Was just going to post up something about this as Ive had nothing but problems with coilovers fitted by previous owners and the new car has followed suit. Bike chain lube is a good bet but the fact that a lot of adjuster platforms seem made of crappy alloy doesnt help. Due to the nature of the threads used and the ease with which grit can get in and gall up Im a standard shock and springs man from now on.
I've been using castrol motorbike chain wax which i got from a local motor factors and its been brilliant. The coilovers (weitecs, which have quite a wide thread) have seen 2 salty winters now and they're virtually perfect. This winter i stripped off the old wax using a degreaser (bilthamber) and some warm soapy car wash solution then dried thoroughly and reapplied a liberal coating to the threads. Its quite sticky so it won't wash off in normal driving and seems to seal everything up nicely-just keep an eye on them if you do alot of miles and reapply as and when you feel necessary. Don't mess about with half baked solutions like cling film etc, just think, if its good enough for a component like a motorbike chain then its plenty good enough for a coilover
my current coilovers (spax rsx) have damping adjusters at the bottom of the rear legs to protect those ive spray greased them and put some old tights round them too (40 denier for those that care) wont keep them dry but will keep the grit off. well worth the tiny amount of effort tbh id be tempted to to put tights round the threads. will keep the grit out
Just got some v-maxx rears coilies. Thinking of getting a couple of HEAVY duty bin bags and gaffa taping these on from the bottom of the threads to the top somewhere. Any-one else done something similar?
you can buy coilover socks for around 20, got them on demon-thieves. they sit over the coilover spring and body to stop all the crud getting in
http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/Motorsport/Suspension_&_Steering/Competition_Dampers/Kirkey_Coilover_Cover/1737/6412
I took a wheel off mine today and it didnt look pretty. What would be the best method to clean them if they have been on the car a couple of years with no protection?
Undo the lower collar and run the collar up and down the cleaned area once done to reassure yourself the threads are clear. Then return the lower collar to the original position, jack the car up and slowly raise the upper collar (loads of oil), to try to clear the threads above it. Those coilover socks look handy, although having Kirkley written on them...urrgghh!! Pikeys!
its well worth the time , if your fitting new / can remove , i took mine all apart down to the just bodys , cleaned all the threads and greased heavly , then put the gaffer tape all around it top and bottom of the collor , Do it right and spend the time doing this , its only going to benefit you later ! Jo
In RC we use cleaning gum, similar to BluTac and press into the threads and lift off the debris. Brush and flush with solvent first, it helps soften BluTac and makes it stickier, then lift off debris with gum, moving collar onto the clean area (as Chris mentioned) to help clear the collar's threads too. Re-grease and setup.
Anybody know a manufacturer/supplier for replacement adjuster rings? I have two pairs of (bilsteins/konis) beyond the normal clean routine? Jon
