sytyguy
Moderated User
Okay, before I get started, I just want to say that I am not 100% sure of the root cause of my problem. Nor am I not assessing blame to PEP or Bilstein with this post, but I am having difficulty understanding the reason for my problem. Here goes:
-----------------------
I installed my PEP front suspension kit back in February ('03). I purchased the kit minus tie rod ends and chose to do the install myself. I cut off the pieces of my truck that Dennis advised and that others have mentioned (i.e. the upper control arm bracket, the rear lip of the front upper control arm mount, etc....). All went well, but the shock/spring was incredibly tight to squeeze in there. The shock was centered in the lower control arm mount (one bushing on each side) and the upper shock tower (one bushing on each side as well). This provided the best compromise of clearance I could achieve, and was the orientation that Dennis suggested to use.
Everything was assembled, greased, and aligned and I hit the rode with the truck. I drove the truck like that until late May (approx 3 mos & 3000 miles) when I started to notice a clicking at low speed and somewhat odd handling (it wanted to roll a bit more than normal and seemed unstable). I got it in the air one afternoon and expected to find a busted CV axle (clicking noise). Alas, I did, but I was also suprised to see the Bilstein shock shaft broken and poking thru one side of the spring. It had broken off in the nut that is part of the lower shock eye/mount.
I noticed some rubbing on the spring, figured I didn't cut/grind enough material off the truck, and wrote this mishap off as installer error. I called Dennis the following day, and with his help (he was very helpful I'll add), I got the shock sent back to Bilstein and repaired for a minimal fee. Upon receiving the newly repaired shock, I decided to grind down more metal on some of the problem areas that Dennis mentioned and I noticed. With that done (and a new CV axle in place), I slapped the new shock/spring under the truck and road tested it. I did not have it realigned due to the fact that I did not disturb any of the steering and the ride height was unchanged.
All was well until late August (another 3 mos & about 3000 miles), when the SAME THING happened again. The odd thing this time was that there was no more rubbing (I spun the adj. sleeve and the spring to a "fresh" side when installed previously), but the shock broke in EXACTLY the same spot. Again, I called Dennis and sent the shock back to Bilstein for repair. While waiting on the shock to return, I decided to really massage all the room I could out of the truck. I heated the frame and hammered it in a good 1/2" at the base of the shock tower, and I ground down the head of the front upper control arm bolt (I also took more material off the front upper control arm mount). Feeling more confident about the install this time, I slapped the shock/spring back under there and even test fitted it with it positioned forward & rearward at both mounts, but the centered position provided more clearance for the shock/spring.
I again road tested the truck and made sure not to put the suspension under any real stress (no tight turns under power and no spirited driving around curves), until I felt confident it was going to work fine. Everything seemed alright so I resumed normal driving habits.
Once more, everything went fine until this week, when the shock broke again (~ 3 mos and some 3000 miles later). Same side, same spot, same break, same conditions. I have yet to call Dennis or Bilstein as I will do that Monday.
I will post some pictures of what I'm dealing with as soon as I snap some (probably Sunday).
-----------------------
My Delimma.........do I grind even more metal off and try again or do I sell my PEP kit (fixed of course) and go back to stock suspension? I really hate to get rid of this kit as it really attributes to the reduced weight of my truck, and I really like the ride and handling of it. However, I refuse to continue with this cycle of breaking/fixing (I've been fortunate enough not to have this shock break on me at 80 mph on a curve).
My Question/Theory..........I had been of the mentality that something was rubbing the side of the spring and putting a sideways force on the shock, causing premature failure at the base of the shock (the weakest attaching point). However, I got to thinking about when the shock had failed previously as well as this last time. It seems that the shock is failing immediately after extended the shock substantially under speed repeatedly. You see, they've been doing a lot of construction on local roads/highways, and on more than one site, there are rises/lips in the road where construction begins/ends. At speed, when you hit these rises in the road, the truck lifts and the shock expands substanially more than normal. Obviously, it's not reaching full extension as I'm not getting airborn or lifting that high, but I wonder if it's extending far enough to exploit the shock and subject it to undue stress? Is this even a logical train of thought (why is it not doing it on the other side) or should I just stick to my original theory? I feel almost certain it's got to be rubbing.
If so, would I have the option to try a different shock/spring combo? I really hate to entertain this idea since I really like the Bilstein/Hypercoil setup, but I'll do whatever I can @ this point. The Bilstein/Hypercoil combo with the spring going farther up the shock than most other brands/combos seems to really limit space in our configuration. I knew this would be a tight fit, but not this tight.
FWIW:
I do not beat on my truck with aggressive driving.
I do not make tight turns (esp. under power)
I do not do any form of extreme driving (off road, road course, etc...)
I merely drive my truck daily in a very rural neighborhood with the occasional trip into town and to the dragstrip.
I really hate "airing this out" here as it looks like I'm blaming the kit or PEP. I'm not. I simply looking for help and hoping it's something wrong with my truck (that I can fix). So, if any of you have any advice or words of wisdom/kindness, let me have it. I've humbled myself in light of all this misfortune.
Thanks,
Michael
-----------------------
I installed my PEP front suspension kit back in February ('03). I purchased the kit minus tie rod ends and chose to do the install myself. I cut off the pieces of my truck that Dennis advised and that others have mentioned (i.e. the upper control arm bracket, the rear lip of the front upper control arm mount, etc....). All went well, but the shock/spring was incredibly tight to squeeze in there. The shock was centered in the lower control arm mount (one bushing on each side) and the upper shock tower (one bushing on each side as well). This provided the best compromise of clearance I could achieve, and was the orientation that Dennis suggested to use.
Everything was assembled, greased, and aligned and I hit the rode with the truck. I drove the truck like that until late May (approx 3 mos & 3000 miles) when I started to notice a clicking at low speed and somewhat odd handling (it wanted to roll a bit more than normal and seemed unstable). I got it in the air one afternoon and expected to find a busted CV axle (clicking noise). Alas, I did, but I was also suprised to see the Bilstein shock shaft broken and poking thru one side of the spring. It had broken off in the nut that is part of the lower shock eye/mount.
I noticed some rubbing on the spring, figured I didn't cut/grind enough material off the truck, and wrote this mishap off as installer error. I called Dennis the following day, and with his help (he was very helpful I'll add), I got the shock sent back to Bilstein and repaired for a minimal fee. Upon receiving the newly repaired shock, I decided to grind down more metal on some of the problem areas that Dennis mentioned and I noticed. With that done (and a new CV axle in place), I slapped the new shock/spring under the truck and road tested it. I did not have it realigned due to the fact that I did not disturb any of the steering and the ride height was unchanged.
All was well until late August (another 3 mos & about 3000 miles), when the SAME THING happened again. The odd thing this time was that there was no more rubbing (I spun the adj. sleeve and the spring to a "fresh" side when installed previously), but the shock broke in EXACTLY the same spot. Again, I called Dennis and sent the shock back to Bilstein for repair. While waiting on the shock to return, I decided to really massage all the room I could out of the truck. I heated the frame and hammered it in a good 1/2" at the base of the shock tower, and I ground down the head of the front upper control arm bolt (I also took more material off the front upper control arm mount). Feeling more confident about the install this time, I slapped the shock/spring back under there and even test fitted it with it positioned forward & rearward at both mounts, but the centered position provided more clearance for the shock/spring.
I again road tested the truck and made sure not to put the suspension under any real stress (no tight turns under power and no spirited driving around curves), until I felt confident it was going to work fine. Everything seemed alright so I resumed normal driving habits.
Once more, everything went fine until this week, when the shock broke again (~ 3 mos and some 3000 miles later). Same side, same spot, same break, same conditions. I have yet to call Dennis or Bilstein as I will do that Monday.
I will post some pictures of what I'm dealing with as soon as I snap some (probably Sunday).
-----------------------
My Delimma.........do I grind even more metal off and try again or do I sell my PEP kit (fixed of course) and go back to stock suspension? I really hate to get rid of this kit as it really attributes to the reduced weight of my truck, and I really like the ride and handling of it. However, I refuse to continue with this cycle of breaking/fixing (I've been fortunate enough not to have this shock break on me at 80 mph on a curve).
My Question/Theory..........I had been of the mentality that something was rubbing the side of the spring and putting a sideways force on the shock, causing premature failure at the base of the shock (the weakest attaching point). However, I got to thinking about when the shock had failed previously as well as this last time. It seems that the shock is failing immediately after extended the shock substantially under speed repeatedly. You see, they've been doing a lot of construction on local roads/highways, and on more than one site, there are rises/lips in the road where construction begins/ends. At speed, when you hit these rises in the road, the truck lifts and the shock expands substanially more than normal. Obviously, it's not reaching full extension as I'm not getting airborn or lifting that high, but I wonder if it's extending far enough to exploit the shock and subject it to undue stress? Is this even a logical train of thought (why is it not doing it on the other side) or should I just stick to my original theory? I feel almost certain it's got to be rubbing.
If so, would I have the option to try a different shock/spring combo? I really hate to entertain this idea since I really like the Bilstein/Hypercoil setup, but I'll do whatever I can @ this point. The Bilstein/Hypercoil combo with the spring going farther up the shock than most other brands/combos seems to really limit space in our configuration. I knew this would be a tight fit, but not this tight.
FWIW:
I do not beat on my truck with aggressive driving.
I do not make tight turns (esp. under power)
I do not do any form of extreme driving (off road, road course, etc...)
I merely drive my truck daily in a very rural neighborhood with the occasional trip into town and to the dragstrip.
I really hate "airing this out" here as it looks like I'm blaming the kit or PEP. I'm not. I simply looking for help and hoping it's something wrong with my truck (that I can fix). So, if any of you have any advice or words of wisdom/kindness, let me have it. I've humbled myself in light of all this misfortune.
Thanks,
Michael
