BILSTEIN 5100 FRONT SHOCK INSTALL, OEM TOP WASHER DID NOT FIT OVER POST.

I was thinking the same.

 

Muddinfun, what did he do to make you say that? I saw maybe a few extra steps. And guys the bottom bushing is there...when I get the chance, I'm going to take a pic of the top thread without the bushing on so you all can see this thicker lip I'm talking about.

 

Far too many screw ups to keep track of but some of the highlights are taking the upper ball joint apart instead of taking out the 2 lower ball joint bolts, all the pounding on the spring compressor with a hammer, and the icing on the cake, tightening the lower shock bolt with the suspension at full droop. Oh yeah, and the castle nut mix up. That really made him look like an idiot. Oh and the sawing the bushing in half. Don't even know what to think about that. New $30 tophats come with a new top bushing and everything fits together.

 

I re-read the last post I quoted, and thought he said/meant the washer below the tophat was missing.

What I suspect is missing, is the washer below the integrated bushing that comes with the tophat (the washer that's supposed to be at the bottom of the stack). If that one is missing, it would allow the whole stack to compress further down, similar to what yours looks like.

 

Before I put those extra washers on, me and my uncle double checked everything, got on the ground and looked up into the hat, and the washer is there. Ill post another pic this coming week sometime, this lip thing is driving me nuts, cant find any bilstein pics with this lip at the end of the top thread. Where the top thread meets the shaft theres a lip, and the shaft is like an eight of an inch thicker than the top thread. That top washer was sitting on that lip, we drilled out the top washer so it would go over that lip and added the other 2 washers to squish the bushing some. Every pic I find of the 5100s the top threads are as thick as the shock shaft.

 

Pull it back apart, it really looks like you are missing the rubber bushing under the top hat.

 

It needs to come apart anyway. That plastic boot is sliding up and down on the rod like a 6 year old on a pogo stick.

 

There is not separate bushing under the hat, it's part of the hat itself, just a washer, check the pic that was posted on first page with it disassembled

 

Does that plastic boot really matter? Theres threads on here where dudes take em off, and lots of shocks dont come with em any way, even some bilsteins

 

Here is a pick of all the washers and bushings:

 

something got to be wrong with that stud/washer/bushing arrangement for the threaded stud to run out of threads before the bushing is squished, from what I read in those threads I posted which has the same exact issue and were also using the 5100's is that the bushing under the hat fails due to the overloading of it using the adjustable height rings on the 5100's and need to be replaced either with a new hat assembly or the use of the WHEELERS replacement bushings upper and lower bushings and washers, the bottom bushing is replacable and the only new replacement would the the WHEELERS or pay for the complete hat with the bushing already in it.

 

that pic doesn't show whats going on under the hat, the protective plastic boot keeps dirt,mud,roadgrit from entering into the shock body and protects the chrome shaft from those elements

 

OP i can tell you something is wrong. You say the boot is installed correctly but i see shock shaft.

What 5100 part number did you order.

 

Notice in this pic at the very top of the shock boot you can see a small shiny piece. That is what holds the boot on and is also a spacer of sorts. Those easily fall out. If yours has, your boot will still stay on (kinda) but it would cause the issuing you are describing if in fact you aren't missing any other bushings. Without that piece, you boot will eventually fall lower on the shock. This has happened before. Not saying it's what's going on with your set up but it's something to look into.


edit:
looking at your pic again, seeing your boot slide down b/c it's not held on by anything then I'd say this is certainly your problem.

Pic with boot off and shaft is missing collar:


Pic of bare shaft with no boot but has the collar on the shaft that was removed from boot on left. If you have that piece installed too then i'm wrong but you wouldn't be the first to have left it off and had this issue.

 

You can remove the boot, i don't run mine but you need to pop out the metal spacer that holds it on and reuse that in the install.

 

This pic is shows different parts here, there is not a bushing on the bottom like that pic shows. Also, that pic says that those bushings and pieces are “ supplied “ which all I got was the struts and nuts.

 

Mag gry...the struts I got had the boots already on and had the top nuts, there was nothing else with it.and no where can I find, nor the instructions, where guys specifically install that boot, they just assemble the shock and install it...I saw the metal washers on the top of them boots when we were putting em on..

 

Part Number: 24-239370
Series:

$455 B8 5100 Series Set of Front & Rear Shocks fits 2016-2023 Tacoma with 0-1" Rear Lift | Provides 0-1" Front Lift | Includes TrendsAuto Decal | 24-263108 24-186728

B8 5100 (Ride Height Adjustable)

 

This is all I got right here, and the one page of instructions, and according to all that, I didn’t have to do anything with the boots, so how the hell did they pop off, just from driving?




Oh and also came with cool stickers

 

Hey muddin, I was re reading and noticed your comment on the “white plastic washer.” I did notice a very small white plastic washer just loose in one of my shock boxes, didn’t know what the hell it was, specially since it was only in one. It was like a plastic ring for your finger..that’s all that holds them boots? Because if it was broken off one of the shocks, and not the other, I guess it broke off the other too, just after the install..