Maxtrac Spindle Lift for 2nd Gen Prerunners

So, I am having the spindles put on with Bilstein 5100 height adjustable in the front.
The shop is telling me that there is a small "rattle" when it goes over a bump because the top plate cannot tighten down any more with the struts set at zero. I don't fully understand what he is explaining because I am a medical guy, not a vehicle guy. Does anyone else have an issue with bilstein height adjustable struts with the maxtrac spindles?

 

There shouldn't be a problem, the Maxtracs are designed to be used with the stock suspension or aftermarket.

 

Correct, it is not a problem with the maxtracs but with the Bilstein 5100 height adjustable I guess. I don't understand struts so I'm lost on the true issue. Something about a small gap at the end plate causing a little rattle when I go over a bump.

 

I guess maybe having the shock set at zero is not compressing the coil enough and so there is a little gap at the end plate??

 

Yeah that doesn't make sense to me. 5100's set @ 0 should be the same as stock. We installed some Maxtracs about a month ago on a members truck & he kept his stock struts with no issues.

They should fit, like I said set @ 0 should be the same length as stock. In theory compressing them would make the strut longer. Seems like they didn't do something right.

 

Sounds like they might have forgot something when installing them.

 

What would there be to forget though? It's just replacing one shock with the other. I am so frustrated right now and I'm stuck at work unable to see it myself. Grrrrr

 

This may be a dumb question but did they jack up the lca, pushing the strut into position & the tighten the nuts or just try to tighten them while it was at full droop?

 

I don't know, and didn't know/don't know enough to ask the right questions. I am in my office and they called me.

 

Would that make a lot of difference?

 

If the 3 nuts aren't tightened down all the way when the suspension drops it would drop more cause the strut wouldn't stay put.

 

Just talked with the shop guy on the phone. He tells me that he put everything in the compressor and then attached the bottom of the strut into the LCA. He also tightened the top end plate into place first and then pushed the LCA up essentially pushing the whole component (strut and coil) up to the end plate. While holding the LCA up he tightened down the nuts over the strut.
Hope my non-mechanical explanation makes sense.
Then he kind of got frustrated with my questions on the phone and said, let me go see about getting this fixed and I will give you a call back. Needless to say, that didn't encourage my trust any more. Ugghh

 

The shop just said they spoke with Bilstein directly and Bilstein tells them that the 5100 height adjustables are only for 4x4 tacomas. What??!!
I know for a fact that others on here are running Maxtracs on 2WD PreRunner just like mine with the Bilstein 5100 height adjustable struts. I am so confused/frustrated.
They also called Maxtrac which said they couldn't help them with regard to struts. Grrrr
I thought I had done soooo much research. I spent a ton of time with Headstrong Offroad which is who sold me the package too. I am at such a loss!!!

 

No, that's wrong and they're all stupid AF. I had 5100s on my 2WD with OME 885s back in the day, worked just fine. So your shop is a bunch of fuck nuts probably about to try to sell you something else. A swift punch to the throat and then grab your stuff and get out of there

 

X2

That's funny, I have 5100's & Maxtracs on mine. They're set @ 1.75 though.
I think they did something wrong or like BORNWILDGUY said left something out.

 

I agree, but they are saying that for some reason the 5100 isn't fitting properly and there is that little "rattle". They called Bilstein who told them that they don't even make 5100s for 2WD, so that was weird.
Maybe it's a falty component in the 5100 or something?

 

Maybe they never called Bilstein & are trying to feed you bullshit.
You can look it up on Wheelers, Toytec & Downsouth Motorsports just to name a few & find 5100's for prerunners. Oh & I have proof sitting in my driveway. [emoji4]

 

I'm gonna say your shop put something together wrong. Ask them where the rattle is coming from. If they dont know, they need to reinstall your oem stuff and let you leave for free. I'm gonna bet the either put the shock together wrong, didn't bolt it in right, or didn't put something together under there right. They are either full of shit about bilstein, or they the talked to the wrong person at bilstein. I'm TELLING you as a fact that 5100s can be run on 2WDs. Have them call Down South Motor Sports so they can set them right.

Insert facepalm facepalm facepalm meme since I'm on my phone

 

Here's my proof they fit a prerunner & with Maxtracs.


As you can see no axle.

 

So, they took everything off to compare it side by side with the stock struts and found that the stem on the bilsteins was not machined the same as the stock struts. This is to say that the stem has threading on it and the stem goes through a bushing and then through the suspension support or end plate and then there is another bushing and retainer. When the nut is put on the stem to compress the top bushing down to the endplate, the thread didn't go down far enough and thus the nut couldn't compress everything together when reconstructing the strut. So when you went over a bump the bushing would bounce causing a little rattle.
Does this make sense? I hope I am explaining it coherently.