Should this 'new' shock be replaced?

[KFC911]

I'd like to solicit some viewpoints from others who have a LOT more experience than I do on matters such as this....About six
months ago, I replaced all of my shocks with Bilsteins (HDs on front, Sports on rear), which I purchased from Pelican (as I do 'most' of my stuff). A couple of days ago, while removing the shocks, etc. for some suspension upgrades, I found that one of my front shock inserts had 'separated' from it's 'outer tube' (the attached picture should clarify what I'm referring to). After contacting Pelican, I've been instructed to use the shock as it is, and everything will be fine. When I replied back to Pelican that I was not comfortable with 'making do' with what I feel is a deffective shock, I was instructed to send the shock in, and if they determine that it's a manufacturing defect, then they would send me another one. Now my question for the board is...Am I making a 'big deal' out of a trivial issue? Should I (as Pelican advises), simply continue to use the shock (and if I do, what should I do about the 'hydraulic oil' or whatever it was, that is now missing between the strut insert and the outer tube)? Just to be clear, I am not unhappy with Pelican's response (in fact, their customer support has been excellent), but before I send the shock back to them, I want to make sure that I'm not making too big of an issue out of this. What do you guys think, and what would you do? Thanks all!!!

[Sonic dB]

Sure looks defective to me... IMO, the supplier should send you out an "advanced replacement" of a new shock that you would put on and then you would send back the old one.

The supplier, would charge you up front for the new replacement and then credit back the difference upon return of the defective shock.

This is a standard way of doing business with internet companies....however you need to clear this up first with Pelican as it may not jive with their internal policies.

[Tim Walsh]

KC if you CAN"T be without a 911 I've got a nice early car with almost no interior, no idling 911 running on 5 cylinders to get you around til your shock comes in

[Steven Alarcon]

By the picture the parts don't look damaged. The green tube
should still slide over the main shock body. The gold plated steel
base located at bottom of the main shock body lightly press on
to this tube. You should be able to tap it lightly with a pastic
hammer and will go right in place. The Bogie strut housings do
commonly have a problem of a tight fit when sliding the shock
down the housing. This can be due to the spindle denting the
thin housing. This is why most club racers choose to upgrade to
the Bilstein Strut housings. They are twice a thick and handle
any off course mistakes. If your shock was hard to install when
you first installed it this could be the problem. You may notice
a scrach in the paint about 4-6 above the bottom of the shock.
When you remove the shock the base will separate sometimes.
It has happened to me at least a couple of times. First thing to
do is to reassemble the shock, then press down to make the
shock go to compression to see if it feels normal. Reinstall the
shock in the housing and torque to the recommended specifications.
Again compress the shock by hand and see if it
feels normal. What possiable upgrades did you make to mandate
the removal of the shock from the housing?

Hope this helps,
Steve Alarcon

[KFC911]

Hey Tim, I'll trade you a cylinder for a shock...seriously, sorry to hear about your engine problems! Steve, you are correct in your assessment that the shock does not appear to be damaged. I checked again last night, and didn't see any marks etc. anywhere at all. I don't recall any issues when I installed these a few months back...they slid down in the struts with no problem. So, I'm now under the impression that this is not an uncommon problem (and my concerns are indeed aleviated), but what should I do about the 'hydraulic fluid' (or whatever it was), that has now been wiped clean off of the insert? As to why I removed the shocks...it's the classic 'while your in there' thingy....Upgrading torsion bars, A-arm bushings, etc. and I decided to replace some bent skid plates...now why don't I just go ahead and get some things powder coated while I've got it apart, so I pulled the struts to include them in the batch...yes, I'm a bit compulsive, but after some of the cars I've seen on this site, I think I fit right in!!!

[Laura-Hergesheimer MotorS]

Keith, Steve is about the best there is to comment on your situation.
Steve AKA Suspension Specialties, Johnson's alignment.

P.S. Steve, 15 days and counting..is your ride ready? We are at our usual pace, new motor being built, trans waiting for new gears, suspension...But the guys are ready to go. I'm told you are down to 3 drivers, 2 stops..We thought we'd have you with that extra stop you'd have to make...driver vs driver, car vs car! See ya..L

[Tim Walsh]

Keith,
I"m thinkin that it's not as bad as it sounds but I"m not sure yet. I'd say as much of a garage queen/creampuff as your car is just replace it if you're unsure and the peice of mind is worth the extra cash to you

[masraum]

There shouldn't be any fluid on the green outer tube, and I bet (but not 100%) that it's not necessary to have any on the inner portion either. The main functional oil is inside that.

PS Wow, Steve Alarcon is practically an alignment legend.

[Steven Alarcon]

The fluid is from the original shocks. Steve is correct, I remove
all the fluid in the Bogie Strut housing when installing Bilstein
shocks. If you notice the picture, the limit bumper is at the
bottom of the Bilstein shock and any oil that may make contact
with this limit bumper will damage the limit bumper and then the
shock. Looks like you are on your way with your project!

Good Luck!
Steve Alarcon

[KFC911]

Thank you all for your replies! I'm constantly impressed by the technical expertise of the folks on this board, and their willingness to share and help out. I did remove all of the original fluid from the Boge struts when I installed the Bilsteins. The redish fluid that I'm referring to was on the Bilstein shock insert inside of the green tube (i.e. in the picture, coating the lower 2/3s of the piece in the center of the pic.) It 'sounds' like this fluid might not be critical, but I just want to be 100% sure. Thanks again!

[Steven Alarcon]

The red fluid could the grease that lubricates the teflon coated
bearings in the green tube. If some extra grease is on the limit
bumper just wipe it away. Do not clean out the grease on the
bearings located in the green tube as pictured. Any oil located at
the bottom of the strut assembly, remove it. The original oil from
the Bogie shocks is blue in color.

Good luck,
Steve Alarcon