First time installing a lift...

by **navigator** » Wed Jun 13, 2012 8:31 am

honestly I've never watched mine cycle with weight but if you are getting play I can only think of two things.
1. either that nut isn't tight enough
2. that top strut mount is broken.

With my new Bilstein shocks I have about 1-1.5 inch of thread sticking out the top.
I expect the only weak point of Mark's budget lift is that it uses the OEM strut mount which has shown to be a weak point in the past.

by **The Roadie** » Wed Jun 13, 2012 9:45 am

Holy Moley they're not supposed to move. :awesome:

I know Kyle ran his first generation Mark lift pretty hard, as did I with my first SMAXX lift, both of which used the OEM upper mount. But they have a well-defined failure mode in shear that's eliminated by the BDS and Mark's 2nd gen 3" variant.

You can try to tighten the nut down with the weight of the vehicle on it, but that's not your problem.

EVERYBODY should cycle their suspension, or jump up and down on the front bumper, as a regular test of the upper mounts. Or upgrade to one of the better design alternatives.

YouTube Videos · by **Trail X** » Wed Jun 13, 2012 10:02 am

Looks similar doesn't it Brandon, but I don't remember your top washer being so huge. :scratch:

I think you both need to take the top washer off, be sure your bushing isn't destroyed, and if not, reassemble much tighter.

by **boog2006** » Wed Jun 13, 2012 1:32 pm

Looks like I'm taking this apart tonight.

by **Lauron** » Thu Jun 14, 2012 12:14 am

Brent, my son(an automotive technician) and I are installing Mark's three inch lift. While assembling the second strut using a wall mounted spring compressor, we noticed the amount of threads exposed was less than the first one assembled and the strut was offset and cocked slightly. We disassembled the strut and found the inner steel bushing spacer had hung up on the 3" aluminium spring spacer/mount. This meant the lower rubber bushing had not been compressed even though the strut nut was tight and the upper bushing was very compressed. We used an impact gun to tighten the strut nut.

Considering we were using the wall mount compressor, where the spring is compressed evenly, the strut still hung up.

For your 2" lift, I suspect the upper strut mount is hanging up on the strut threads or the shoulder past the threads as you assembled it. The fact the strut is offset in your pics looks the same as we saw plus it looks like you don't have full thread make up.

The movement you show in the video indicates it is free. You should now be able to tighten the strut nut and compress the lower bushing. I would recommend raising the lower control arm to take up the play and make tightening easier. It should also reduce the chance of further binding.

If this doesn't work then disassembly and reassembly compressing the spring as much as possible to expose as many of the strut threads as possible is what you need to try get. Even with the wall mount, it was a challenge.

Good luck,

Ron

by **markmc** » Thu Jun 14, 2012 5:43 am

boog2006 wrote:Looks like I'm taking this apart tonight.

Did you by chance use the large diameter washer on the upper strut mount?
There is a smaller diameter washer that is supposed to go on the top side of the upper mount..

Regardless..you will need new upper mounts for sure..
Like $26 each at Advance Auto parts.

by **boog2006** » Thu Jun 14, 2012 9:19 am

Work got the best of me yesterday so I'll get it apart tonight. I'll document what I find.

YouTube Videos · by **Trail X** » Thu Jun 14, 2012 9:42 am

boog2006 wrote:

I've got to add one additional question in here. How did you get the strut to move like it did in the video?

Even though I know Brandon's is loose, we wouldn't be able to move the strut like that because the spring itself should be tightening up the slack when the vehicle weight is off of the strut. Did you compress your spring with a spring compressor to get this video?

by **boog2006** » Thu Jun 14, 2012 12:30 pm

This is me on the bumper.

YouTube Videos · by **Trail X** » Thu Jun 14, 2012 1:24 pm

What puzzles me, is that the shock should take up any slack in the lower bushing because it is gas charged, and extends on it's own. It should remain tight to the lower shock bushing... if I'm thinking about it properly.

For instance, if I took the top nut off of my shock right now, as it sits, and jumped on my bumper, I wouldn't expect it to bounce up and down like that, because the gas pressure in the shock should theoretically keep the lower bushing pressed against the seat.

By it nocking around that easily, it would seem to mean that you're sitting right at the max extension of the shock. But with Moog springs, it doesn't seem like you should be - though they are a bit of an unknown variable.

by **Lauron** » Thu Jun 14, 2012 1:37 pm

James, I concluded the strut has to be fully extended. This seems consistent with the "extra" lift is apparent and the topping out being experienced.

As Mark Mc was asking, we also were wondering about a possible washer size problem and interference inside the spacer. Too bad we can't see inside the spacer when it is assembled!

If the strut nut can't be tightened to take up the slack then the disassembly to find the "hang-up" problem was the next thing to investigate was our thinking.

Ron

by **boog2006** » Thu Jun 14, 2012 6:48 pm

I'm embarrassed to post this but maybe some other idiot will need it.

In case you missed it...there's no washer...

A little rubber action...

So please tell me what goes where...

by **boog2006** » Thu Jun 14, 2012 7:05 pm

Putting small washer on top and bottom.

by **boog2006** » Thu Jun 14, 2012 8:54 pm

Everything is back together and the ride is back to normal...

I do think I'm very near to full extension. Need to do some binding tests.

by **markmc** » Fri Jun 15, 2012 3:31 am

Did you replace the upper mounts?
i noticed some seperation of rubber to center (molded in) steel insert of the upper mount in the pic..
9 times out of 10, when the lower washer gets left out at install..the strut rod will push the steel insert out of the rubber..thus destroying the mount..
Not a big deal, but you will more than likely hear some noise as the suspension moves..

by **boog2006** » Fri Jun 15, 2012 9:17 am

markmc wrote:Did you replace the upper mounts?
i noticed some seperation of rubber to center (molded in) steel insert of the upper mount in the pic..
9 times out of 10, when the lower washer gets left out at install..the strut rod will push the steel insert out of the rubber..thus destroying the mount..
Not a big deal, but you will more than likely hear some noise as the suspension moves..

No I didn't. The steel insert was completely removable...but I figured with the washers on either side sandwiching it together I should be fine. Didn't hear any noise on the drive in this morning. All I can hear now is the squeaky rear suspension.

YouTube Videos · by **Trail X** » Fri Jun 15, 2012 11:33 am

THAT's what I was seeing, and why the shock acted in the way I was not expecting. I hadn't considered that the lower washer was left off, and that the lower bushing had crept down the shaft.

I think you'll be OK for now.

For future user's reference - larger washer on bottom, smaller washer on top, right?

by **markmc** » Sat Jun 16, 2012 1:53 am

JamesDowning wrote:THAT's what I was seeing, and why the shock acted in the way I was not expecting. I hadn't considered that the lower washer was left off, and that the lower bushing had crept down the shaft.

I think you'll be OK for now.

For future user's reference - larger washer on bottom, smaller washer on top, right?

For future referance:
Discard the larger factory washer and replace with smaller washer that comes with the kit.
But yes, smaller washer goes on the top side.

Offroad Trailblazers and Envoys