front koni question.

[john trott]

Just bought a pair of koni sport shocks for the front of my cos.
The pair on the car have a black plastic sleeve over the piston,but the new ones don't have these. Do you have to swap them from the old ones? I've never taken them out before so I'm not sure. Also,is there anything else I should renew while their out?? I have new top cups,and the big rubber doughnut. The reason I ask is sat in the plate at the bottom of the strut where the spring sits I had a mangled rubber ring which I'm guessing has come from the strut somewhere?? It's about 2.5 inch diameter and around 0.5 inch thick.

[Ben Purnell]

can't offer any advice other than to buy new pinch bolts, as I wouldn't want to run the risk of putting the old ones back in

[The Radman]

yes john,you need to swap these over along with your bumpstops,although it sounds as though your mangled bit of rubber may be the remains of one
i always renew the top bearings as well for piece of mind,while youve got it all out

[john trott]

Thanks nick,yes I also think they are the bump stops...
What's the correct way to remove the shocks? Do you release the top or bottom first? I'm hoping I don't have to remove the lower arms...

[rsnissan]

I un did top mounts with the shocks in situ. Then slackened off the nut enough to hold the shocks in place in the engine bay. remove the pinch bolt at the bottom and leaver the hub dwon with a bar between the lower arm and the subframe. Finally just release the shock from the engine bay.

Just mind the inner CV joints/spider bearing when you're leavering down if your doing it on your own.

[The Radman]

yep the inner cv joint will prob pop out when you remove the shock it just takes a bit more fiddling to get it lined up to pop back in again,you shouldnt have to touch the bottom arms but its best to have a helper to lever down the hub

[The Radman]

was it called a wheel? lol seriously though that would be a good idea if you did them regularly, im sure someone could knock something up that bolted on the hubs

[Ben Purnell]

I went to do mine recently and had the problem of getting it out the hub, gave up and will give it to my local garage to do lol

[john trott]

I went to do mine recently and had the problem of getting it out the hub, gave up and will give it to my local garage to do lol

After reading all the above I'm thinking the same.. nearly everything I've touched on the cos so far,one bolt or nut was seized...

[zetecturbo]

easier to unbolt the pinch bolt at the bottom of the shock and remove loosen top nut on the shock in the engine bay but dont remove , let go the anti rollbar brackets and release the tcas from the subframe ,then tap the hub down off the shock then relase nut from the top of the shock and remove,

[Ben Purnell]

After reading all the above I'm thinking the same.. nearly everything I've touched on the cos so far,one bolt or nut was seized...

I know that feeling, I sat there for about 30 mins thinking, this is going to take me a couple of hours just to do one side, bugger that my local garage can probably do it in less time and they won't charge me a lot