also check for scrape marks on the springs when you do your work tonight. should be a sign if it is the spring.

while you're at it, why not swap out the shock top mount to stock if it fits? it could mean that the pillow mount itself was the problem or the piston nut wansn't tightened down well enough and it backed out a little causing rattle.

supposdly its no big deal to swap the strut, i'm kinda nervous about it tho. sucks that i have to do this in my garage. i paid enough money for the coils and install, and now i'm here in my garage working on the car myself to try and figure out what the problem is.

actually that's a shock (damper), not a strut in the back. :icon17:

Jeff man I know it sucks but whenever I work on my car I get this sense of empowerment! Unless of course I mess something up :-/. Just take your time and be patient. It helps!

i get that too. i'm always comfortable doing something AFTER i've done it. before i do it, i'm nervous. Which i guess is the way of the DIYer. First time i changed my oil i was like :ugh:, now its no big deal, same thing with swapping wheels and stuff, first time i was nervous having the car on jack stands etc. i'm sure this will be the same, but the more moving parts involved, the more i get nervous hah.

you're not a car guy until you can wrench on it. :D

If you're just taking the rear damper and spring off it should be a pretty simple process. Good luck buddy.

+1

uhhh.... someone go check on jeff...

Long story:
basically, the 2 rings on top of the spring, they were practically as LOW as they posible could be. there was like 1 thread left. when the suspension hung loose, there was a gap between the spring and the ring. On the left side there wasn't. i took everything out of the spring assembly. turned the collars enough to get out that to the very last thread, and put everything back. so essentially i have the most preload possible, however, the spring still has a little gap when hanging loose. ii fully expected to not have fixed anything. basically it seems like theres not enough threads on the spring perch, even though i'm lowered .75 inches, it seems like my car is too high or w/e to get enough preload. so anyways, i adjusted that ring maybe HALF a turn. all finished, i expected the sound to be there and was totally surprised that it wasn't.

i honestly think the installer put as much preload as they could, i just put a miniscule amount more, literally i could not possibly pput anymore preload because of the amount of threading on the spring perch. i remember the guys at the shop even saying it was at max preload and complaining how they wanted to add more but couldn't. so i dunno, i think BC might need to modify the design . maybe the sound only presented itself because i'm not lowered that much in the rear. Mike from BC said i'm almost at max height, which doesn't seem to make sense but w/e i'm gonna talk to them tomorrow and explain. i now have this really slight creeking sound but its not all the time, maybe a loose interior panel or something... i dunno, but its not really that bothersome, nowhere nera as bad as that goddamn rumble rattle.

Short story:

It appears as though, based on my ride height (.75" lower than stock, which is not that low), and the fact that i have 210mm springs, i have to max out the preload. However, there really isn't enough threading to do so.

It is my opinion that this was neither installer error, nor was it a defective product. it was just a matter of my ride height and the maximum amount of preload that can be put on the spring based on the amount of threading and the length of the spring. The solution: BC Racing is going to send me 230mm rear springs or spring spacers, whichever i want. i am most likely going to go with the 230mm rear springs. After my little escapade last night, i feel totally comfortable swapping them.

A major rep goes to Mike and BC Racing for talking to me on the phone for god knows how long explaining everything and sending me pictures of how to make any adjustments. Also, i'd like to thank Performance Motorsport for helping out diagnose the problem. they DID do the install correctly, and these are not defective shocks. i just happen to have my ride height set pretty high in the back. that is all. after adding what miniscule amount of preload i could, the noise went away. But with the longer springs, i can move the rings way up higher and have more preload to play with.

SOO if you do get these coilovers, which i really do enjoy, and you plan to only do a mild drop, ask for 230mm rear springs. If you drop any more than .75" in the rear you should be fine with the 210mm springs

ok so that wasn't very short, but i feel much more comfortable working on suspension now :tup:

Even though it isn't typical install practice there is a workaround. If you reinstall the top rubber spring perch and flip the spring and height adjuster you gain about 0.5 inches of adjustment. Downside it is a bit of a pain to adjust the collars because they are sitting in the pan of the lower control arm, however the control arm has an opening on the inside which allows lateral access.

interesting. well i have the noise gone now and i'm getting longer springs, but that's a cool workaround.

:yawn:

:tup:

things to buy: a GOOD low profile floor jack

harborfreight's racing jack is pretty good. ive been using one for several yrs with no issue. cheap too. i have 2 in my garage.