Change Springs or Absorber?

[g4i8y0t]

don't forget to check the bushings too.. body 'bengkok' is highly unlikely cause I think.

 

[LittleWhiteWagon]

Body bengkok? LOL how hard have you been driving sampai the mountings 'bengkok'? Haha

 

[Veloc]

from that i seen (on words) your rear right was definitely will cause your front right to be lower. For it's more than the 3mm margin which the chassis can 'hide' the ride hight difference. You still using original spring at the back? for my experience, abs won't effect right hight as long as it's the same brand/models as abs pressure won't really affect ride high as well.

So it's down to spring and chassis. Spring as the major supporter of your car (it supported your car's weight ^^) and for some reason, springs do had it's life span due to type of material they were used to made and way of manufactured (cold forge/cold roll, hot roll etc~) and treatment accepted later. As many years of experience in suspension tuning, i can make a conclusion which most car's rear spring will give way in 7~10 years (sub 2000 models) and 15~20 for front.
As newer car (might been due to cutting cost) 3~5 years -rear, 10-(dunno now only 11 years) for car models made after y2K~

i recon you try to get a new set of springs and put it on to see if your car still ridding on one side~

hope this help ;) cheerio~

Thank you sifu... Your advice always helpful and really technical! I will try that soon. Next month and this month already blow the budget.

But then again, I see the springs already. Both are slightly cut spring. Very little. Not like VIP style low. When jack up the car to fix the springs, the springs are still connected to the top mounting and the absorber. And also, both sides springs are cut same length. They took out for me to see just now. So do you think it is still springs?

What do you think about the car's frame being bent? Is this possible to happen in accident?

don't forget to check the bushings too.. body 'bengkok' is highly unlikely cause I think.

My car accident before... One of my mechs told me there are signs that the car turn turtle before. NOt sure though. The bloody damn saleman did a good job in conning me buying this car when I did not know so much yet. Slowly the problems surface one by one when I take my car to mechanics. See la... I will post that bloody guy's contact and company online.

---------- Post added at 01:24 AM ---------- 6 hour anti-bump limit - Previous post was at 01:17 AM ----------

Body bengkok? LOL how hard have you been driving sampai the mountings 'bengkok'? Haha

Dear Pope...

Haha... jkjk... No offense... The salesman conned me into buying this car. It had a lousy accident before and they hid it really well.

 

[DanzEterna]

aiya bro, dun ever buy apm performax, 1st : got lotsa manufacturer defects, sometimes spring will bunyi squeek2 sound. 2nd will sag after 2 yrs.

dun think if body bengkok can effect body lowered to 1 side? dun think is the body la....
as pomen said, try checking your lower arms, absorber link, tie rod ends whether all bushes all ok.

simple way, get adjustables....invest abit more ......then adjust all to same height hehe......

but from my point of view. i think its the lower arm.

 

[ACQ2305]

Hrmm,speaking of the height of the car which is not even, i am / did experience the same with mine.. But im using adjustable's..Before installing the new set,i had it adjusted to the same height,the mechanic measured the height before installing..(Using a ruler, counting the 'rings') but upon installing, my right rear seems to be lower then my left..even after 1 month of of using..Letting it compress first. So i adjusted the left rear side till it is almost the lowest,before the height is the same.. So my question is, since my right hand side is like,..the count of the rings(tread) is like almost 15 rounds,...my left is only 3-4 rounds, will it effect the absorber? Driving alone, it feels ok..but when i have a passenger at the back,,it feels weird especially around corners... anybody experience the same??? Btw, am using D2, the RED colour... Before this i was using GAB..did not face this problem...only slight adjustment..

 

[^pomen_GTR^]

Thank you sifu... Your advice always helpful and really technical! I will try that soon. Next month and this month already blow the budget.

But then again, I see the springs already. Both are slightly cut spring. Very little. Not like VIP style low. When jack up the car to fix the springs, the springs are still connected to the top mounting and the absorber. And also, both sides springs are cut same length. They took out for me to see just now. So do you think it is still springs?

What do you think about the car's frame being bent? Is this possible to happen in accident?



My car accident before... One of my mechs told me there are signs that the car turn turtle before. NOt sure though. The bloody damn saleman did a good job in conning me buying this car when I did not know so much yet. Slowly the problems surface one by one when I take my car to mechanics. See la... I will post that bloody guy's contact and company online.

---------- Post added at 01:24 AM ---------- 6 hour anti-bump limit - Previous post was at 01:17 AM ----------



Dear Pope...

Haha... jkjk... No offense... The salesman conned me into buying this car. It had a lousy accident before and they hid it really well.

how old is your car?? (and the spring as well???)

 

[Veloc]

aiya bro, dun ever buy apm performax, 1st : got lotsa manufacturer defects, sometimes spring will bunyi squeek2 sound. 2nd will sag after 2 yrs.

dun think if body bengkok can effect body lowered to 1 side? dun think is the body la....
as pomen said, try checking your lower arms, absorber link, tie rod ends whether all bushes all ok.

simple way, get adjustables....invest abit more ......then adjust all to same height hehe......

but from my point of view. i think its the lower arm.

Aiyo... I actually didn't want to get that. I wanted APM standard only... But no stock... Anyways... Already buy.... Haiz... Nvm la... If after 2 years fk up I change again lo.... I don't have money to go for adjustables... AE111 adjustables are expensive... I think most common only GAB and Tein...

how old is your car?? (and the spring as well???)

Err... 97.. Means.... Got 14 years lo...

---------- Post added at 02:45 PM ---------- 6 hour anti-bump limit - Previous post was at 02:32 PM ----------

aiya bro, dun ever buy apm performax, 1st : got lotsa manufacturer defects, sometimes spring will bunyi squeek2 sound. 2nd will sag after 2 yrs.

dun think if body bengkok can effect body lowered to 1 side? dun think is the body la....
as pomen said, try checking your lower arms, absorber link, tie rod ends whether all bushes all ok.

simple way, get adjustables....invest abit more ......then adjust all to same height hehe......

but from my point of view. i think its the lower arm.

Lower arm... Thanks Danz... I need to know some of the possible problems so that I can tell those mechs to inspect those specific parts. If not, they will just tell me maybe this maybe that. Try change this first... Try change that first... In the end I change lots of unnecessary parts... I am noob on suspension components. Just googled what is lower arm. Any more potential parts?

 

[DanzEterna]

cos this happened to my bro in law, he using perdana, but slanted to 1 size just like yours, luckily he using adjustables, so able to adjust the car height to normal.....
but when cornering die lor, cos the bounce rate is not consistant.

in the end it was the lower arm.

just check all your bushings bro....

---------- Post added at 02:17 PM ---------- 6 hour anti-bump limit - Previous post was at 02:16 PM ----------

if chasis bengkok ah, u got problem closing your door, u need to use extra force to shut it or when
its closed, the door wont be flat.... will be abit ajar.

---------- Post added at 02:18 PM ---------- 6 hour anti-bump limit - Previous post was at 02:17 PM ----------

dun worry bout the apm performax, since u bought it use la rite.........
can lasts 2 yrs kira good edi......cos performax on perdana sucks cos body heavy, on ae111 maybe ok kot....

 

[Veloc]

cos this happened to my bro in law, he using perdana, but slanted to 1 size just like yours, luckily he using adjustables, so able to adjust the car height to normal.....
but when cornering die lor, cos the bounce rate is not consistant.

in the end it was the lower arm.

just check all your bushings bro....



---------- Post added at 02:17 PM ---------- 6 hour anti-bump limit - Previous post was at 02:16 PM ----------

if chasis bengkok ah, u got problem closing your door, u need to use extra force to shut it or when
its closed, the door wont be flat.... will be abit ajar.

---------- Post added at 02:18 PM ---------- 6 hour anti-bump limit - Previous post was at 02:17 PM ----------

dun worry bout the apm performax, since u bought it use la rite.........
can lasts 2 yrs kira good edi......cos performax on perdana sucks cos body heavy, on ae111 maybe ok kot....

Thanks bro... The mech advised me to add some rubber at the abs mounting. I will check the lower arm. Thanks. This time to a different mechanic.

But, let's say if the lower arm really bengkok and we don't fix it, are there any danger or will it cause damage to the car?

About hard to close door, this happens to my front doors especially driver side. Not surprised as I told you, this car been in accident. Bloody salesman conned me.

About Performax, yeah will just use ti first till it kong. Aftermarket adjustables for toyota quite expensive. Mitsu got mines right? Around 800 only... And by the way, I don't find buying serviceable coilovers worth it here because I couldn't find any place to service it. Even if I buy for long term, but there is not place that offer that service here... No use... Hmm...

Thanks though... Will check lower arm...

 

[DanzEterna]

im not sure bout adding the rubber on abs mounting though....
just give a thorough check under your car....jack it up, look under, look for any arms bengkok that can cause your car to be unbalanced......if u dun mind bro can take some pics of your car where it looks senget.....remember to blank out the number plate......

can ma....if u wanna service, u remove it & replace with any old abs 1st then send it to fstrader via courier lor....hehe...after he servis he courier back to u.....

 

[^pomen_GTR^]

well..last time forgot to ask u swap front spring between left to right and right to left.....just to make sure the spring doesn't sag.....

*after swap if your car senget to another direction then surely know it was the spring as the culprit.....14years quite long already.....waja spring around 10years sagged already.....(and so do my 15years old satria) senget sebelah....well....it happens that my lower arm bushing also pecah already..not yet got time to change...so cannot double confirm with u the exact cause of senget.....



*btw...my car senget temporarily i put 2spring buffer on the senget side to counter the spring and height...help a bit only....haha

 

[DanzEterna]

pomen, really can ah swap from left to right & vice versa? i tot each spring got marking wan? no eh? i also not sure if can i wanna try on my SLK.

 

[BE5RSK]

Veloc, if not mistaken you mentioned that your rear (OEM) are "cut" springs, right?
If it were modified before by the previous owner, I believe the compression rate of the springs are about lari already (eventhough you find that the height of the springs are same visually).

Perhaps you should sort out the springs issue first (try to find used unmodified OEM rear springs) as maybe it wont cost you so much.

If it still does not solve your probs, I agreed with others that maybe your rear bushes kaput already.

Anyway, be patience in dealing the probs. Suspension problems is always like that. We thought that we settled the problem already, only to found that we need to change some other parts. Too many components (from the small one to maknenek big one).

Good luck bro.

 

[jimmyteng18]

All sifu,

I also having problem same as Veloc. I'm driving AE111 '97.Currently, I'm using 4 new KYB absorber with original spring.

Front Left = 3 fingers gap
Front Right = 3 fingers gap
Rear Left = 2 fingers gap
Rear Right = 2 fingers gap

I'm also wanted to change the rear spring. Someone recommended me to use the AE111 Levin original from chop shop and said to be better than OEM.