help! non serviceable Koni front struts...
 

Hi guys,

after telling me to order some Koni strut inserts, my mechanic is now telling me that I have non serviceable koni front struts...

so a couple questions for the experts:

1/ is that true, are there such thing as non serviceable / rebuildable konis?
2/ if true, what would you recommend:
- buy serviceable koni struts (and use the inserts I have bought). Not sure if that is even possible / struts are available...
- buy a full set of bilstein struts + inserts and sell my koni inserts.
thanks for your help!

M

Well? Maybe.

But first what year is your car?

Does not sound like wrench is a Porsche Mechanic.

Ok for the strut they mabe bent and some koni insert re non-serviceable.Can you tell strut part number and the koni insert.What is the reason for the strut .

Have to agree with the above.. some pics or part numbers would help.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1242934740.jpg

The yellow part is the strut insert, the red is the strut housing.

New inserts should just swap right in.

I have Bilstein, which are upside-down. The body of the shock is on top, where the shaft goes down into the housing:

http://www.porsche.ab.ca/attachment....1&d=1339984447

Maybe your mechanic is confused since there are two styles?

Lets try to be clear here. The front suspension "shock absorber" is a MacPherson strut unit. The MacPherson strut is a type of car suspension system which uses the top of a telescopic damper as the upper steering pivot.

The telescopic damper is the shock absorber (shock insert) and as mentioned above the container for thus is the strut housing (pick a name).

Porsches have come with Boge, Koni or Bilstein front strut housings. Depending on the year of car there are available Koni inserts (shocks) for the various struts, you must know which you have. There are several combinations possible of brands of inserts for brands of struts.

NOTE: This is an over simplification for illustrative purposes.

^ yes, I should have made that more clear.

There are several possible strut designs up front on the 911, even for same years. You must find out which kind you have before proceeding.

-BUT-

* All of them have at minimum a replaceable damping unit. Buy the correct new cartridge, pop it in, done.

* Some of the options can even be rebuilt / revalved. If you have Bilsteins, they can for sure be rebuilt, I think Koni Sports might be able to be rebuilt. If you're not changing valving, just getting new off the shelf replacements is usually cheaper than the rebuild route though.

Are you saying that there are Koni inserts to fit Bilstein strut housings? Any suggestions to where to find a set for the front?

Koni does not list one. Koni makes inserts that fit Boge and Koni struts. Maybe someone with knowledge of a way to modify Bilstein struts to accommodate Konis will chime in.

What year is your car?

Nobody would want to modify Bilstein struts, as they are the best system for reducing unsprung weight, and the strut whose spindle can most easily be raised if you want to lower the car.

If the strut (housing) is bent, it is basically no longer useable. They kink right above the spindle collar. Sometimes you can't pull the insert back out because of this, as it is kinked a bit there also and sort of locked into place.

Otherwise, you can replace the insert by unscrewing the cap on the top of the housing. With the Bilsteins, you also need to drive out a pin down by the bottom, which holds that end of the shock down.

Now you know enough to talk intelligently with this mechanic.

Walt,
I could use your advice please, PM sent.

Does it have Self-Leveling Hydropneumatic KONI Suspension Struts?
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/314593-1969-911-front-suspension.html

Holy crap, I did not know that existed.

I have a friend who had Koni inserts installed in his hydro-pneumatic struts.

This is what I was hinting at in post #9. The struts themselves were not modified, just a custom nut made to hold the insert in place.

Hi guys thks for replies. I am travelling but will post pictures tomorrow.
What my mechanic is saying is that he cannot open the top of the strut (koni) in order to replace the damping cartridge....
He is saying they are not replacable, which i had never heard about before.
Car is 79 but lots of mods on it so hard to use this as reference...

M

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1434038401.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1434038419.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1434038438.jpg

Dirty red struts are the original ones... It seems the cartridge, which is a kono for koni struts does not fit...

M

Even with the photo being out of focus, you can see that the end is different size and length.

Can you find a part number on the old one?

Custom fitted Bilstein inserts? Yes, show the number stamped on the strut.

I don't believe Koni struts were avaliable in '79. Need to see the number on the strut.