[Mk2] [NA] A Tein SS Nightmare?

[Demoman]

can I have mounted the drop links wrong?


I mean.. that would be the only solution, next to the fact the there is a possibility that the ARB is bent.. but nothing happened in those 6 months that could explain such a thing

[g.lewarne]

links look mounted OK in your pics.

But it would be worth measuring them to make sure they are the same length! if they are not thats the problem, and 6 months of standing still with a torsional force constantly applied to the ARB (due to incorrect length links) will have bent it.

measure the links
drop the ARB
make sure the mounting brackets and the chassis area it botls to are all good!

[Demoman]

The new drop links are only mounted for some weeks..maybe all together 2 months..

If the Arb is bent.. Í can check that by loosening the Drop links ( all 4 of them ) .. then the ride height on all wheels should be good.. right?

By the way.. did this guy had the same problem as I have now?

http://mr2oc.co.uk/forums/mk2/uneven-ri ... 30968.html

[g.lewarne]

dont need to loosen or remove the drop links to test - more work than required!

with car on the ground and a 14mm socket on a ratchet, you can undo all 4 ARB mount bolts. dont need to take the wheels off or anything - its quite reachable if your on your back by the side of the car! 5 mins per side!

once you undone the two bolts on each side, the arm will drop and will no longer be under any tension, bounce the car up and down and see what happens

[Demoman]

roger that.. will do.
Tomorrow morning.. it will be the first thing in the morning!

and ehm.. if the suspension is just screwed.
I'm gonna need new springs , because that's net to the arb the only thing that affects the ride height. . where can I get tein ss springs?

[g.lewarne]

sorry i misread something, what i said in my post above only applies to undoing the front ARB, the rear is a bi more involved, so releasing 1 droplink on the back will be enough

cant help ya with the springs matey

[Demoman]

considering you'r helping me while you are more then 600km's away from me.. is good enough ..

Right.. I'll drop the front abs.. and one rear droplink.

I'm so freakin curious :p can't wait.
If it changes everything.. it's almost a miracle

btw.. u checked the url i posted mate ?

[g.lewarne]

yeh i had a quick look, its similar but i dont think its the same problem. He had to move his entire rear subframe to correct a camber and offset issue. That seemed to correct his ride height for him.

You problem is much more visible difference each side, so its either a duff spring or the ARB/links

im hapy to help, dont worry about it

[Demoman]

I just loosened the Arb.. in front, and dropped one link in the re.
it's still xxxx...

I'm gonna do one thing, that is change the springs from right to left.
If the same problem occurs on the side I changed the spring with...
then I know it's the spring.

if that is nog the case.. what on earth can be the problem then.
the car was just standing here for 4-6 months.. nothing happened.

spring fatigue is rare.. and only happends to old springs. this xxxx is almost new for its mileage.

[2tmike]

Agree! eliminate the easy things first!
If the droplinks are correct and the car still doesn't sit level with them disconnected then I'd go right back to basics. Originally you had the car level and driving OK so the coilovers were OK?. Then you saw a problem and started stripping things down and the shocks move OK and the springs aren't broken and measure the same length extended. Then, it's fairly unlikely that they could be causing such a big problem. To eliminate them, swap the coilovers side to side on the car if you can (forget connecting the drop links) and see if the car is still high on the same side. If it moves to the other side it's the coilovers somehow, if it still stays high on the same side you've got a different problem (hit any good potholes/rocks lately?). I can't imagine you've got top mount or turret damage or you'd have seen it stripping off the coilovers so do a visual and movement check on the rest of the suspension......

[g.lewarne]

as the poster above, if the ride height problem remains on the same side when you swap the coilovers, you almost certainly have a bent lower arm / knackered bushing on the "low" side

good luck buddy

[bobhatton]

Go and use the car, give it a good run and that may free things up

[uglee]

Don't know much about coilovers, but the front and rear springs can't be mixed up?
They might look the same length/diameter, but I'd imagine different spring rates front to back to allow for the weight of the engine etc.
If you've got these mixed up it might account for the different heights on all 4 corners.

Just thought I'd throw that into the mix

[Demoman]

mates!


first of all.. reallt thanks for all the replies!
I'm certain I'm gonna visit GB some day for a meeting..

But for the coils.


The set was new.. I bought it brand new. It fitted perfectly..and I even drove to spain with it.. no problems over there... I have enoug pics to prove that.. even at home. No problems.. I freaking didn't touched it!

Now... I started working on the car.. Must have been around oktober 2010.. now in april I noticed it. 7 months later I have this!
5 of those months the car stood on it's wheels.. after that 1 month on crates..lifted in the air.

The ARB's are now both detached.. free movement.
Still.. the other wheels to low, the other ones do high..
Setup is ment to show the complete opposite of that!

I didn't hit putholes, cracks, or had any accidents! no visible damage of the turrets/ topmounts...

The lower arm.. what arm is that exactly? But how could it have been damaged while standing still?


All the paintshop did was lift the car in the air a little.. but nothing spectacular.. nothing that could have destroyed anything.


when the car comes back ( tomorrow ).. i'm totally gonna detach the suspension.

About the springs.. if they are apart from the shocks.. and the springs have the size they should have.. that should indicate there is nothing wrong.. right?

things i changed since the "good"situation

-spacers ( from 20mm to 25mm's )
-rear Drop links

here are some pics.

just before starting the project.. september 2010



during the project




at the paintshop




left side @ paintshop




and right @ paintshop





everything was fine!


then I got the car back.. and had it for about 3 weeks or so in this position




Could that have damaged the suspension ?



this was with the 15" rims

[Demoman]

someone !
who get's it right..

I'll send u tulips and wooden shoes
edit Oh xxxx.. I forgot you aren't yanks.. they are always begging for that.. ehh..I could try send you some green stuff but that would get us both our asses in jail.

U can come over!

[g.lewarne]

mate, that last picture might be the clue.

the car was suspended on the lower suspension arms (the long bar under the front hubs that joins to the chassis.

Over long periods of time im certain that could well have caused one or both of the front arms to bend, leading to your problem! Its OK to jack up under the lower arm for short periods of time, but certainly not weeks!

the constant full weight load on the middle of the arms has likely bent them

First of all i would disconnect both the lower front arms, and check:

- bushes
- shape of the bolt hole (has it become oval)
- straightness of the arm itself.

Im 99% certain thats whats knackered it for you!

sorry to be the bearer of the bad news


if im right, i would like tulips and wooden shoes for my girl please

[Demoman]

Yes, but on the rear it was fitted on the subframe!
So that's safe.


and the position of the lower arms.
yeah.. maybe but it was in this position for maybe 3 -5 weeks.

the strength the lower arm has to endure is not very different then it would get from te wheel.. only at another point and most of the weight is on the back of the car

I'll sort it out tomorrow.

How can I check this.. by eye?

thanks for the tip mate!
I hope you'll be getting those tulips

[g.lewarne]

front wheel height CAN have an effect on the ride height of the rears, as the front is wonky its going to be "twisting" the chassis

Your sort of right, but the actual weight of the car is supported at the top mount, the lower arms pretty much just stop the wheel going outward and control camber. They are strong, but not 3/4/5 weeks strong.

[Demoman]

Thanks for the reply mate.

I appreciate it.?
Ehmm.. you'r not telling me I torn up the chassis did I ?


The rear subframe is a good place to support the car, isn't it.
Maybe I did make a xxxxx with supporting the car on the LCA's.

I'll go check it out asap.

[Demoman]

can the front affect the rear so much then?