Bilstein remote res coilovers.....need help fast!!!!

[rpf500]

Guys....Harlan is right around the corner and I'm in trouble. Today saw a small leak. Felt around and it was a busted coil over hose. I can get the hose made Monday at work. But....not sure about the oil and nitrogen. Since the remote res is used to keep oil/gas separate do I just need oil? How do I add it? Anything else I need to do?

Sorry....total ignorance from me on coilovers. Any and all feedback appreciated!!!!

 

[RustyC]

in a remote reservoir coilover the oil and nitrogen are never mixed as you may know. Think of it like brakes, you don't want any air in the oil side.
The proper way it to discharge the shock, remove the shock shaft, dump the oil out. Replace the hose. Then the floating piston in the resi it set to a specified depth. Then the shock is place shaft up in a vise and filled with oil. Some oil will fill the hose and part of the resi. Then the shaft, seal carrier is reinstalled and stroked slowly to move any air through piston . This allows air to rise to the end of the shock body and not get trapped in the resi or hose.

I do not know what the depth of the floating piston is on a Bilstein resi.
But...

In a pinch you could relieve the nitrogen charge in your resi, hold the shock held shaft down in a vise. With the resi held higher than the shock but still hose side up. Remove hose from resi and set the resi aside hose port up so that no oil is lost from the resi. Then hold the hose above the shock and remove the hose from the shock body trying to lose as little oil as you can. Naturally the oil is the hose will leak out.
Install new hose onto the shock body. Hold the hose above the shock and fill the hose with new oil so there is no air in the hose.
Connect the resi super fast like a ninja and try not to loose and oil (let air in). Recharge the shock with nitrogen and brag to your friends about your new ninja skills, ride out.

 

[TBItoy]

Re:

I would do the second method for hose replacement. Even if you get a small air bubble on the oil side, it shouldn't make much difference for a trail rig.

You should be able to hold the shock and res in an orientation that will minimize oil loss and air intrusion.

 

[rpf500]

Re:

I would do the second method for hose replacement. Even if you get a small air bubble on the oil side, it shouldn't make much difference for a trail rig.

You should be able to hold the shock and res in an orientation that will minimize oil loss and air intrusion.

Thank you!! Unfortunately due to my ignorance and impatience I took the hose and red off while the weight of jeep was on it still. I lost a lot of oil and who knows how much air I added. DAMN it.
I will see what I kind find on piston height. Any special tools needed for disassembly?

 

[TBItoy]

Re:

Snap ring pliers and soft jaw vise usually. I've never took apart a bilstein, but foxes and profenders don't take anything special.

 

[al1tonyota]

I have a little experience with this on my old buggy all I ever did was fill the coil overs while extended fill the hose and resi put them together then charge with nitrogen? Worked fine for me. I did let the nitrogen pressure off before taking them apart if that hadn't already been done by damage. Fork oil from your local motorcycle shop works fine also

 

[shrek tits]

What size shock? If 2" Bilstein set the floating piston about 3/4" away from bottomed out on the hose end of the res. A 14" travel should use about a quart of oil. Fill it up until it looks like you have just enough room for the valve stack. Sometimes you have to move the res and shock around to get the air out. When you get no bubles in the oil you are good. When installing the valve stack it's better to displace some oil than end up with air in the shock. When the shock is back together push down until it bottoms out if it feels concistent all the way to the bottom then you are free of air. If it coasts the last little bit try again. Also ATF works in a pinch as shock oil. Thats what I use but I'm not a expert and don't claim to be good luck.

 

[John Galbreath Jr.]

I will have a nitrogen kit at Harlan if any nitrogen adjustment is needed.

 

[rpf500]

Thank you guys! It is a 2" x 14" coil over. I'm going to take apart tomorrow once I have the new hose. If I wasn't in a pinch time wise for Harlan I'd be way less worried. Worst case I can make a 2hr drive toward Louisville to sunfire off road and ask for help. I'm planning to go ahead and do both sides so they match oil/nitrogen. Another reason for that is that I just redid all my co's for lower and equal ride height. I assume filling them back to spec they came with I will be ok. But, never know if someone changed oil/nitrogen before I got them. Man....leafs sure were easier!!!

 

[rpf500]

What size shock? If 2" Bilstein set the floating piston about 3/4" away from bottomed out on the hose end of the res. A 14" travel should use about a quart of oil. Fill it up until it looks like you have just enough room for the valve stack. Sometimes you have to move the res and shock around to get the air out. When you get no bubles in the oil you are good. When installing the valve stack it's better to displace some oil than end up with air in the shock. When the shock is back together push down until it bottoms out if it feels concistent all the way to the bottom then you are free of air. If it coasts the last little bit try again. Also ATF works in a pinch as shock oil. Thats what I use but I'm not a expert and don't claim to be good luck.

OK guys....went ahead and took shaft out of body. What you guys been saying is making more sense. What I'm unsure of is this floating piston setting. Where is that? I only took a clip out and shaft, shims, etc all came out together. Had about 20 ounces in it. The rest was on my garage floor.

So floating piston.....tell me more.

Weight of shock oil?

Any other notes on bleeding? Res need to be up/down anything special?

 

[wizzo]

I've got bilstein coil overs and I've tuned them quite a bit. Easiest way to deal with the floating piston is put an air charge on it to move the piston all the way to the opposite side of the reservoir. Then releave the pressure and remove the valve in the schrader valve. Then add oil to the shock. Add enough that when you put the guide in oil comes out the relief hole. Usually I fill to the lower snap ring groove, you will make a mess but it's just part of it. When you put the valving stack in, you will want to work it up and down slowly, to disperse any air pockets. When you install the guide the oil will push the piston back in the reservoir. Doing it this way keeps you from having to take the reservoir apart and should make things consistent if you're trying to make sure everything is the same.

 

[shrek tits]

OK guys....went ahead and took shaft out of body. What you guys been saying is making more sense. What I'm unsure of is this floating piston setting. Where is that? I only took a clip out and shaft, shims, etc all came out together. Had about 20 ounces in it. The rest was on my garage floor.

So floating piston.....tell me more.

Weight of shock oil?

Any other notes on bleeding? Res need to be up/down anything special?

Bilstein spec's 7 weight I believe but that weight was hard to find for me. 5w or 10w should be fine for trail use. Just make sure when adding oil all the air can escape. You should be able to see the air bubles working out of the oil. Keep moving res around until you don't see any bubles. Search for a video or two on Youtube should help make sence of what we are saying.

 

[rpf500]

Well.....the hose is made and oil is in. Will charge at work Tomorrow. It was alot easier after reading these posts. I think i got all the air out. It worked just as you all said. Thanks for all the help guys. Thanks to Wizzo for letting me call him on his vacation too!!!!