Installation of Bilstein shocks

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Sep 29, 2009 | 07:48 AM

happycamper116

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Installation of Bilstein shocks

this might be a dumb question but about 3 years ago I installed Bilstein shocks all around on my 2000 EB I love the shocks but for some reason the rear ones where they attach at the bottom move up and down in the thing that they are attached in. I have crawled under there several times to tighten them (half inch socket with a bar) can"t seem to get them tight enough to stop clicking back there with every little bump. i can lay under the backend and push up and down and see it move up and down on the bolt that goes through it. do you need to use an air wrench or what. what am i doing wrong. Thanks for any help.

Sep 29, 2009 | 10:49 AM

ToolTime

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It sounds like the shock bushings are worn out. I use my Expy pretty hard and have never had a bushing go bad. But there is always a first!

Sep 29, 2009 | 11:53 AM

alloro

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Quote:

Originally Posted by happycamper116

move up and down in the thing that they are attached in. I have crawled under there several times to tighten them

They're not supposed to move even if the bolt is loose. Either the bushings are destroyed, are the wrong size, or the bolts are not the correct diameter.

Sep 30, 2009 | 11:26 AM

MOOK929RR

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i had a similar problem, and i ended up pinching those slots they sit in to make it a tighter fit... becasue when they were rattling around, it was SOOOO annoying. Every bumps is a huge rattling noise. Pinching those slots to hug the bottom of the shock tightly helped, i used giant channel locks. id definitely pop the bottom of the shock out to make sure the bushing looks ok, and doesnt look worn away or anything... but that shouldnt wear after 3 years.

Sep 30, 2009 | 03:31 PM

happycamper116

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thats what I was thinking of doing, pinching those things together to make it tighter. it is such an annoying noise. I will pop the shocks out first to make sure the bushings look ok. I can't believe that is all the longer they would have lasted. Thanks for all the help

Oct 6, 2009 | 05:27 PM

KeystoneHomeOK

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I'm not a mechanic or anything, but if you pinch the shocks, won't that cause a weak spot and a spot that could potentially fail? Just curious because I am about to replace the rears on my '01 4X2.

Oct 6, 2009 | 11:12 PM

ToolTime

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Its never a good idea to "pinch" any fastener any time. I run my truck pretty hard sometimes, and I inspect everything often. If someone needs to pinch something, then they should figure out why things dont fit, or use shims to take up any slack that might be present.