Help! Repeated, rear shock mount failure!

[hitchhike79]

Hey guys i am a little pissed and confused right now.
So i am doing a suspension refresh on the ti and i got the "improved" e46 rear shock mounts from ECS tuning http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E36-318...cks/ES1843936/
Now the install was easy and i have put on new Bilstein sport and HR sport shocks and springs.
What hasnt been easy to deal with is the drivers side rear shock mount keeps failing, the bushing keeps popping out of the mount its self. I have used two brand new of the above ones and even tried the old one to get home and it just ripped out.
Now after the first time i thought maybe i didnt torque the bolt and washer down enough so i destroyed the top of the strut but it was locked down but it failed in less than 5 miles.
I am really pissed and it has destroyed the carpet area and of course ECS wont fix that, just sent me a new mount. Im sure the strut has to be bent as well.
Any ideas guys what i am doing wrong or how i can fix this from happening again?
I have already ordered RE reverse shock mounts for my M coupe that i may use here but i dont want to waste money if i dont have too.

[that_one_guy_with_plugs!]

uppet shock mount pads maybe. that really sucks btw. you ever think of using new sachs oem mounts. that's what I'm using and have had no problems.

[spidertri]

Something is wrong if this has happened several times. Does the shock compress if you push on it? Can you take the carpet out and get some pictures?

[wolferj-RIP]

I agree with Dave, something is very wrong. I have run Bilstein sports with H&R Race springs, Racing Dynamic springs, and now coilovers (on track setting) on the same set of OE shock mounts (with Z3 reinforcements, which are just small plates)... No issues at all.

One possibility that occurs to me is maybe you were sent regular e36 rear shocks that are taller, I believe?

[hitchhike79]

Originally Posted by wolferj

I agree with Dave, something is very wrong. I have run Bilstein sports with H&R Race springs, Racing Dynamic springs, and now coilovers (on track setting) on the same set of OE shock mounts (with Z3 reinforcements, which are just small plates)... No issues at all.

One possibility that occurs to me is maybe you were sent regular e36 rear shocks that are taller, I believe?

Your the second person to say that maybe wrong strut so i am pulling them both tomorrow and will compare but it was a kit from turner so i really doubt it.

I have never had any issues but this is just nuts. i have rogues that i will put in once i verify the struts are good. If these fail i will shoot the ti in the head

[BimmerBum]

I deal with this about once a month with my customers. I pulled a Koni rear shock and a stock rear shock mount from my inventory to demonstrate.

You MUST have a large enough washer on the top and bottom of the mount. The washer on the bottom should not be able to slide all the way down the shaft. When you do not have the proper washers installed you can punch the bushing out of the mount... especially when the washer on the bottom side of the mount is not there or not correct. Properly installed the bushing should be TIGHTLY sandwiched between 2 large washers.

It looks like you don't have a washer on the bottom. That would cause all the force from the shock to be concentrated on the small metal sleeve in the center of the bushing instead of spread out over the entire bushing surface. This concentrated force pops the bushing out of the housing.

[BimmerBum]

The Koni shock might be confusing the issue because of the built in dust boot. I pulled a Bilstein so I could demonstrate easier.

This picture demonstrates improper install. Note that the shock mount will not slide down any further on the shaft so you would be able to tighten the top nut up as if everything was correct but it would fail in exactly the same fashion yours has.




First washer properly installed. The washer will not slide down the shaft any further.




Proper install of washers and mount.




Hope that helps.

[hitchhike79]

Thanks alot, I am thinking that is the issue. i will check it out when i pull them today.

[BimmerBum]

Originally Posted by hitchhike79

Thanks alot, I am thinking that is the issue. i will check it out when i pull them today.

Keep us posted.

[M-technik-3]

That's the issue. The shock will go right through the rubber and that will make it seem like a failure. By putting the washer in gives it a larger contact area to apply pressure too.

[mtlblue]

First i have ever heard of this problem. BimmerBum is amazing. Are those washers stock or diy?

[spidertri]

The stock piece serves two purposes. 1) To provide more area on the bushing and 2) To hold the dust boot in place. It's basically a washer with an offset lip.

The konis have a metal dust boot so they don't need the same washer as stock.

Part #6 is stock
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...59&hg=33&fg=45

[BimmerBum]

The washers I used to demonstrate were from the Koni's. They do not have the lip for dust boot attachment because (as spidertri stated) the Koni's have a built in dust boot.

The stock washers look like:



The problem is that the stock washers come off the car dirty and looking a lot like trash. They get tossed rather than cleaned and reused. This is the reason I started selling shocks with shock mounts, new washers, dust boots, and bump stops already assembled.

[hitchhike79]

Originally Posted by BimmerBum

The washers I used to demonstrate were from the Koni's. They do not have the lip for dust boot attachment because (as spidertri stated) the Koni's have a built in dust boot.

The stock washers look like:



The problem is that the stock washers come off the car dirty and looking a lot like trash. They get tossed rather than cleaned and reused. This is the reason I started selling shocks with shock mounts, new washers, dust boots, and bump stops already assembled.

Yup that was the issue, once i disassembled it all on both sides the drivers side was missing the washer.
Thanks alot for your help guys and especially Bimmerbum.

I ended up just upgrading to the RE strut mounts, they installed very easy and great quality.

[BimmerBum]

No problem... glad it worked out. BimmerBum also carries upgraded rear shock mounts as well

Aluminum/Urethane Rear Shock Mount Kit with Reinforcement Plates

I can also whip some of these up with Koni's or Bilsteins:

Pre-assembled rear shocks and mounts.

Originally Posted by hitchhike79

Thanks alot for your help guys and especially Bimmerbum.

I ended up just upgrading to the RE strut mounts, they installed very easy and great quality.