trouble lowering rear suspension....did not move

ken_xman · 05-13-2005, 05:23 PM

I tried to lower the rear of the 87 the other day... and it did not move at all. I loosened the proper bolt and rotated the eccentric bolt according to Waynes book......NOTHING.
Am I an idiot, or is there something I am missing? What might be broken or hung to cause this?
Anyone else encounter the same?

Rot 911 · 05-13-2005, 05:50 PM

Are you sure you adjusted the right bolt? It's the one that uses the 36mm thin wrench.

ken_xman · 05-13-2005, 05:54 PM

I will be trying again tomorrow, but I am reasonably sure I was following the normal procedures. Using the correct bolts and such....real strange.

Flying Toaster · Flying Toaster's Garage

Hi Ken. Not sure how low you want to go, but I recall from the meeting last October, your car being fairly high in the rear. You may need to reindex the rear bars in order to get within the range you are looking for. Then use the fine adjustment on the spring plates to get it perfect.
I JUST lowered mine the other night. After going up & down with the car three times I finally got it right. I use to be able to get my fist between the tire & fender, now I can barely get my hand in there flat. I have the old solid spring plates so its a bit more difficult for me to get it 100% balanced. I swapped in 28mm bars while I was at it.

-John

coloradoporsche · 06:24 PM

Adjusting the height takes some time...and some Karma. Seriously, I have spent the better part of the last 6 months adjusting the height on my 79SC, and I swear there are cosmic forces at work that you simply cannot predict or control.

Did you adjust both sides? If the car is not properly balanced, it is possible to change the height adjustment on one side without seeing any change in height, which indicates there was little or no weight on that wheel to begin with. If the answer is 'yes' and/or you have maxed out the adjustment on the spring plate, then you need to re-index the torsion bars as Flying Toaster suggests.

It's also a good idea to jump on the front and rear bumpers afer each adjustment to settle the car. Even better to drive it around the block.

Try searching under "tripod". By using this method you will save a lot of time adjusting your ride height.

Flying Toaster · Flying Toaster's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by coloradoporsche
It's also a good idea to jump on the front and rear bumpers afer each adjustment to settle the car. Even better to drive it around the block.

I agree. I went up & down the street quick after I "thought" I was finished. The car settled & sat a bit differently than how it looked after just rolling it in the garage. Definitely do both sides. One side doesn't make much of a difference. If you do end up reindexing, hope you have air tools to make the job quicker. If all else fails, throw wrenches & kick the dog.
-John

ken_xman · 05-14-2005, 04:22 AM

John,
I do have air tools, and a dog. Maybe a combo of both will get it right.
I will be trying this afternoon if you are visiting your in-laws, you can feel free to stop by and laugh at my progress. This is more of a PITA than I expected. Ken

Wil Ferch · 05-14-2005, 06:00 AM

Something not mentioned here.....stock...from the factory...the ride height adjustment bolt ( for the two piece rear spring plate) is set all to one side ( not in the middle of the slot) ...so the only adjustment allowed is RAISING. It is meant to compensate for spring sag over time.

Wil

Wil Ferch · 01:18 PM

Also...to get away from the "Karma" thing....the rear ride height can be adjusted ( predictably) using my method that Thom Fitzpatrick put into a nice little software package.....do a search .

Here's one thread I found --> Ode to the Ferch Method

Wil

ken_xman · 05-15-2005, 06:06 AM

Thanks Wil & John.
I was able to complete the bilstein sports front and rear yesterday, but nothing on te ride height. I will try to find a good shop near by to lower and align it in one shot.

Gunter · Gunter's Garage

ken_xman: Factory height & specs are quite different. If you go to a shop, make sure you know what height, camber and toe you want beforehand. Go to a shop that is familiar with the suspension and lets you be right there. Have them set the adjuster eccentric in the middle of the torsion plate and set the height by indexing the torsion bars. That way you have some fine-adjustment up or down. A Porsche shop will take about 8 hours to align and corner balance. I set mine at the height I wanted using the above, set the camber I wanted, and then went to a shop to finalize.

ken_xman · 05-15-2005, 06:58 AM

The ride height adjustment should not be beyond my means. Maybe I will try to re-index the bars and stop jerking around with the bolt adjustment.
I also have an issue with the front..... the foward most portion of the front torsions, has the mount bracket and tow hook combo... that is bent and needs replacement so they need to come out too.

Gunter · Gunter's Garage

The Bentley manual will be a great help to you for indexing the torsion bars. Make sure you understand why there are 40 splines inside and 44 outside. I found the easiest way was to raise car, remove wheels, set on jack stands, disconnect sway bar, rear shocks, let everything hang loose, put floor jack under spring plate to take spring load, remove bottom bolt on spring plate cover, lower the jack, mark the position of the spring plate by scribing on the body, remove spring plate cover, remove torsion bar, index to achieve height, put everything together. Go for a spirited run to settle the shocks. It will take several tries; Get the Bentley manual.