Front suspension mess up

Long story... still long.

So I will liven it up with some pictures.

Started with a stock 2016 TRD sport.



Added a bunch of weight (steel bumpers, cap, rack, skid plates, towing heavy things, a few other things)



Decided a need better suspension, so I got front and rear Elka shocks, rear Alcan leafs



I figured I will let a "professional" handle the suspension install, since I don't have a lift or indoor garage space.



That's what he gave me, in the pic above, roughly about 1 inch lift front and back, but I never took measurements before, or after the install. That was on 2020.

In about 2 years, a squeek or even a metallic grinding noise developed in the front, but only on driver side. I lubed everything, soaked in variety of products, but nothing resolved the problem. The same "professional" who installed the suspension looked at it 3 times, once specifically disassembling the entire setup, removing all individual parts. He claimed he couldn't find the issue (meanwhile if you leaned on the side of the truck it squeeked like a bastard)
I lived with the noise, until one day, I hit a small pot hole and the drivers side shock broke.



The same "professional" removed the shocks and installed some bilsteins, which were supposed to be same spec as my Elka shocks.
The Elka shock wore right through, from inside out



The other shock, at least from the outside, looked fine, and never squeeked.

Here is what I got back from the "professional", after the bilsteins were put on (he claims to have reused my Elka springs):



Here are the measurments, front and rear now:





QUESTION: what exactly did the "professional" mechanic mess up, and what's the best way to resolve it?

 

Problem has been sitting since winter, finally have time to attend to it, will be taking things off and I can take more pics

 

What bilstiens did you get? The person might not have set them at the height you wanted.

get a pic of the coil over and spring seat.

I’m a little curious if the Elka springs are the right size for the Bilstien. Without looking into it, the might not be right at all. Spring seat might be flat vs rounded at the bottom. Elkas might be too short for them as well. You’ll need to do some more research but that should give you an idea what to look at.

 

I don't know what bilsteins he put on, I still trusted him at that point to select appropriate replacements. Here is a picture or two

 

They look like the 5100s,

now the next thing, I don’t know much about them but it seems like it’s on the lowest spring seat, which would put you close to stock height.

Also, don’t take this the wrong way, but you might want to invest in some woolwax to help prevent more corrosion. It’s a great treatment https://www.woolwaxusa.com/Woolwax™-12-oz-Aerosol-Spray-Can-Clear-_p_1.html

I’ve used the black on my truck and really like it.

lastly, post in your region or state thread and see if there is anyone that’s recommended or can help you out.

 

I know, corrosion is bad from the salt here. I started spraying the underside with rust check and sometimes fluid film, I do it once a year now, but salt eats it away. I would try woolwax, but never seen it here locally.

I'm in northern Ontario, Canada.

Looks like I will have to take the coilover right off to adjust

 

Corrosion is a killer, good to hear you’ve been working at it.

If you’re mechanically inclined and confident in your skills it can be done at home using the truck as the spring compressor. Be careful with that method. Otherwise, take to someone else knowledgeable and have them do it for you. There are some videos about that.

 

Confirming, these are 5100s

 

I'm going to give it a shot at home, what could possibly go wrong? (anymore than it already is)
;-))

 

That rust is concerning. Even for a 2016

 

Use at your own risk and good luck! I’ve done this several times and am still alive. Not had a scare with it yet. Matter of fact, I have to let the tension off my springs today to increase my lift.

I’ve no idea what you might need to move the spring seat. I also can’t confirm that it’s on the lowest seat. It could be the Elka spring is 12” or too low weighted while the Bilstien needs a longer spring and higher weight. The oem off road springs are 720 # rated I think.



https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5E6u7dC7EHg

 

I can see one ring above the seat, so I have at least one more place to move it to. But I don't know if it is a good idea to use the old springs with the new shocks, should I just get matching new springs from bilstein?

 

I think a lot of people use the OEM springs with those. There should be a thread all about the 5100s here somewhere. I’ll take a look for it too

 

You are right, oem springs for bilsteins. But I let the mechanic keep mine when I changed from oem to Elka, so I only have Elka springs left. Seems like they might work as long as I move the ring up. That's a Monday project

 

Id listen to Colton

 

Thanks guys, the plan is to go back to Elka, but it is a big wait, and I haven't ordered yet.

Meanwhile, the bilsteins are on, adjusted to the highest setting. They look better, but still not even with the back.

I am appalled at the mechanic's lack of care, lack of knowledge and general incompetence. Having taken the bilsteins off, and putting them back, I am convinced that he bent my Elka during the initial installation, and that's why it wore out.

 

Looks like I downgraded my front shocks, but at least my tires won't rub anymore, and the truck is level

(replacement bilsteins 5100 up front, Elkas in the back)

 

By the way, I'm not impressed with Elka customer service. I left 4 messages (voice and web) regarding having the old shocks rebuilt, not one reply yet.

 

Wow, I cannot believe the destruction of those shocks. Thats impressive. I was going to ask about Elka and if you had tried contacting them about the issue, but sounds like you have. Hopefully they can help make things right for you.

I suspect corrosion had a part in this, but I still think there is something else going on. It's not easy to snap a shock shaft. We usually see that with a heavy side load during extreme off-roading/racing/jumping/crashing, but corrosion on the shafts could certainly weaken them. The hole on the side of the shock body is what baffles me. Do you have closer photos of the internals? Maybe I'm seeing things, but looks like the internals are rusty. If thats the case, this makes me believe the shock had no oil inside and was destroying the shock from the inside. It was just a matter of time to expose the issue. Also looks like that shock could have had the hole in it for a while, just hard to see without removing the shock.

To be fair, I'm not sure the installer is at fault for the first round of install. It would be very difficult for an installer to bend the shock shaft or anything like that on a coilover. Sometime btw the original install and this failure the shock must have been leaking oil, which could be difficult to see during winter months. Just my .02