checking the components, placing the wheels on the alignment machine then pulling down the chassis to proper ride height.

From the WSM:
"Screw in until only 2 threads are visible. Do not tighten to 120Nm (88 fltb) until assembly is completed and springs have settled"

Michael Benno

Unfortunately, I didn't mark the location of the collars before I removed and cleaned them. So it will be guess work. I purchased some Aluminum based anti seize I'll be using for the threads.

On interesting thing I noticed was it was possible to thread the fronts off the bottom of the collar. That could be catastrophic if you weren't careful. I think I am going to mark the lowest possible position on the shock body as a guide.



@Hacker-Pschorr thanks for the tips on when to tighten things with rubber bushings. So that would obviously apply to the F/R sway bar links and Rear upper control arms. But what do you think about the F lower control arms and the rear lower pivot bolts? I think I will need to find a lift or 4 ramps.

@DrBob, thanks for the tip on 3M Strip Caulk (ordered).

Hoping to start re-assembly tonight!!!

soontobered84

Thanks Hacker for the correction. I'll update my original post to prevent confusion for posterity.