rear shock orientation
 

Just wanted to double check as the WSM is silent on this. is the rear shock fitted so that the larger gap between the piston and the mounting hole is nearest to the hub carrier i.e. the shock assembly then angles outwards and away from the hub carrier? I'm doing one side at a time so I have a reference and that is how the other side looks but I just wanted to make sure its not been fitted incorrectly before (like the rest of the car) Thanks

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...55c4709d2b.jpg

Is there a white paint spot on the shock just above the mounting eye? If so it should face towards rear.

If you get it wrong, you will see that it doesn't line up with the LCA, and the pin could never go thru...then just twist the body.

There is no L/R, just the body orientation.

Ah I was wondering what that meant! Thanks

From what I have read, it's possible to get the pin in with the shock backwards. It takes a lot of effort, but it can be done.

The pin will be impossible to get out, and will need to be cut if this is done.

I did mine over the winter, and if you look closely and carefully, it's apparent which way they go.
The pin should go through reasonably easily.

This WSM diagram isn't as obvious as it should be, but you want the shock tilting rearward.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...bb71d873cb.jpg

Also, the weld will be closest to the rear.

Thanks all. The reason I had my doubts is that the pin was indeed frozen solid and no amount of heat, hammering, penetrating fluid or pressing would move it. I ended up having to cut off the old shock and then slice through the pin to extract it.

Oh and by the way once you get the threaded sleeve off the old shock (again I cut the old shock and drifted it off) you might find the nut is frozen solid and wont move. No amount of heat or soaking in a penetrating oil would shift it. what did work in the end was to soak the sleeve and nut in a mild hydrochloric acid solution for 20 mins or so and it came off with minimal effort. Not sure how diluted the acid should be as its sold here in the UK premixed as a brick & mortar cleaner. needless to say its nasty stuff so wear old clothes, gloves, protective eyeware and do it outdoors.

This is interesting- over the years I have seen many threads about folks unable to release the pin and now we read of this. My new units we mounted by the local agents in years gone by - we live and learn!

Leaves me wondering if some/all those seized units were because of this rather than corrosion as was postulated. I had my rear units off the car a couple of years ago when I did the upper rear link bushes and decided to check out everything I could. It was clear that the units had to go back in a fixed position and I put that down to the top mounting bolt orientation. The pins slid out very easily and I used some copper slip when replacing them.

Never spotted the damper axis being off square but then again was not looking for such either!

When I had my Bilsteins refurbished by a dealer, one came back not meeting WSM test about compression limit. Took it back, and their excuse was the angle of the eye not being square. Also note the top mount is NOT symmetrical! Caught me out.
jp 83 Euro S AT 57k

Yeah, I remembered this after I posted the other day.

The three studs at the top that go into the body are not symmetrical. They only go in 'clocked' one way.

Kind of like the bottom of the shock, if you know it's there and look for it, you can see it.
If not, you can fight it for a while before you realize what's going on.