S2 Suspension Help

[Waylander]

Do not fit those, they are dead.

They should Spring slowly back to full extension once compressed

[MJL944]

Well, this is awkward, as both Waylander and Pilch know more about matters Porsche than I ever will and I feel nervous offering an alternative opinion, but, Bryan, your pictures seem to indicate your struts are 'relatively' OK when compared to what I received.

Your photos are very helpful. My comments below are based on a comparison with my photos of the same parts as shown in my thread on the PCGB forum linked to in my previous post.

I must admit I had no idea you could extend the rod up that far (your Pic 3) as I didn't pull mine up with any great force and in your Pic 2 you've seemingly managed to push down the rod slightly more than I was able to (but you're probably just stronger than me).
My issue would be that at rest my rods were showing more as per your Pic 4 but you state yours continue to drop to the level in your Pic 1 which seems a touch low in comparison. There's not much difference but possibly enough to concern you.

The comments made above that the rods should 'come in their fully extended position' is one that I would dispute. Why? Well, look at the size of the box the struts come in. The strut fits exactly into the box with only the 4 inches or so of the rod exposed from the strut casing. It's worth noting however that both my rods had made an strong imprint in the cardboard lid above them showing that either the box had a thump on top during storage/delivery or that there was upward pressure from the rods during storage as they were trying to extend naturally and pressing strongly against the sealed cardboard lid (since 2003!).

You might be best to seek assurance by emailing the Sachs helpline (with your photos if possible) via the address I contacted them on (also found in my PCGB post). An engineer sent a detailed reply within 48 hours to my enquiry about the age of the struts.

Both of your struts are behaving in a similar way - another indicator that things are probably OK.

My new struts have been on my S2 for 15 months and done about 1500 miles, so enough time to settle down. They are performing well and for general road use they are fine but they are very soft (as I mentioned earlier) and I wish the Bilstein's were a realistic option for me. My struts are being checked for the first time in the next couple of weeks by a local specialist as part of a general service. Should they be found to be leaking already I'll obviously look like a prat having stuck up for them but they give no outward sign currently of any failure or problems.

Ultimately though, if you have any doubts you may as well return yours now but what happens if your OPC turn round and say they look and behave as you'd expect I'm not sure. Looking forward to hearing how this matter develops!

[edh]

They really don't look good to me - worse than the dampers I took off my 968 last year..

If their position at rest is almost fully compressed, I can't see how they would offer much damping at all?

[briggy]

I've given this some thought after chatting to someone at work who knows a thing or two about cars in general.

First of all, the dampers are not there to control the height of the car. That's the job of the springs. So dampers will normally be as extended as necessary to make the distance between where they're mounted at the top and the bottom. When I attempt to compress them, there's a reasonable amount of resistance, which makes me think they are doing their job.

Also, as MJL944 pointed out, their default position could never be fully extended as they wouldn't fit in the packaging box, which is about 4 inches extended.

Finally, now that I've cycled one of them a few times, the default position is now almost at the top of the box.

Not heard back from OPC today, so will report back when they reply.

If only we had some newly manufactured ones to compare to....

Cheers,
Bryan

[edh]

I've given this some thought after chatting to someone at work who knows a thing or two about cars in general.

First of all, the dampers are not there to control the height of the car. That's the job of the springs. So dampers will normally be as extended as necessary to make the distance between where they're mounted at the top and the bottom. When I attempt to compress them, there's a reasonable amount of resistance, which makes me think they are doing their job.

Also, as MJL944 pointed out, their default position could never be fully extended as they wouldn't fit in the packaging box, which is about 4 inches extended.

Finally, now that I've cycled one of them a few times, the default position is now almost at the top of the box.

Not heard back from OPC today, so will report back when they reply.

If only we had some newly manufactured ones to compare to....

Cheers,
Bryan

You're right about the height of the car but... if, at normal ride height, the damper rods are in an extended position, well beyond where they start providing resistance to movement, they they will be doing nothing. Interesting that the "default" position has moved now - does this mean the resistance to compression is significant at this point now?

Of course you could get the shocks tested - can't imagine it would cost a huge amount? maybe someone like Centre Gravity could advise where to send them if they can't test themselves? Would put an end to our speculation & give you peace of mind.

[briggy]

I've given this some thought after chatting to someone at work who knows a thing or two about cars in general.

First of all, the dampers are not there to control the height of the car. That's the job of the springs. So dampers will normally be as extended as necessary to make the distance between where they're mounted at the top and the bottom. When I attempt to compress them, there's a reasonable amount of resistance, which makes me think they are doing their job.

Also, as MJL944 pointed out, their default position could never be fully extended as they wouldn't fit in the packaging box, which is about 4 inches extended.

Finally, now that I've cycled one of them a few times, the default position is now almost at the top of the box.

Not heard back from OPC today, so will report back when they reply.

If only we had some newly manufactured ones to compare to....

Cheers,
Bryan

You're right about the height of the car but... if, at normal ride height, the damper rods are in an extended position, well beyond where they start providing resistance to movement, they they will be doing nothing. Interesting that the "default" position has moved now - does this mean the resistance to compression is significant at this point now?

Of course you could get the shocks tested - can't imagine it would cost a huge amount? maybe someone like Centre Gravity could advise where to send them if they can't test themselves? Would put an end to our speculation & give you peace of mind.

I should add that they resist compression, even when they're falling down themselves i.e. they don't just drop back down. It seems pretty constant, no matter where it's positioned, but that's hard to quantify by hand.

That's a really good shout on getting them tested. I'm waiting on a reply from Center(sic) Of Gravity.

Cheers,
Bryan

[Waylander]

I was most generously given a full almost new set of genuine shocks and struts for my 968 and all four of them extended out to full length with gas pressure,

Maybe the 944 ones are not gas pressure struts?

[briggy]

I was most generously given a full almost new set of genuine shocks and struts for my 968 and all four of them extended out to full length with gas pressure,

Maybe the 944 ones are not gas pressure struts?

Don't suppose you have the part numbers do you?

[pauly]

Somewhere I still have the struts and springs I removed from my 91 turbo when I fitted KW's, I don't think the damper rods had dropped on those. They had smaller dia springs as fitted to 968's too.

[Waylander]

I was most generously given a full almost new set of genuine shocks and struts for my 968 and all four of them extended out to full length with gas pressure,

Maybe the 944 ones are not gas pressure struts?

Don't suppose you have the part numbers do you?

They still have the stickers on so I will have a look at them and dig the numbers out of pet

[briggy]

OPC Tewkesbury have replied :

"Morning Mr Briggs

So sorry for the delay in getting back to you, I have been off and only just seen your email.

Oh that doesn’t sound right! If you could drop them in we can have a look and go from there.

Sorry again for the inconvenience.

Graham"

So they're back with OPC, who will raise the issue with whatever branch of Porsche deal with this.

The rear dampers are still on back order and I've told them I won't be fitting anything until I have all 4. This gives me some room for rejecting the front struts if they say there's nothing wrong, because I won't wait forever on the rears.

As I've said previously, I'm more than happy with OPC's level of service as I've found them very helpful. The state of the struts are not down to them.

Cheers,
Bryan

[pilch]

I removed the standard Sachs shocks today so I could fit my Konis. When I removed the springs on both shocks the strut rod extended out to fully extended on its own accord. Not sure of the age of the shocks but probably 20+ years.

I still say the 'new' one this thread are goosed.

[briggy]

I removed the standard Sachs shocks today so I could fit my Konis. When I removed the springs on both shocks the strut rod extended out to fully extended on its own accord. Not sure of the age of the shocks but probably 20+ years.

I still say the 'new' one this thread are goosed.

I'm at exactly the same stage now. When the springs were removed, the damper rod was almost fully extended. Even when they settled, they were still around 5 inches higher than my "new" ones. They are easier to compress though.

Anyway, I'm still waiting to hear from OPC about what they'll do with the ones I returned.

By the way, I found something useful to help remove the nut that holds the damper to the top mount - Sealey SX022 Oxygen 02 Sensor Socket, such as ebay item number 131202251815. You can then slot a 7mm allen key through the hole, which allows you to turn your ratchet without the damper spinning. You WILL need breaker bars!

Cheers,
Bryan

[pilch]

By the way, I found something useful to help remove the nut that holds the damper to the top mount - Sealey SX022 Oxygen 02 Sensor Socket, such as ebay item number 131202251815. You can then slot a 7mm allen key through the hole, which allows you to turn your ratchet without the damper spinning. You WILL need breaker bars!

Cheers,
Bryan

A quick buzz with the electric impact driver will take the top nut off in seconds! I always loosen it whilst the shock is still on the car as the weight on the strut rod will stop it from spinning

[zcacogp]

Yes, or simply use a swan-neck spanner and an allen key. For some reason everyone goes hugger-mugger over socket sets these days whereas old-fashioned swan neck spanners are still superior in many ways.

Let us know what the OPC says Briggy.


Oli.