D'oh!! Shock insert won't fit!

[jkeyzer]

Everything was going great on my front shock insert replacement until I got to putting the new Bilstein insert into the driver's side strut - it won't fit all the way in! I checked and both of the old Koni's I just took out fit just fine, but the new Bilstein needs to go in another 3/4 inch before the threaded disc will engage.

The other new Bilstein fit into the passenger side strut fine, and it's all put back together which means I would have to tear it apart again to determine if it's just the one shock that is too big at the base to fit the strut.

Help!!

[Wayne 962]

What type of struts do you have?

-Wayne

[Argo]

Assuming you checked the inside of the strut for debris or oil, check the part numbers on the boxes for both inserts to see if they are the same. I remember a previous thread by a poster with the same problem. They had sent him one wrong insert. I just did this and both inserts slipped right in with no problems.

Argo
88 Targa

[john walker's workshop]

i've run into this a few times. usually a bent strut. try wire brushing the paint off the area that's tight. there's usually a scuff mark on the tight spot.

[jkeyzer]

It's a Boge strut. I believe the problem occurs where this insert (which is the correct part #) bulges out towards the bottom. The original Koni has a single taper at the bottom of the shock, but this Bilstein has a single taper and then a 0.04" bulge down about 3/4" in the tapered section that gets in the way.

I tried sticking it in the freezer overnight but it still didn't fit this morning either.

[jkeyzer]

Well I picked up a nice used strut during my lunch break today, as well as exhanged the shock for a new unit in case it was a fluke. Tonight I'll try the insert again in my old strut, if it fails I'm going to have to swap struts. No fun at all.

Does anyone in San Diego have the ball joint and tie rod removal tools I could borrow?

Pelican doesn't rent these do they?

[john walker's workshop]

there are also early and late boge struts. the tops have either inner or outer threads for the retainer. do yours match? both will fit the car, but take different inserts. often one has been replaced back down the road. the late ones also have the wider bolt spacing for the caliper.

[jkeyzer]

John - Both are early struts with the threads on the inside (the one I just bought used is also an early strut too).

Thanks for the advice on what to look out for.

If I do need to replace the strut, I just need to remove the pin from bottom of the strut and remove the tie rod end, correct? Do I have to do anything else with the balljoint? I keep reading that removing it is very difficult to do, but I don't have to do any of that, right?


Thanks!

[john walker's workshop]

if you're lucky, you can just remove the lockpin and tap the strut off the balljoint shaft, leaving the balljoint in the a arm. some tap right off, others are real stuck. the tierod is a taper fit and needs a good solid wack or three on the end of the steering arm with a large ballpeen to pop it out, or a pickle fork, which usually kills the boot. do not beat on the threads. it won't come out that way, and will mushroom.

[jkeyzer]

Well, I solved the problem today.

I exchanged the insert for another one in the hopes the one I had was defective or at the wrong end of manufacturing tolerances. Sure enough, the replacement insert fit much better than the first, sliding down easily to the point where the threaded part engages. Getting the threaded disc in was a b!tch as the insert was slightly tilted to one end of the tube and had to be coaxed into the right position to get the disc in (coaxed = muscled, kicked, and pried at for an hour and a half).

I didn't expect I would ever get any insert to fit the strut I had, but I guess I lucked out. I can't say for sure I don't have a slightly bent strut, but there is DEFINITELY a significant variation in shock inserts from Bilstein. If one doesn't fit, try another before you do anything else!!!

I know people here have said a lot of things about shox.com, but in my case they were very helpful. They let me bring back the non-fitting insert without complaining too much and handed me another free of charge, even after I scuffed off half the paint and visibly kicked around the first one! So in the end I got a good deal and all fitting shocks. It helped that I can drive there on a lunch break!

The car handles *enormously* better now and I am really pleased with the results. I didn't expect cornering to improve as much as it has and I was really shocked with how well the car goes over very rough terrain (potholes etc.) without scaring the driver half to death.

[john walker's workshop]

so obviously your strut is bent a bit if the insert sits off-center. the other insert probably would have gone in if the paint was sanded off the interference area.

[jkeyzer]

The strut has got to be bent a little bit - another proof of that is that the first insert actually did fit into the replacement strut I bought.

On the first insert I did try stripping the paint, sanding the metal a tad, and putting the strut in the freezer overnight, but the bulged section at the bottom wouldn't let it fit.

I must have bad luck because last time I had the car aligned they said the passenger side strut was bent slightly, affecting the camber... So now I know both struts are bent a little bit.