PROBLEM Lowering Springs!

Minishotglass · Jan 2, 2006

Okay this applies to p5's with eibach prokit lowering springs, but anyone who has dealt or know about this problem please reply!

I have a p5 and just installed the eibach prokit on the stock shocks. When I took it out for a test drive the first bumpy road I got on I got this rattling/squeaking noise from BOTH the rear sides. The fronts are fine. It's not really a clunk (what is a clunk?) but metal to metal rattling/banging sound.

I doubt the washer fix because it's coming from both sides?

My theory is that the "dead/extra" coils that contact the top plate hit each other. But the thing is I don't think Eibach "engineered" the spring coils to hit against each other. Besides, Ive read posts from people who have the same setup where bumpy roads are "ghostly quiet".

Every mounting nut has been tightened to factory specs using a torque wrench and doubled checked before the test drive.

Please help!

Minishotglass · Jan 2, 2006

btw, my rear interior panels have not been reinstalled. No spare tire/jack/interior so it can't be that stuff rattling

Mr. Win · Jan 2, 2006

First thoughts are endlinks and did you put the bump stop back in?

Minishotglass · Jan 2, 2006

I didnt need to even touch anything under the dustcover (bumpstops etc). It was a simple remove top perch, take out spring, replace spring and reinstall. I just checked again and the springs are seated properly top and bottom perch. However, I can see that when I jack the car up, I can feel with my fingers that some of the higher coils towards the top of the spring are touching each other. I dont know if this is suppose to happen.

Hmmm......you think I can rule out the endlinks if I remove them from the car and take it out for a slow drive over some bumpy roads?

Hellnightkid · Jan 2, 2006

Metal noise..check the metal that hold ur brake...

Minishotglass · Jan 2, 2006

Hellnightkid said:
Metal noise..check the metal that hold ur brake...

can you be more specific?

Minishotglass · Jan 2, 2006

Okay I just drove slowly around the neighborhood bumps WITHOUT the endlinks and the sound is exactly the same. Metal rattling when hitting bumps or imperfections in the road. Springs are seated fine. Please help.

Minishotglass · Jan 3, 2006

bump guys.....I need to get this fixed before I get an alignment before I drive 300 miles to school. Thanks

Mr. Win · Jan 3, 2006

I got your PM and its hard to picture what you talking about. Can you snap a shot? Taking the endlinks off would still make the same sounds if the sway bars or something is not connected right. Im pretty sure your supposed to cut the bump stop as well but last time i touched my suspension was 3 years ago.

You going back to gainesville?

Minishotglass · Jan 3, 2006

from what I read I don't think I need to touch the bumpstops? Hmm......so endlinks disconnected will still make that noise? so I'm guessing the noise is coming from the swaybar just sitting there. I could'va sworn the noise is coming from the strut assembly.......even my friend who was standing 10ft away from the car said the noise could be heard

Mr. Win · Jan 3, 2006

like i said i need a better i dea off this nosie...

dmitrik4 · Jan 3, 2006

how loud is it? are your strut mounts ok? are you SURE everything is tight (i'm only asking b/c it's happened to me many times when i was *positive* i had tightened everything)?

what would "both sides" have to do with the washer fix? i had rattles on both sides, and installing washers fixed the problem. when i only had one side fixed, the other side rattled. it wasn't very loud, though; kind of like a metallic tapping over potholes. i also had tokicos on as well, so i'm not sure if changing just the springs has any effect.

Minishotglass · Jan 3, 2006

just came back from lowes to get the washers. going to burn the midnight oil later tonight to try and fix it. on my way there and back yes it was metallic tapping over potholes/sewagedrains. slightly bumpy roads dont make the noise.

viVid · Jan 4, 2006

I know you say the springs are seated, but double and triple check. I had the same problem and I found that the rubber isolator that goes between the spring and perch was all screwed up (most likely from when I used the impact wrench to tighten them - probably not the best idea, I know).

apocman · Jan 4, 2006

don't forget to do the washer trick on the back springs... you put two washers on top of the wierd washer, they also suggest putting rubber sleeves over the springs so when the springs coils bang into each other they don't clang. I will take pictures later today and post what I did.

I took my springs and washers and the tops of all of my strut mounts ect and sprayed them with underbody rubber in a spray can... I let them dry over night and now all of my stuff has a strong thin layer of rubber to help with thenoise. I am also going to do my sway bar and front and rear AWR endlinks...

Moonman8 · Jan 23, 2006

for a P5 suspension newbie....what is this washer fix? I'm thinking about lowering the P5 and would like to know as much about the right way to do it as possible.

Also, any issues with running a 1.5" drop on stock shocks? I know it will shorten the lifespan of the shocks but anything else?

mountjonas · Jan 23, 2006

Moonman8 said:
for a P5 suspension newbie....what is this washer fix? I'm thinking about lowering the P5 and would like to know as much about the right way to do it as possible.

Also, any issues with running a 1.5" drop on stock shocks? I know it will shorten the lifespan of the shocks but anything else?

there was a problem on the threading of the top of the struts (i think they weren't threaded far enough) so even though they were tightened down, they would rattle a little bit. It wasn't all of them, though. I had my car on pro-kit's and tokico blues for a year and never rattled once.

Moonman8 · Jan 23, 2006

mountjonas said:
there was a problem on the threading of the top of the struts (i think they weren't threaded far enough) so even though they were tightened down, they would rattle a little bit. It wasn't all of them, though. I had my car on pro-kit's and tokico blues for a year and never rattled once.

that's the setup that I want but the $$$ is hard to scratch up all at once. I might just have to buy the springs and put them away until I can afford the tokicos.

mountjonas · Jan 23, 2006

the only thing is that you'll have to get your car aligned twice. i say just save up and do it all at the same time.

jon2000 · Jan 23, 2006

is the bowl shaped washer at the top of the strut mount on properly? it should be installed like a cup - U shaped not n shaped (maybe it's upside down)

Jon

PROBLEM Lowering Springs!

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