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Beware bilstein 5100 owners

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#1 · (Edited)
there is a flaw i discovered with the factory bilstein shocks. EDIT* PLEASE REFER TO POST#11

^^this little metal spacer that is supposed to be on the bilstein shock boot, it comes off from its original location and shoves its way into the upper bushing resulting in damage and not a sufficient way of the shocks working correctly. here is a couple pics of the damage with not even 2,000 miles on them.

notice the elongated center hole ^^^

ripped rubber bushing ^^^^

^^^this is how it looks with no coil in place and the only thing helping it push the shock down is that little spacer that serves no purpose when it moves out of its position and goes into the upper assembly.


^^now if you still have your old washers from the old set of shocks you can use them like this. REMOVE THE OLD BILSTEIN SPACER THING COMPLETLY FROM THE ASSEMBLY


^^the factory shocks used the shock shaft cover as a spacer to hold it together


this is the assembly together with some LD OME coils.



^^make sure you remove that metal bushing from the assembly and replace it with a big enough washer.

i hope i helped.
 
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#2 · (Edited)
My shocks were shot so I thew everything away.

If I understand correctly, your fix is to have 2 of the top washer, one for the top and one for under the bushing sandwiching the top spring cap between the 2 washers and the bushing.

Also, once the spacer for attaching the top of the boot is eliminated (I think that's what you meant) the top of the boot is free floating?

I'm thinking about trying to leave the boot aluminum spacer/holder top piece in and just add the extra washer.
 
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#3 ·
correct. the boot will be free floating. if you add the spacer without removing the spacer thing then i dont think there will be enough space for the shock nut to bottom out on the shaft.
 
#4 ·
Was it installed incorrectly? My bilsteins came with a washer that sits on top of the boot (also shown in the instructions for the Bilstein). So the installation order should be: bottom spring seat (supplied), supplied boot (with spacer), supplied washer, OEM coil, OEM upper spring rubber seat, OEM spacer, OEM shock absorber mounting bracket, OEM rubber spacer, OEM washer, OEM nut, OEM cap.
 
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#6 ·
the problem is that the bottom spacer that is attached on the bilstein boot is not large enough and is damaging the other parts like it did to mine. the reason i removed mine was to put the new OME coils on and i discovered this. i dident hear or feel anything out of the ordinary while driving. i installed everything correctly. the problem is that everybody with bilstein shocks have this problem its not only me. once you take yours apart you will know what i am talking about.
 
#7 ·
Did your Bilsteins come with the bottom seat, washer, boot (with spacer) and zip tie? If so, you're suppose to install that washer on top of the boot spacer and under the OEM upper spring rubber seat. Based on the 4th picture you posted, it looks like the washer wasn't installed above the boot. If that's the case, then yes, the metal spacer will make its way into the upper housing... just my 2 cents.
 
#9 ·
The spacer I mentioned is the same one you referenced... the one in the boot. The washer that was supplied was NOT the top washer, but the washer that sits on top of the boot. You're suppose to reuse the OEM top washer from the upper shock mount from your stock shock/coil. I'll scan in the directions later tonight.
 
#14 ·
Glad I could help. Good luck and keep us posted!
 
#17 ·
No, leave it here..it's a good information for folks like me who are about to do the same thing. (shocks/coils)
 
#18 ·
WOW. I did it wrong too. Goblue and others, thanks a ton for providing clarity on this issue - I've had my truck parked for nearly a week trying to figure out what went wrong with the install. One thing though - mine's been making A LOT of noise on both the driver's and passenger's side. It's coming from the wheelwell area and it started right after I installed the 5100s so it's not hard to figure out that that's what it is. Have any of you been experiencing clunking and rattling because of this washer misplacement? I haven't been driving it so as to minimize/prevent the damage the OP shows here.
 
#19 ·
Thanks goblue90, I never received any paperwork with a diagram like that. I assembled it a little different but the same end result, it's working great. I took the whole thing apart and started over with a complete disassemble.

I put the boot and boot spacer on then their washer, the spring rubber bushing and top plate. Then I put the original metal sleeve on compressed the assembly and used the original top rubber bushing and the new washers I bought. I could have easily used a fender washer for the top too. I also moved the adjustable ring up to the third spot from the bottom. The ride is great and the truck is within a 1/4" of being perfectly level. with the LD OME springs I got about 2.75" of lift.
 

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#22 ·
Napa(now Car Quest) was able to give me a set out of a stock first gen shock kit, but it was a little smaller and the center hole had to be drilled out. If you use the supplied washer on the bottom, which I believe takes a bigger hit on compression, then a thick fender washer or two should probably do the trick on top. I think a cheap front shock for a first gen fronty is about 20$ and comes with 2 washers, which only needs to be drilled out to the size of the Bilstein shaft. That's the rout I went and have no problems or concerns that the fender washers will fail.
 
#23 ·
Great post. I'm getting knocking noises after having these installed yesterday. Back to the mechanics she goes.

Thanks
 
#25 ·
I was pretty sure that knocking noise wasn't normal. Glad I found this thread.
 
#26 · (Edited)
I wish I'd paid closer attention to this thread before I installed my Bil 5100s almost two weeks ago. I installed the shocks in the truck myself, but I had a shop assemble them. The truck started making a subtle knocking sound a few days ago over large bumps. After wheeling today, the sound is much more obvious, even on small bumps, and I can feel it through the floorboards. Everything in the steering and suspension looks OK and nothing is loose...I'm wondering if my shocks were assembled incorrectly.
 
#27 ·
That's how mine was, I had no instructions and assembled them wrong. You need to make sure the new washer was used under the top assembly at the bottom of the threads. The old washer goes back on top, together they capture the top assembly, without the bottom washer, every time you hit a bump the spring will compress and the shock rod will go up through the hole instead of being locked in place and absorbing the bounce.
The top of the old shock was flat and about 2" in diameter and acted as a platform under the top assembly, the new shock is just a rod that goes through the hole, that's what the new washer does, and it sounds like yours was assembled without the bottom washer.
 
#28 ·
Yep, this was in fact my problem. It made for a rather aggravating evening when I took the truck into the shop that assembled the shocks this evening. The first guy I talked to didn't want to honor their labor warranty, even though they assembled the shocks (and did so incorrectly) and charged for me full price for it, because I didn't have them actually put the shocks on the truck. Then two other employees started arguing with him, and they all argued for a couple minutes in the lobby before the first guy finally gave in.

After they pulled my truck into the garage and looked at it, one of the technicians came into the lobby and told me that the shock rod was out of place because the coils I brought them were too long. I told him he was wrong, and explained to him a second time how to assemble the shocks and showed him the diagram again. He kept saying that what I was telling him about the two washers didn't make any sense. I finally read the directions aloud to him step-by-step and asked him to humor me and install everything in the same order they were listed on the instructions.

About an hour later, a different technician came out and told me that my truck was ready to go and "Remember what we showed you with the shock rod? It's not doing that anymore." No more knocking sound and the truck rides a bit smoother too. I'm not terribly impressed with how the shop handled everything, but least my truck is fixed now and it didn't cost me anything.
 
#29 ·
Glad you had your problem fixed. Just PM'd you. I was away all weekend and didn't have a chance to get to your message sooner.

My mechanic was really good about it. As soon as I described what was happening over the phone and reason I thought the sound was happening he immediately understood what went wrong.
 
#31 ·
Glad you got your suspension resolved, JuniorNV. On a different but related issue, I recently swapped out my adjustable Bilsteins for Radflo coilovers and took one apart b/c I messed up the upper mounting plate (stripped a nut and had to grind it off to get the strut out). Anyhow, here's what the Bilsteins look like after 6 months (4 of which were winter months) on my Pathfinder ... the corroded section was the area covered by the boot:





I'm keeping the 5100s as a backup for when I need to get the Radflos recharged or rebuilt, but will be using them without the boots!
 
#38 · (Edited)
Thanks

Its info like this that helps everyone out!

Bill

Glad you got your suspension resolved, JuniorNV. On a different but related issue, I recently swapped out my adjustable Bilsteins for Radflo coilovers and took one apart b/c I messed up the upper mounting plate (stripped a nut and had to grind it off to get the strut out). Anyhow, here's what the Bilsteins look like after 6 months (4 of which were winter months) on my Pathfinder ... the corroded section was the area covered by the boot:

Why I usually put three coats of clear coat on my Bilsteins or any other shock I buy.

Bill
 
#32 ·
This same issue happened to me. Drove fine for about a day before the clunking started. I too did not get any instructions. I fixed mine by popping out the metal retainers of the stock shock's boots and used those. No problems since!

Just too bad instructions weren't included up front.

Wish I'd noticed this thread first - woulda saved me a bunch of time!
 
#34 ·
Yes you need both washers, the old and the new one, to do the install correctly.
 
#40 ·
Guys, I think that the space on the last pic in the OP is upside down. There is an angled slot that matches the boot's contour and a small ledge on the inside that fits perfectly on the piston. Could someone please confirm?

And also, when installing the shocks, do the coild ends face outwards or towards the engine? Thanks.
 
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