Coilovers STUCK!!!! OMG HELP!

Hi ppl..

I bought 2nd hand coilovers which i am regretting now. Cusco Zero2.

3 of the sussy can be successfully adjusted while the left rear one is stuck. To make it worst, it is set to the lowest bloody height that i do NOT want. Meanwhile i put in a spacer in my coilovers to raise it a lil bit by opening the coilovers up. It was done by the mechanic, not me. So, now my car looks normal but the spacer sort of gives out some irritating noise while driving, thus making it NOT the solution to this bullshit

SO!! is there anyway to unstuck a coilover? or is there anyway we can purchase 1 coilover from CUSCO japan!!?? I heard soaking the coilover into oil for a few days etc. Pls help me and tell me what i can do. My car looks horrible now!! :((((((

Spray WD40 on the area where the locking ring is. Let it soak in for a while. Then try loosening it again.

Hmmmm...

I thought all mechanics should know what WD40 is by now...

Hopefully. :)
If it is still stuck, keep it wet with WD-40 for a few hours.

wire brush the area to get rid of the gunk on the thread
so the nut can move mite have a rock or sand stuck there
and like above wd40 to help

^^ And if the above doesn't work, as a last resort, use a hammer to give a light tap on the adjustment spanner.

Its just sand or something caught in the threads i reckon. Thats what happened to my coilovers when i had to readjust mine 2 weeks ago. Just add some lubricants and it should be ok, i guess.

if WD-40 not good enough try "WURTH - Rost off Ice " its like wd40 but its cold so it drops the temperature of the metal down there for it shrinks so then u can turn the thing to adjust it

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bigjo5

if WD-40 not good enough try "WURTH - Rost off Ice " its like wd40 but its cold so it drops the temperature of the metal down there for it shrinks so then u can turn the thing to adjust it

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to bad the ring metal too so it would also shrink.

Not to mention anything uncompressing gets cold

hmmm... thanks every1 for quick reply. I tink i am gonna take the whole Coilover out and soak in it WD40 alike substance and hope it becums loosen up..

Will try the ice substance as well. Good idea.

Btw tried WD40 and many other type of degreaser,lubricant etc. Refuse to let go. Even use hammer an hit th adjustment spanner as mentioned already. Took the coilover out as well. Clamp it and tried with 2 ppl to loosen it. FAILED!!

I hope it jus need a good soak in "WD-40" land for a gd 24 hrs before it lets go.

ANY1 with any experience pls post further info.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by VT1-R

hmmm... thanks every1 for quick reply. I tink i am gonna take the whole Coilover out and soak in it WD40 alike substance and hope it becums loosen up..

Will try the ice substance as well. Good idea.

Btw tried WD40 and many other type of degreaser,lubricant etc. Refuse to let go. Even use hammer an hit th adjustment spanner as mentioned already. Took the coilover out as well. Clamp it and tried with 2 ppl to loosen it. FAILED!!

I hope it jus need a good soak in "WD-40" land for a gd 24 hrs before it lets go.

ANY1 with any experience pls post further info.

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DON'T SOAK THE WHOLE COILOVER IN WD40!

WD-40 attacks plastics and rubber. So the seals WILL get damaged. Just spray WD-40 on the ring that you are trying to loosen. Spray some on every hour so that the ring stays soaked.

ok.. i wont soak the whole thing. But my fren soak the coilovers, thread section, into a sort of oil substance and it worked. So i was guessing WD-40 alike substance. We gonna try it out soon, if he replys me. If not i will really be depressed.. haha..

Apparently, the mechanic was rather rough with the coilover and dented a few of the thing that hooks the C spanner on, while trying all he can to loosen that son of a b****. However, a few of that "thing" is still ok and not knocked out of shape. So i guess its still alright? its not that bad but you will easily noticed its whacked. haha.

Do you know if the mech used WD40 on the threads?

i dun tink its WD 40 coz the WD 40 can is so obvious. would have caught my attention. Its just other random degreaser/lubricant?? haha..

I reckon WD 40 gives me a chance. If not i will post up my actions next and see what to do next.

Tell me if any1 of u guys esp aaronng if u have any ideas.. thanks..

depsite having unequal rear setting. car corners rather well. Tats giving me hope.

Degreaser and WD-40 are totally different and opposite. Degreaser removes oil and grease. It doesn't lubricate nor loosens rusted parts.

Use WD-40 and spray quite a bit on the threads near the ring you are trying to loosen. Then take an old toothbrush and brush the threads to get any sand out. After that, take a cloth and wipe the thread area clean. Spray more WD-40 and let it sit for a few minutes. Try to loosen the perch. If it still doesn't loosen, spray more WD-40 and let it sit for an hour. Try again after that. If it still doesn't work, spray WD-40, TIGHTEN the perch slightly instead and then try to loosen again. Tightening it can help break any cold welds. If it still doesn't work, spray more WD-40 and use a hammer with sharp hits (not too hard though, you only want to break the cold weld, not the perch).

Maybe try to heat the ring to expand it a bit if all else fails? Then clean/dry off depending on method of heating and spray WD40 and try to loosen before it cools down again.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 02gzm

Maybe try to heat the ring to expand it a bit if all else fails? Then clean/dry off depending on method of heating and spray WD40 and try to loosen before it cools down again.

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I wouldn't use heat. It could damage the damper or crack the aluminium.

yeah.. aaronng thanks for advise. Will take off coilover and put back stock 1 into the car for tat side, and work on spraying WD40 etc,using ur method and bring to a sussy shop to try solving the problem eventually. cheers will keep u update.

I wouldn't drive the car with 3 coils and 1 stock suspension. Find another car to use in the meantime.

hmmm.. y wouldnt u(aaronng) do that? I am just driving it home after taking out the coilovers then driving there again to put back coilovers after i done it.

Coz i have no tools etc to take the coilovers out. Isit bad for the car etc or wat?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by VT1-R

hmmm.. y wouldnt u(aaronng) do that? I am just driving it home after taking out the coilovers then driving there again to put back coilovers after i done it.

Coz i have no tools etc to take the coilovers out. Isit bad for the car etc or wat?

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Having different spring rates on 1 corner would make the car unsafe to drive. If you are forced to, keep your speed to under about 40km/h.

reali!!!?? how unsafe?40km/hr abit difficult.. 60km/hr ok? I mean as long as i dun corner hard and keep cornering speed to bout 20km/hr should be fine?

My car ht is lower at left side for the rear while the rear right is higher and no problems cornering? Or its just the stock sussy n the cusco doesnt match. For same suspension(cusco), having 1 side lower or higher is still fine ????

Any other implications? haha. Playing with cars is getting troublesome and costly. haha..

It's not good. Seriously, if you have to do that, drive slow and carefully. We don't want you coming back here and posting that you had an accident. I'd avoid freeways and take roads that you can drive slowly on.

usually heat the component with an oxy torch but i wouldnt do that on a coilover so pretty much rules that out. Definately some WD40 or CRC and wire brush the thread.

instead of the hammer trick, get some long ass bar that will slide over the end of the tool that your using.

Leverage is your friend, less likely to damge the parts where the tool locates aswell. Sometimes works better than a hammer... Definately better than having 2 people trying to undo it, confuses me thinking what they were trying to do haha.. 2 qualified mechanics couldnt undo this?!? Wouldnt be going back there unless they are family/friends or something.

Ensure if your clamping it in a vice that you use soft jaws so you dont damage the coilover aswell!

I use the end on my trolley jack for an extension and i got like a big 2metre poll in the backyard if all else fails haha. Used it for my axle nuts lol. Bit of overkill but worked wonders and i didnt have to strain myself at all.

Good luck!!

Also, if your trying the trick of putting it in a vice and using leverage...

Have a good think of which way to push/pull on the bar to loosen it and how you place the coilover in the vice...
Certain ways will make it wanna move in the vice and make it hard, other ways it will be no dramas...

Just some common sense really.

BUMP

Some progress has been made. Managed to loosen the 2 things(i dunno wats its called) used to adjust the ht. My friend dad who is a mechanic managed to get it off, but now they are not useable. However, he said he could custom build 2 of those things for the coilovers so it will be back to normal again.

So, is it normal to custom built those 2 adjustment thingy and if cant be custom made, i am sure it can be bought from suspension shop? Its jus a coilover spare part?

Please reply urgent!!!!!!!!!

i tink the thing i was refering to is the Coilovers lock nut, found on every coilover to lock the desired ht.

I think they can be easily purchased at suspension shop or spare part shop?

Some1 pls say something..lol

not sure if its "normal" to custom build those rings, i wudnt think they break too often, but i guess nething can be made. if u know the model of ur coilover then u shud be able to purchase some spare parts.

Just contact a Cusco Zero dealer and ask them if they have any spares that they can sell you.

thrashed the rings hard aye.
lol
i had same problem. just used wb40 drove around for acouple of days. then boom
looose as a goose.!

but those lock nuts are replacable eh? i mean in order to get it out, u have to damage it. No choice. Its ***ed. Tried everyway aaronng suggested still to no avail. So i guess i jus wait and see wats next.

Yes, they are replaceable. Make sure the next person who does up the rings doesn't overtighten them.

yeah.. mine got loose within acouple of days of spraying the wd40
just needed to be patient dude.

but yeah now its f*cked cant really do much but try to source the part u need.

like are all the teeth on the rings gone? or whats wrong with it?

yeah most of the teeth on ring gone. Ahh.. jus source new parts la.. The guy said he can do it. And he is a family fren so no worries bout price la.. Anyway will update this thread. Haha i hope this thread can be helpful with future coilover noobs who bought stuck shit. I dun tink theres a thread on this yet. haha..

I had this problem and a can of CRC fixed all the issues, then a good clean.

yeah its just the weight of the springs pushing against it that makes it hard to turn the first few times.. and along with dirt n shit stuck between the rings n thread..