C4S993

Actually I didn't tell the whole story, after I got the fronts done I test drove it and was happy with the improvemnt up front. However, and I have noticed this before if I leave the car sit for a few days, the three warning brake related lights stay lite: ABD, ABS and Brake Pad sensor. When I installed the front shocks, I disconnected the two wires (small ground wire that is near the speed sensor, pad sensor wires (I renewed them). I bleed the front brake system and yet I still get all three warning lights. In the past they went out after I drove out of the driveway, now not-so.
Is there a RE-SET process of some sort now ??

I am in big doodoo on the rears.

I by mistake did not get underneath using the auto store two ramps (hard plastic) and loosen that Control Arm adjuster bolt's 18mm nut which requires the heater tube to be unbolted and moved out of the way. And I should not have punched the shock's lower Cantrol Arm eyelet bolt out as now I cannot get it back in !!!

Naturally the car cannot be driven.

I too have problems getting the $40 auto store jack to lift the rear high enough for me to get under the car.

What I should have done in hindsight is first loosen that Control Arm nut.

Patrick

PS: My friend will help me as I try to lift the rear higher and highe. And I will yank the rears out.

Up front one of the 8 shock tower 13mm bolts feels a tad stripped but I am done with the fronts.

EckFe1

One thing that comes to my mind about the front dome flange bearings (shock tower) is to check how they turn. Mine were shot. I found out that there is no replacement bearing to buy. I had to get 2 new flanges that are pretty expensive.
So if they're a bit rough, don't reinstall them, for your own safety.
Once I torque everything down, I always use torque seal, just a bit of piece of mind. So I can always look at the marks, especially in the rear with the sway bar links, that nothing moved.
That's how I roll anyways.
Ed

C4S993

Thanks for the info. We just got one of the rear shocks out, the trick was to move that metal heater pipe out of the way of the Camber Control Arm Adjuster NUT 18mm side and then I could break loose that 18mm nut and get the Control Arm itself to loosen up and allow the re-entry into the Shocks lower eyelet. The metal heater pipe is held by a 10mm nut on an allen bolt (5mm). Once off that pipe can be lifted up and out of the way of the 18mm nut.

The shock dropped after much physical motion of it by two people !

I am not familiar with the dome-flange-bearings you are referring to regarding the upper shock's so called "hat".
I am installing new PSS10 and I only need to install two original pieces, the metal collar (upper part) and the 4 nut (13mm) rubber piece which lacked a paint mark to indicate it's positioning (of couse).

I'll post a picture of the rear shock "hat" later this afternoon.

Patrick

C4S993

First pic is of the light alloy heater tube that is fouling the placemnet off a 18mm socket on the rear Control Arm Camber Nut. (nut off in this picture).
http://www.digitalcollage.com/DressageVideos/hat2.jpg
Second pic is of the rear shock "hat".
http://www.digitalcollage.com/DressageVideos/hat1.jpg

Warpig

I wouldn't have even attempted this with the Porsche jack or without a floor jack. I have a floor jack, trouble is I have one designed for a "normal car" not a go kart With the jack fully compressed sitting on a 2 x 12 it's too tall to fit under any jacking points in the rear at all. Without the 2 x 12 jacked all the way up as high as it will go was not high enough to get jack stands under the rear lift points. I considered buying a different jack at the time but wanted to do a little research on a safe (prefer non Chinese) , low profile high lift jack before I spent money on a new jack. But I wanted the project finished and the additional labor I was quoted to have the rears done for me was reasonable considering I was to take it there anyway immediately after the install to have ride height adjusted corner balancing & 4 wheel alignment anyway. Keep in mind the PO had the car VERY low. I actually had it RAISED to ROW height because I didn't like the bump steering on the rear I was getting when hitting a bump in the road.

Nick

C4S993

I agree with you Nick, I got the Lowe's jack under the rear but only after I ran the front onto a pair of those hard plastic ramps.

An hour ago I botched the 5mm bolt and 10mm nut that holds the left side heater tube. I needed to
get that bolt off so I would have better access to place a 18mm socket onto the left side rear Control Arm Camber adjustment nut. So latter this week it will be plan B, try and loosen the above noted bolt first.

Patrick

berni29

Hi

Just a reminder to say that when you fully torque the suspension back up to make sure to do it with the full weight of the cars on the wheels. So car on ramps for instance. if you tighten at full droop and then lower the car back down all the bushes will be twisted and you will damage them. Not straight away but soon enough. Plus the car may well sit at the wrong height for the same reason (bushes under tension).

Berni

Berni

Warpig

Cool... Glad I torqued everything with her on the ground. Also had the Shop that did the rears verify all the torque settings on all fours. Just to be sure

Nick

C4S993

Thanks Berni, I put the Chris red bushings on the fronts and torqued them not fully loaded as I assume the Control Arm will rotate without affecting the plastic bushings ? Not sure how anyone can torque to proper settings the front lower Control Arm Ball Joint (18mm) as there is no room to put a socket on it; at least on my 1996 C4S.

On the rear, I assume, that the drop links can be torqued under load when the links are straight downward and when they are I think (?) not stressed from the stabilizer bar ?

Any idea how the top rear shock hat should sit ? There is a beefer portion of the "hat" and then an area that slopes. which area should face the rear of the car's seats ?

Thanks,
Patrick

berni29

Hi

With the polyeurethane bushes the inner sleeve rotates in the bush so you do not have to worry about the car being on the ground. Its with the original type bonded rubber bushes you have to do that because the sleeve cannot slip inside the bush.

Berni

C4S993

Thanks Berni. How would you go about setting up the stock rear drop links ? My new PSS10 kit came with new drop links. I see the point they attach to the new shocks is adjustable as far as rotation and height. I also see the sway bar is adjustable in a sense as well. I assume I could attach the links in such a position that at minimal load (car off jacks in the garage) the links would have no tension (?) and would point straight downward. Thus, I assume, when I drive the car the links would be "worked" on uneven roads and while sitting at a red light the links, and the sway bar they are attached to, would be at rest ?

Patrick

matt777

There is only torsion in the sway bar when one side moves in relation to the other. When assembling, the drop links should go into the sway bar easily with both wheels are off the ground.

You need to lock the sway bar mount in place at the location that creates the correct geometry of the link/sway bar/mount correctly. Its hard to describe but a little more obvious when you look at it. There are some good pics somewhere in old posts. When you lock the drop link mount use a punch and a hammer to tighten the nut. I found that even with double nutting (nut under the mount) the right side came loose just using the wrenches to tighten.

If you are lowering the car below ROW Sport you will have to watch the sway bar clearance. Just look at it loaded and unloaded. IIRC the minimum clearance is unloaded but I could be wrong there.

C4S993

Thanks Matt,

Today I want to take the rear sway bar off as I have the right rear stock shock off and need to put the new PSS10 shock on the right rear and then move the car in the garage so I can better attack the left rear stock shock and replace it as well with a new PSS10. Hopefully, moving the car maybe 10 feet with the sway bat off won't damage anything. Long story, but as it is parked now I cannot get the old left rear shock off but the old right rear shock is off.

Patrick

C4S993

I bought and installed the PSS10 kit on my 1996 C4S:
Part number on box: F4-GM5-D268-H1


FRONTS: I set the fronts to the upper limit of the noted 120mm-140mm range as measured between the front's new PSS10's top of the two lock collars and the middle of the shock's upper camber eyelet; the latter hole is racetrack-oval-ish to allow for camber movement during alignment versus the lower shock eyelet which is pure-round.
http://digitalcollage.com/DressageVideos/IMG_0751.jpg

REARS: Here is where things get troublesome (for me). I set the rears to the upper limit of the instruction's noted 195-210mm range as measured between the top of the upper two locking collars and the middle of the shock's lower toe-arm bolt hole. The kit supplies two new rear drop-links which appear shorter than the old originals.
http://digitalcollage.com/DressageVideos/IMG_0759.jpg

Also, the instructions note that the rear's drop link so called, "Perch" should be set at 175mm as measured from the top of the Perch's lock collar to the middle of the shock's toe arm bolt hole. That results in the following discussed sway bar-drop link behaviors.

Results: On the rear, I end up with very little clearance between the drop link and the toe control arm (un-loaded, wheels off, on jacks). When loaded, wheels on ground, I gain a significant amount.
http://digitalcollage.com/DressageVideos/IMG_0857.jpg
http://digitalcollage.com/DressageVideos/IMG_0866.jpg

PROBLEM: Upon leaving my garage I hit a pot hole and the wheel in question exhibits a metal clunk sound which I assume is the lower toe rear arm coming in contact briefly with the shock's drop link.

QUESTION: Un-Loaded, what clearance should I have ? It's a 1996 C4S. And, if I raise the rear's Perch up, and well out of the instruction's noted 175mm limit, what horors await me ? I will of course gain more clearance for the supplied drop links, but by moving the Perch up, will I be placing the body of the shock in harm's way from the actions of the sway bar. By the way, my 1996 C4S sway bar is the Yellow 18mm version with new Yellow factory mounts.

Many thanks,

Patrick

MarkD

Patrick,

Raise the rear so that you have 1/4" clearance (unloaded) and drive the car to the shop that is going to do the corner balance and alignment.
The shop will balance the car and set the final height.
Tell them the final height you are shooting for.

You can get these cars pretty low without the bar contacting the control arm.
If you want to go lower you will need curved drop links that put the bar end below the kinematic arm.