philooo

The install instruction for the Bilstein pss9 are awfull.

I am trying to figure out how the rear top strut nuts are setup.

I assume there is one nuts that keep the assembly together but I also read that there are 2 nuts so I am a little lost because to top it all, I have none of those nuts (bought the set used). So I can't rely on the hardware that I have to put it together.

I'll call Bilstein tomorrow but it is always hard over the phone to explain those things.

philooo

Ok I have found a set of nuts belonging to the PSS9 set so I managed to set it up allright.

Here are a couple of pictures to show off the install of the OEM suspension parts onto the rear PSS9.

I don't think those pics have been around the site so far.

First picture you can see the order of the parts going back onto the pss9 shock. And right below is the RoW-030 piece cannibalized.
The top 'curved' washer goes back on top, but the oem nuts is not re-used. You can see in the last picture how the top nuts are working out.
I put my wrench on the side to illustrate a problem I had to ties down the last nut because my wrench was too thick but I used a small pliers and it worked just fine as you don't need much torque there.

Note the 'blue ring' on the picture is optional, I bought those based on feedback from the forum saying the pss9 can be squeaky.

Pac996

Nice but I'm a little confused on the blue stuff being to stay away from squeeking. All I can recall from histories of stiffer front end parts that use the harder blue rubbers across the performance parts for cars market is that they are more prone to queek since its a stiffer synthetic rubber. Maybe they wont since the pring is only seating on them instead of being parts of a torquing or turning part of the suspension. Be sure to post pictures of the car on some crusies using the new shocks and spring

philooo

The thick rubber located on the extreme left of the first picture is creating a squeaky noise.
I tried to lube it with WD40 and the squeak is gone but comes back after a few days.

The squeak can be reproduced by hand by moving down or sideways the silver piece that can be seen on picture #3. The noise comes from the rubbing of that silver piece against the thick rubber.

I wonder if someone has any info on how to tackle the squeak. May be using thicker lubricant ?

Lube can be applied while the suspension is on the car, as the spring can be lowered without disassembling anything.

I just wonder if that will work.

Dharn55

Remember that WD40 is not really a lubricant. Works ok in the short term for releasing frozen parts, etc., but it actually will remove oil and grease. Try a different lubricant and it might work better.

Philip P

i had the squeak happening and it went away once i tightened it down more...

philooo

when you say "tightened it down", can you confirm that you are talking about that bottom screw in this image

Philip P

yes exactly... when i installed it i thought i had given it enough torque but I guess not. As soon as I tightened it down a few more turns it quieted right up

philooo

cool !

great news

I was not able to use my torque wrench there and I did not want to kill the thread there so I might have indeed not torqued it enough.

I'll try that first thing tomorrow and report back.

Phil.

philooo

still have not bought a torque wrench head size 19mm to torque that bolt but I tried to torque it a little more and I bet I have 80lb of torque in there already ... seat of the pant

Anyways I still have that squeaky sound at low speed over wide speed humps and when I take off at slow speed from light.

How much torque exactly did you guy put on that bolt ? I am just afraid to break the thread, doesn't look that strong.

Bilstein should have made a special tool to allow torquing this, that is poor design if you ask me.

philooo

I have been reading on some other forums (VW) that when lowering the car, the lower control arm should be un-tighten, then re-torqued if not the additional lowering add too much load on it and creates a squeak ?

anybody has insight on this ? did you un-tight anything like control arms and such when lowering your car ?

The squeak is almost gone after adding some lube to the top perch 'damper' but I can still hear it sometime so there must be another thing.

Also some people mention the spring should be rotated so the the top end face forward and bottom end face toward the back of the car, any true in this ? I'd suspect the spring move all the time so I assume it is more of a myth

Thanks for your help