New shocks and struts, and now im clunking

JoeDaddy · Mar 18, 2011

I recently changed my shocks & struts (96 gt), and now I've got a clunk over any and all bumps. Seems to be worse in the back, but I think that the front is doing it a little too. I did not change the shock rubbers, because I didn't think that they looked that bad.
View attachment 193910

I think that the problem is the metal sleeve that goes in the rubbers, and thru the shaft.
View attachment 193911

Kind of hard to see them, but I have what I'm talking about on the shock shaft in that picture. When they are on there, I can rattle them around. I am guessing that the shaft on my new shocks and struts are slightly smaller then the stockers, so what do I do to fix this correctly? I have been looking at rock auto, summit, and Lrs, and I can't find this part with the new rubbers and new sleeves.

Abybody have any suggestions? The clunk ins't quite as annoying as the sqeak was before doing balljoints, but it's a close second.

bigbird04 · Mar 18, 2011

Do you mean you can move them up and down or side to side or both ways?
Are you sure all fastners are tight?

JoeDaddy · Mar 18, 2011

If I held the shock up and down, like it would be installed in the car and that sleeve is on it like it is in the picture, there is a gap (although very small) between the sleeve and the shock shaft. So, I can rattle it left and right. When I put them on the first time, I tightened the top shock nut way down, until my pneumatic ratched wouldn't tighten anymore.. After my test drive and it was clunking, I the shocks back out, looked everything over and put it back together. That time I tightened the top nut until once I saw the rubber being compressed. The clunking seemed better, but it is still very much there.. When I took the shocks off today (after about 300 miles of driving this week) I can see that the paint is rubbed off the shock shaft where the sleeves would have been banging it.

The only thing that I can figure is that I need to find a slighty smaller sleeve that will fit tightlty on the shock shaft. (which is why i was wondering if there was a replacement shock mount set of some kind) With all the people that have changed shocks/struts, am I the only one to have this problem?

bigbird04 · Mar 18, 2011

Unless you have one hell of an air ratchet ( not impact wrench right ) I don't know if you would be able to get the fronts tight enough. Have a friend hold a large screwdriver in the slot on the strut and tighten the piss out of them with a large adjustable or boxed end wrench . The shaft in the strut will actually turn if you don't hold it. I installed tokico blues this way about 4 months ago . Are you sure your coil springs are seated? Was the clunking there before changing shocks/struts?

GDawg · Mar 19, 2011

What brand did you buy? Different struts may need bumpstops. My struts had them build in. Bilsteins. You really have to tighten them. And if you got the correct ones for your car the shaft should be the right size.

JoeDaddy · Mar 19, 2011

bigbird04 said:
Unless you have one hell of an air ratchet ( not impact wrench right ) I don't know if you would be able to get the fronts tight enough.

Now that you mention it, I don't think i threw the impact on the struts. I got them tight with some wrenches, and was going to tighten them down when I got the front end all put back together, but I dont think I ever did. In the trunk, the impact wont fit, so im stuck with an air ratchet in there.

GDawg said:
What brand did you buy? Different struts may need bumpstops.

Strange Engineering S6005LM - Strange Externally Adjustable Mustang Struts - Overview - SummitRacing.com
Strange Engineering S6004LM - Strange Externally Adjustable Mustang Shocks - Overview - SummitRacing.com

The front ones didn't come with anything, so I just swaped over the stock bump stops and splash shield. The back ones, the splash shield is a part of the shock (it doesn't come off), so I assume a bump stop is under there. The back one actually came with new rubbers, but not that metal sleeve. When I did it with just the rubbers, the clunking was REAL bad, but now that I know you have to tighten them way down, im sure that they were way too loose. In my hanyes manual it only sayed somehting like 20 - 45 ft. lbs., so I assumed snug, but not break your arm off tight. Now I know!
I'll tighten the crap out of everything, and see if that works.

Thanks, I appreciate it!

JoeDaddy · Mar 22, 2011

Just to update this for anyone that may search it. Spent 3 hrs last nite at my father in laws with him trying to figure out what is wrong with it. Once I got home I did a search on google, and it turns out these shocks and struts are clunky, even when new. It was on a different mustang board, but a guy had a post with a video of his car driving and it sounded just like mine. I have now emailed summit to see if I can return these things after I have installed them... I will be super PO'ed if I am out $400 for what I spent on these things, plus have to buy new shocks and struts again.

bigbird04 · Mar 22, 2011

If you get your money back you should be able to get some tokico blues for around 300 bucks. Thats what I have on mine lowered two inches , haven't noticed any odd sounds. Good luck on getting a refund on parts you installed most places won't refund parts that have been installed.

JoeDaddy · Mar 22, 2011

bigbird04 said:
Good luck on getting a refund on parts you installed most places won't refund parts that have been installed.

I know it.. Thats what I am afraid of.. If summit wont take them back, then I will take a video of it going down my driveway and send it to the people at strange engineering so they can hear how bad the clunking is. If they wont do anything, I will post my video on every mustang board on the internet... Just my luck that I blow my money on the only kind of shocks that sound worn out when they are brand new...

JoeDaddy · Mar 23, 2011

Well, the summit guy has at least been talking to me in emails, and didn't just say F you, they are yours now.

Here is a video I took tonight of going down my driveway. Would YOU be happy with this?

MVI_3499.mp4 video by spiveysvo - Photobucket

Rejekt · Mar 23, 2011

WOW.... I'd be going nuts with that noise man.

When I did my struts, I did my caster/camber kit and H&R SS springs at the same time. I had a clunk over bumps and anytime the suspension traveled. I ended up having to use an additional spacer under the strut nut. I couldn't get the nut any tighter. So far so good.

Only experience near that I've had.

JoeDaddy · Mar 23, 2011

Rejekt said:
I ended up having to use an additional spacer under the strut nut. I couldn't get the nut any tighter. So far so good.

Only experience near that I've had.

Yea. When I went over to my father-in-law's house, we spent about 3 hours jacking the car up and down. We tried changing the rubbers, changing the washers, we thought maybe the bottom bolt was loose in the shock when compared to the old one, we thought the splash shield was hitting where it goes up in the car as it was a bit bigger then the stock one... Not one thing that we did made the noise any different. After I did some searching on it, I am convinced now that it is in the shocks.. I emailed the link of the video to the guy I've been talking to at summit, so hopefully they will let me change them out for a different brand or something..

I put the stock struts back on tonight, and I think the noise from the front is gone. The backs are so noisy it is hard to tell. The stock shocks I left over at my dad in laws, so I'm going to pick those up in the morning, and swap them out, and I'm 99% sure my noise will be gone, but then I'm back to shocks and struts with 100,000 miles on them...

Dustys'99 · Mar 23, 2011

Sorry but I just had to laugh when I watched the video... that is absolutely horrible. I just couldn't imagine spending all that money on new parts and them being defective. The only thing worse would be telling my wife that I just wasted a bunch of money and need to buy more of the same parts. I feel for you man.

JoeDaddy · Mar 24, 2011

Got all the old shocks and struts put back on last nite.

MVI_3500.mp4 video by spiveysvo - Photobucket

Here is the email I got from summit guy.

Response (Jim) 03/24/2011 09:54 AM
Joe , the shocks and struts are not defective . What you are hearing are the units bottoming out because of the lowered springs you put in the car . The shocks and struts are for stock height vehicles . Not lowered ones

Funny cause my stock stuff doesn't "bottom out.."

JoeDaddy · Mar 25, 2011

Just an update for if anyone searches this topic in the futre --

Summit guy said that they contacted Strange Engineering, and they said that since my car has FRPP "C" springs and is lowered, that the nosie I am hearing is the shocks bottoming out because these shocks are made for stock height vechicles. They said that for a lowered mustang, I should have ordered shocks/struts for an 87-93. Summit guy said that they would allow me to send back the shocks/struts that I bought, and exhcange them for a set for a 87-93 stang, which is great so I wont have $400 in paperweights sitting around.

I am still a little skeptical that the shocks I ordered in the first place are bottoming out. Its not like the car is sooo low that it is draging the pavement now, but, what do I know. I'll update this once I get the new new parts in and put on.

bigbird04 · Mar 25, 2011

I'm running fox body shocks and struts on my 04. They are an inch give or take shorter than the stock ones. Good luck man, so they are saying their shocks for 94-04 are softer than the stock shocks, since you say your stockers don't bottom out.

JoeDaddy · Mar 26, 2011

bigbird04 said:
so they are saying their shocks for 94-04 are softer than the stock shocks, since you say your stockers don't bottom out.

Well thats what I dont understand. When taking them on and off, the new ones are much harder to push up to get the bottom bolt in (Even on the soft setting of 2 that I had it on) then the stock ones because they are all worn out.

Hopefully the company knows what they are talking about, and the extra inch will make a different.

Rejekt · Mar 26, 2011

At least they are letting you return them. That restores my faith in Summitt.

I ordered some Tokico HP Blues for mine. I hope I don't have this problem. I'm down on H&R SS's.

bullitt 736 · Mar 26, 2011

Summitt is right.

I have H&R Supersports with Bilsteins. The Bilstiens are the same part number as the 87-93 models.

GDawg · Mar 27, 2011

Rejekt said:
At least they are letting you return them. That restores my faith in Summitt.

I ordered some Tokico HP Blues for mine. I hope I don't have this problem. I'm down on H&R SS's.

I believe in Summit.

Bilsteins work perfectly with any lowering spring...

bullitt 736 said:
Summitt is right.

I have H&R Supersports with Bilsteins. The Bilstiens are the same part number as the 87-93 models.

I still have my Bilstein HDs and they are great!

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