Problem with new Koni inserts?

toolboy62 · 11-19-2007, 03:39 PM

I must be the unluckiest guy on the planet... my new Koni inserts FINALLY arrived today ('88 944) and not only did the paint on the housings get trashed in shipping - I shipped my old struts to Paragon to have them do the conversion because I didn't want to be bothered cleaning and painting them myself - but I think that one of the inserts is defective. I adjusted both of them with the knob to "full soft " per instructions - all the way to the stop and then 180 degrees back - and one of them feels about like I would expect it to; the other one is so stiff that if I set it on end on my kitchen table and then lean on it with my full weight it barely moves. The last time I had a pair of shocks that felt like this prior to install I went ahead and installed them anyway and it was just as I expected; the first time I hit the brakes the front of my car did this weird disconcerting corkscrewing thing, and after a couple miles of driving I decided it wasn't worth driving any more to see if the issue would work itself out (as in, it was unsafe) so I exchanged them for new. That was on the front of my '55 Stude; I'm not real inclined to do that on the Porsche as the replacement procedure is a lot more involved.

Anyone had this happen before? Anyone have any advice other than "contact Paragon and ask for a replacement?"

My original plan was to get these swapped on before it got cold, and to have the alignment done at the same time that I got my snow tires mounted. Obviously that window has already long since closed (it's about 40 degrees out, if that) and I still don't have confidence that I have good parts to put on. I don't have a heated garage, and even if it were heated there's a disassembled Corrado in there

nate

Tidybuoy · 11-19-2007, 03:53 PM

on my '88, when I purchase the Koni's the directions said to leave them verticle for 24 hours before installing. Regarding the stiffness, they were very stiff and it took my full body weight to compress them (that's 210 lbs). However, they both felt about the same stiffness.

The color is "school bus yellow". If you get a can of this, you can touch them up and it should match pretty well.

Vern

toolboy62 · 11-19-2007, 04:14 PM

You got printed instructions with words? The instruction sheet that came with these was about as comprehensible, and contained exactly as many printed words as the heater controls for a 944

Anyway, I'll give that a try, and reserve my ire until they've been standing for a day and I've tested them again.

thanks,

nate

Tidybuoy · 11-20-2007, 09:29 AM

I agree completely! The instructions are complete gibberish - but I managed to get them done.

Attached is a link to my original post which has photos of my install (mine's a bit different than yours as I installed the inserts myself).

Vern

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showthread.php?t=337896

toolboy62 · 11-20-2007, 03:45 PM

well the one is still weird... been sitting upright since last night, tried it, it went down maybe 3" and then locked up again, let it extend and now it's completely solid. Guess I gotta send 'em back.

d'oh.

anyone know anyone that does powdercoat within driving distance of DC? I'm thinking I might want to have all the parts I remove coated, but I'd need a day or two turnaround as I'll be doing this in my driveway.

thanks,

nate

Tidybuoy · 11-20-2007, 04:50 PM

Definately something sounds wrong - that's a drag.

flash968 · 11-20-2007, 05:32 PM

i've heard of this with koni

paragon is pretty good about returns though - doesn't help with the hassle on your end, but at least it's not the factory

toolboy62 · 11-30-2007, 03:56 PM

Update - just got another insert from Paragon via UPS today. It checks about the same as the softer of the two that I already had so the firm one is definitely bad. Jason sent me a call tag so I'll return the bad one and that should be all squared away. Only problem is it is 38 degrees outside according to the weather channel... I guess I will throw the car up on stands and pull the struts then do most of the work (swapping springs and spring seats, cleaning, painting, etc.) in the basement. I'll still have to replace the tie rod ends and center the rack outside; I'm not looking forward to that.

I know this was posted a while ago, but what do I need to center the rack? ISTR that it was a metric bolt of a certain size and a ball bearing? Anyone got a pic of where this goes so I don't have to spend any more time under the car than necessary? I definitely want to center the rack and reposition the steering wheel correctly before taking the car for an alignment as I suspect that it was "corrected" by rotating the steering wheel at some vague point in the past.

"school bus yellow" for the spray paint? Have to see if I can get some in the AM...

nate

924Sman · 11-30-2007, 04:10 PM

Stiff is good. If it collapses easily you have a leaking damper. Return it for replacement. Think about it....the car weighs 2500 lbs and if you can collapse the strut by hand the car is sure not going to have any trouble bottoming out. The adjustment is only for rebound stiffness and does not play a role in the downward stroke, the springs do that work. Set soft or stiff going down is no difference it is the upward stroke that it controls.

Dal

Tidybuoy · 11-30-2007, 04:16 PM

Get a big piece of cardboard to lay on when you are outside - it makes a big difference.

924Sman · 11-30-2007, 04:19 PM

May not be the rack, most likely the steering wheel is off. Reposition it by removing the nut and move the wheel on to the spline in the correct position. This is if your issue is the SW is not aligned square when the wheels are str8 forward. Much easier the move the wheel off the splines then to readjust the rack. Add to that after re doing the struts/rods the car will need a full alignment which should put the rack/wheel in the original positions.

If all fails sit in the cabin at an angle to align yourself to the wheel.

Dal

toolboy62 · 04:23 PM

Stiff is good, solid is bad. I probably weigh about 185 these days (apparently my body is saving up for hibernation...) and my full weight doesn't compress the one strut. I can just barely compress the other ones by squeezing them together in my hands, so I figure those are the good ones. Even the shocks on my F-150 aren't that stiff (of course, I wish I could find stiffer ones there; it still feels a little floaty to me.)

as for the rack thing, I know that I need to reposition the steering wheel, but I thought there was a way to lock the rack into its "true center" position, that is what I was asking about. then I'll adjust the tie rods so it tracks straight before I take it in for an alignment.

nate

flash968 · 11-30-2007, 04:41 PM

the job of struts and shocks is not to stiffen the suspension - they are only to dampen the springs - if you want to stiffen the ride up, get stiffer springs

that being said, your strut is messed up - it should not require that much weight to compress it - it only has about 25# of charge, and then the fluid resistance - total force to compress at a reasonable rate should be about 75#

Techno Duck · Techno Duck's Garage

Right underneath where the steering shaft connects to the rack will be a plug (or it may be missing) that is covering the hole. The hole is threaded for a special tapered bolt (part # P2116) to fit into a dimple on the steering rack. You can do the same thing with a bolt and a ball bearing..dont remember the thread on the bolt though..sorry. You actually dont even really need either. You can center the rack (the dimple will be centered in the threaded hole) and carefully remove / reindex the steering wheel.

You can see the threaded hole in this picture of a manual rack, though its essentially the same for the power rack..

toolboy62 · 11-30-2007, 05:17 PM

perfect, thanks. I'll definitely check that out while I'm under there. Just hope I can get this done in time, the 944 is the only car I have with snow tires... maybe we'll get lucky this year and I won't need them?

nate

924RACR · 12-01-2007, 05:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tidybuoy

Get a big piece of cardboard to lay on when you are outside - it makes a big difference.

Even better than that is to get the foam interlocking cushion mats they sell for kids' play areas, etc. Readily available at Sam's Club or Costco, and I'm sure K-Mart etc. I have two sets (8 pads total) of these, and use them all year round, every place and time I work on my car. In the summer, they add cushioning, even inside my garage. In the winter, it's excellent insulation from the cold floor. They wipe up easily from small spills, and are cheap enough to throw away when/if they get saturated.

Best of all, when you're working away from your garage/driveway on undesireable surfaces, they give you a nice smooth comfortable surface to work on, much cheaper than race tiles, and even suitable to leave one in the hatch of the car for emergencies! They can transform a gravel driveway or rocky field into a suitable work surface. Furthermore, when (not if!) you drop bolts - you're not screwed looking for them!

924Sman · 07:38 AM

I would think this blanket would be the ticket. Place it under the car, turn it on and keep warm. When done drape it over the car and keep it in a warm fuzzy way!

Dal

It is a concrete curing blanket for those lost.

Jsilverman · 12-01-2007, 08:19 AM

I have the tapered bolt that threads in to the rack to hold it centered. If you want to borrow it PM me. Im in Burke, so not too far.

Tidybuoy · 12-02-2007, 03:05 PM

924RACR - good idea!