2k0to2k3

iTrader: (1)

so i bought the whole tokico set including all four shocks/struts and the springs that go along with them (hpk set).

anyway i had them professionally installed on my girls 95 maxima and the whole thing seems to be making noise. when you are going from revese to drive it sounds like springs are shifting. also when hitting different bumps sounds like they are bottoming out or something? mechanic said they were just settleing but two weeks later still noise.

any ideas? i have a 2k and changed the entire set up on mine but with h&r and blues and no noises, no issues.

was there something special he was suposed to do to set up on the 95?

thanks and please let me know.

2k0to2k3

iTrader: (1)

oh man i am so so in over my head!!!!! just read some of the suspension threads and i dont have the money to have whole thing taken back apart and a million little parts replaced. im beyond angry! car rides like crap now according to her, makes noises, and oh yeah for all this glory im 750 bucks in.

aww man and i did so much searching to try to find the perfect setup for her. both cosmetic (get rid of those horrible gaps) and better handleing with a slightly stiffer than stock ride. ive heard people describe this set up as such but i really have to agree with her, it does ride so harsh now. much more than my 2k with h&r.

man what could be wrong? if they did not trim bump stops could that affect ride quality? does it take more time for ride to soften up?

thanks for any help, so frustrated!!!!!!!

allensteiner21

iTrader: (6)

it won't soften up. i've put tokico hp on my stock springs and it's been driving nice and stiff since - but i wanted stiff as can be for a reason. what kind of noise are you talking about? i had knocking which was caused by a bad righ front strut bearing.

$750? that's the suspension + shop...right?

max95q

iTrader: (10)

I have a 95 with the tokico springs and illumina struts. One thing that they shouldve done if they didnt was put the spring rubber sleeves from the factory ones on the tokico springs. I changed mine over when I did mine. Another thing is to make sure the factory strut mounts were good. Ive heard of people changing to the tokico struts, mainly illuminas, and after that their strut mounts go out. My drivers side did. I think the illuminas wouldve been a better combo for you because you can adjust the stiffness. The hp's shouldnt be all that rough. Maybe changing the tokico springs to H&R springs that may help with the ride since you have hp's.

B_Eaze

iTrader: (3)

like Max95g said if they didnt put on the rubber/urethane isolators they mad a

(pics borried from stickies )



Brownish and balck in the two pics above

Also you might need strut mounts (54320) and mount bearings (54325) but the bearings should only make noise when you turn or something. Check suspension stickies for diagrams

Take a look and see if you have the isolators, if you don't bring the car back and tell them the f***ed up and you need this fixed asap.... while there at it tryto get them to do the bearings and mounts free

2k0to2k3

iTrader: (1)

thanks guys, you have been a huge help ill call tomorrow and find out what mechanic did or did not do. again thanks

CRiME

iTrader: (21)

The ride definitely should not be that harsh and noisy. Have them check the mounts and bearings. Also, the bumpstops should be cut. If they did not cut them, due to decreased strut travel resulting from the drop, the car would essentially be riding on the bumpstops and bottoming out over every bump. For an idea of where to have them cut, check out this post:

http://forums.maxima.org/4998108-post8.html

Let us know how it goes.

2k0to2k3

iTrader: (1)

And again without this site id be lost! thank you guys greatly!

so my mechanic is out of town and his partner did all this work, my mistake!!!!!its my girls car so she took it there and dropped off and picked up etc, i just gave her the money and just found out that this whole time my mechanic wasnt even the one working on it ahhhggg!!!he would have known all this stuff we are discussing here. he has done all work on my 5th gen max.

anyway he said that rubber mounts from stock springs did not fit tokico springs. any truth to that? i see countless picks where they look as though they have just been transfered over. so they did not fit so he didnt use any i guess!!!!! wtf!!!!

also he seemed to not know at all about trimming bump stops so im guessing they were not trimmed at all either!!!! again wtf!!! i know my mechanic would have just known these things.

finally it does seem to click or bang when you make a sharp turn, can you check bearings by just looking or is that the only way to determine that? i mean they might need replacing too because it does make that noise when you turn but then again look how much stuff was not done and is wrong with the install. could it just be from other things?

maybe just play it safe and do bearings as well so dont have to take apart a third time? how much are they any way?

again thank you guys greatly

99BlackMaxMS

iTrader: (85)

They should fit fine...it is not like the coils are any larger than stock ones. I would bring it back and demand that they put the rubber insulators on, as they should have done it in the first place. If the mechanic gives you crap, go to their manager.

B_Eaze

iTrader: (3)

the bearings don't come with the shocks, you have to buy them and he should do it when they are putting the insulator on. EVERYTHING from stock shocks fits on tokico shocks, somethings just wear out, the novice obviously doesnt know whats up.

Is your mechanic back yet?

maxgtr2000

iTrader: (29)

Sorry about your experience, but this is laughable that they don't know how to do an aftermarket suspension. Like someone already posted, the bumpstops needed to be trimmed, and if they put them in whole, I wouldn't trust that shop to do much else to my car cause they are acting like amatuers. If they didn't put them in at all then you are bottoming out, damaging the strut, and you probably took a few thousand miles off their sustainability from a bad install.

2k0to2k3

iTrader: (1)

thanks guys i was just really busy with work, two jobs, so i had my girl drop her car off not knowing my mechanic and owner, ash, wasnt there or that he even had a partner to be honest. thought it was totally his.

i have only dealt with ash and he has been great to me as well as a very skilled mechanic. he has done many many installs as well as maintenence on my 2k max with out any problems.

soon as he gets back ill talk to him directly and probably just pull up this page since there are so many specific links and diagrams on here. im confident he will get this mess straightened out. again thanks for all your help.

njmaxseltd

iTrader: (19)

I bet the whole assy isn't clocked correctly either. The upper spring perch must be lined up correctly with the spring and strut. The word "OUT" is stamped on the top of the upper perch. It must face outwards and line up with the lower mounting flange on the strut. If that isn't set up right, the spring will sit unevenly and cause all kinds of poping and clunking noises.

max ride 41

iTrader: (4)

^^^ agree with that, i had another orger help me and i put maxspeed springs and kyb-gr2's on and we put the isolaters back on the new springs and cut the bump stops when putting on. he rushed it, hence demand it be fixed!!!!

2k0to2k3

iTrader: (1)

ok just got back from vaca and had car brought back to my specific mechanic and not his partner!!!!! lol

ok he took it apart and there were no bump stos at all. mike, my guys partner said stock would not fit, (yeah cause you have to cut them) and since the kit did not have ones that it came with that he just figured they did not need it. hummmm

i know i know this is not good and obviously he is not that knowledgable in after market set ups.

ok that being said and due to fact that he already threw out my original bump stops.

does tokico already sell a pair of bump stops that are cut or that specifically go with the hpk kit that i bought? or should i just get the stock ones and go through the process of cutting them myself?

also can you run the car with out bump stops? i mean because he said he had done other adjustable ones where they did not have any and said they looked just like ones i got but had the **** to adjust?

Because it is making noises and sounding like its shifting. im just hoping it is all because of bumpstops.

i mean to all others with this set up, aside from mounts and bearings which they say are good now (replaced rear mounts, said everything else was good), does this set up make any noise on your guys set up? thanks again and it is greatly appreciated.

im just trying to bring this night mare install to an end and be done with it.

JSutter

iTrader: (46)

Your mechanic is not very good, sorry to say.
You always need bump stops.
You shouldnt have noises
Kyb sells boots and shortened bump stops together fronts are listed for a mustang, rears for a miata.
Get us some pix, there are just too many variables to figure out.

2k0to2k3

iTrader: (1)

so prob just better to get original bump stops and cut them then? they are going to do labor for free which they should anyway but believe it or not i had to negotiate that but what can i do at this point? they got me by the *****.

im not about to go to a whole other place and pay for a whole install. sucks but they make it seem like how were they supossed to know about cutting bump stops and that even if they did know it would not work. obviously you guys say it will work so it will.

but im not mechanical and they want me to get whatever bump stops either if i cut them or buy them then they will put in. dont want to buy oem ones then mess up cutting. i guess i have to find out what these cost.

and if i buy those mustang, miata ones will these idiots just be able to put them right in cause obviously, any thinking or modding is out of there ability.

thanks and ill hope for the best.

B_Eaze

iTrader: (3)

front: http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductD...rtNumber=SB103

Rear: http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductD...rtNumber=SB103

those are the ones Jsutter's talkin about

MaximA VlaD

iTrader: (7)

I am checking out KYB GR2's on this site for a 4th gen. but they don't seem to give you any details... how many are in a kit?

as far as the mustang and miata boots and stops - which year models? what about the ones that come up when i search under maxima 4th gen.?

B_Eaze

iTrader: (3)

u have to contact the site customer service to find out, we wouldn't know for sure.

the boots i listed are the ones u need for the front and the year, u don't need to find year and model numbers cuz i listed them by product numbers. if you really want the model numbers then you'll have to check the handling stickies, search or contact the manufacturer.

the prices are per item not per pair

JSutter

iTrader: (46)

Just go by the part numbers, they fit many different cars/years.

The boots from the group deal are $12 each i believe.

njmaxseltd

iTrader: (19)

You can use the KYB boots and bump stops or you can use OEM units, do not cut them, they are soft enough to compress. They are designed to stop the strut from bottoming out, which will distroy it.

Noises are most often caused by improper spring clocking. The upper spring perch must be clocked correctly, the word OUT is stamped on the top and must line up with the struts lower mounting flange and face outwards. If thats not done, the spring coils will rub against each other when the steering is turned. Hance, your noises. Also have your mechanic replace the strut bearing so the whole assembly rotates freely.

2k0to2k3

iTrader: (1)

so i just got off the phone with the kyb group deal guys who sell the boots and bump stops together.

so ok if i was staying stock and had original suspension i would buy 95 maxima ones the numbers are front,sb104 and rear sb108. But being i have different suspension than stock i do not want these cause id have to cut,so i actually need the mustang And miata ones and i will not have to cut and can just install. is this correct?

i almost just made this mistake and ordered wrong ones (95 Maxima ones) as the group buy guys nor the tech department at kyb, the company itself seem to know the specifics on doing this miata mustang swap for lower after market suspension set ups.

lol once again maxima.org members know more about the product than the people actually selling it.

anyway my question is that the above link to the above kyb boots for front and rear are the same link. both say part number sb103 which does not seem right. has to be front and rear hence two diff part numbers.

does anyone know definatively, which part numbers i am to order? because neither the group buy guys selling these or kyb tech support themselfs can tell me. I can tell them mustang and miata but then they ask which year and for the front or rear? im sure you see my dilema since i dont have the proper part numbers for these.

can an expert please clarify for me what to order so that i can just install and not have to cut or mod in anyway.

thanks in advance to anyone that can help me out of this nightmare.

2k0to2k3

iTrader: (1)

k did some searching and it looks like front is sb103 and rear is the same part number as maxima which is sb108. now anyone know if i have to cut these or can i just install? thanks again

vilmaxima

And once its all done "correctly", make sure your struts arent already f****d up from driving with no bumpstops, what a dumbass he shouldn't even be working in a garage.
The strut shaft/piston might even be bent since you said it feels like its moving around. Either way driving it like that was BAD for them. Did he put the bumpstops on the rears at least? Maybe you should print off a couple of these pages so he can use them as instructions lol.

2k0to2k3

iTrader: (1)

lol i did and he got offended and said cutting them would never work. i guess all you guys on here are wrong lol what an axxhole. . . . . . .i really want to kill this guy but i just got to get this right.

anyone know if i will have to cut these mustang/miata ones?

2k0to2k3

iTrader: (1)

k and here we are again!!!!!!!

you guys said improper clocking and no bump stops and sure enough i had the thing taken apart and you were right on every front!!! now thanks to your help the whole thing is at the garage right now and the things you said were the problem are in fact the problem and exposed. THANK YOU!!!!

i bought the things you guys said to and now he is telling me they dont fit and that he cant clock properly cause the holes wont match up??????wtf wtf wtf wtf!!!!!!

im not mechanically inclined at all and in fact have never even seen the inner shocks/springs installed except in pics. i thought i was doing right thing by taking to a garage and just going with all the paper knowledge as far as reading and learning on paper what and what not to do from you guys. man what a bad experience.

anyway guy im dealing with now is really cool and doing everything he can to make it right but trying to explain why they dont fit to me is useless. again i dont understand his mechanical lingo.

please help me and to all the experts, give me a call as it seems you guys know alot more than me and even perhaps more than him. all you guys said the kyb bumpstops 103 and 108 would fit without cutting so he must be doing something wrong or not thinking of something.

and everybody talked about the proper clocking yet he says he cant??? ill glady transfer money to you via paypal if you can help me. please do thanks pat 609 204 0548

nhaven

http://www.autozone.com/shopping/rep...00c15280076614

click on the link and scroll down to figure 5 and click on it.
Make sure (5)upper spring seat is facing in the right direction. (3)strut mounting insulator bracket turns independently of (5)(and the whole assembly for that matter). So, keep turning (3) without turning (5) until it fits into the 3 holes. Hope that helps.

2k0to2k3

iTrader: (1)

so just want to say thanks to everyone that helped. special thanks to njmaxsenlt and b-ease who were both cool enough to call me and offer their time and tremendously help.

So no bump stops were installed, shocks were not clocked cause in his words "holes dont match up" lol, which i now learned is just ludicris cause its suspension 101 to correct that.

To top it all off he called yesterday and told me to buy rubber isolators to go in between the spring and strut. in other words NOTHING WAS DONE CORRECTLY!!!

i mean there are three parts other than just taking bolts and nuts off to a suspension install. bump stops, clocking, and transfering all original hardware from original. he did none of this and then wants me to buy all the parts he threw out that was attached to my original car.

i did buy the new bump stops and was willing to buy what ever to just have this come to a conclusion but after talking with various people/mechanics, there is about a ninty percent chance the shocks are already blown since its been driven like that for the past three months now with no bump stops.

i cant tell however since every issue responsible or known to cause noise by improper install is in fact installed improperly. you cant imagine how much noise it makes or how bad it sounds and they gave it to me like that and told me dont worry it would settle.lol

needless to say im done doing countless hours of research and stressing about this after leaning that dispite all my time and energy and all of yours, even if i get him to correct all his mistakes by holding his hand and walking him through it, i still gave him $470 plus $60 for bumpstops plus all my time and aggravation and yet ill be left with a suspension that is either blown or will be shortly down the road. So for $530 in labor plus $400 for suspension hardware, ill be at a price of $930 total and then just have to turn around and replace again shortly. oh hell no!!!!

i spoke with an attorney and he says i definately have a really strong case. i go monday to another attorney refered by the first that specializes in my specific situation. im also going to file a complaint with the better business bureau and take this as far as i can to make sure no one else has to go through this type of thing again. i wonder how many they already did these types of things too but did'nt have the support as i do here through the org and just believed them and their ridiculous excuses. scarry really

thanks again for all the help.

njmaxseltd

iTrader: (19)

You're welcome, and good luck with your case!

BTW, the mechanic never returned the message I left for him.

B_Eaze

iTrader: (3)

no prob dude, let me know if you need anything else (i was knocked earlier) I'm pretty sure njmax gave him more than enough info. Good luck with your case