» Site Navigation | | » Recent Threads | | | | | | 08-27-2013, 01:10 AM | #1 | Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Hawaii Posts: 124 | Help! Repeated, rear shock mount failure! 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. | | | 08-27-2013, 02:54 AM | #2 | Member Join Date: May 2013 Location: racine wi Posts: 37 | 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. | | | 08-27-2013, 03:43 AM | #3 | Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Elizabeth City, NC Posts: 3,877 | 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? __________________ ~Dave~ 98 328ti Morea Grun slicktop 11 128i space gray slicktop 13 JGC WK2 Deep Cherry Search | RealOEM | | | 08-27-2013, 04:24 AM | #4 | Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: norcal - 94590 Posts: 3,186 | 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? __________________ James 95 active w/leather interior and sport interior conversion, Vaders, full M-Tech exterior conversion. Now m50 swapped* Eibach sway bars, D2 Coilovers, Depo's w/AE's, blacked-out sides and grills, LeatherZ console and door armrests, 1 series starter button mod, and custom finished Style 5's <--- in this color! Named "Roddy": *M50 6 cyl. swap with fan delete, S50 cams and chip, AFE stage 2 intake, M3 clutch and 11.5 lb Fidanza flywheel, 3.15LSD, battery relocated to rear and complete custom exhaust. Sweet! 97 318ti sport, Alaska Blue, Contours, coilovers, Dove Vaders and custom black/grey interior named "Max" 95 318ti Active in Cosmos, S50 swap in progress... named "Pit" SUPPORT 318ti.org! CLICK THE LINK ABOVE! Hosting a forum like this is not free. 318ti.org is one of the best BMW forums on the web because it is member supported, not vendor supported. The cost to become a Supporter is a nominal $10.00... A YEAR! DO IT! NOW! | | | 08-27-2013, 09:26 AM | #5 | Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Hawaii Posts: 124 | Quote: 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 Last edited by hitchhike79; 08-27-2013 at 09:28 AM. | | | 08-27-2013, 10:40 AM | #6 | Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Fl Posts: 1,353 | 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. __________________ SUPPORT 318ti.org! CLICK THE LINK ABOVE! Hosting a forum like this is not free. 318ti.org is one of the best BMW forums on the web because it is member supported, not vendor supported. The cost to become a Supporter is a nominal $10.00... A YEAR! DO IT! NOW! www.BimmerBum.com ALL NEW! 318ti Specific Parts For Sale www.facebook.com/BimmerBum BMWCCA #132203 95 318ti Club Sport 98 318ti Active S50 Swap Last edited by BimmerBum; 08-27-2013 at 10:53 AM. | | | 08-27-2013, 11:11 AM | #7 | Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Fl Posts: 1,353 | 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. __________________ SUPPORT 318ti.org! CLICK THE LINK ABOVE! Hosting a forum like this is not free. 318ti.org is one of the best BMW forums on the web because it is member supported, not vendor supported. The cost to become a Supporter is a nominal $10.00... A YEAR! DO IT! NOW! www.BimmerBum.com ALL NEW! 318ti Specific Parts For Sale www.facebook.com/BimmerBum BMWCCA #132203 95 318ti Club Sport 98 318ti Active S50 Swap | | | 08-27-2013, 06:29 PM | #8 | Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Hawaii Posts: 124 | Thanks alot, I am thinking that is the issue. i will check it out when i pull them today. | | | 08-27-2013, 08:16 PM | #9 | Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Fl Posts: 1,353 | Quote: 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. __________________ SUPPORT 318ti.org! CLICK THE LINK ABOVE! Hosting a forum like this is not free. 318ti.org is one of the best BMW forums on the web because it is member supported, not vendor supported. The cost to become a Supporter is a nominal $10.00... A YEAR! DO IT! NOW! www.BimmerBum.com ALL NEW! 318ti Specific Parts For Sale www.facebook.com/BimmerBum BMWCCA #132203 95 318ti Club Sport 98 318ti Active S50 Swap | | | 08-27-2013, 08:47 PM | #10 | Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Globally Posts: 1,162 | 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. | | | 08-27-2013, 10:02 PM | #11 | Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Montreal Posts: 283 | First i have ever heard of this problem. BimmerBum is amazing. Are those washers stock or diy? | | | 08-27-2013, 11:17 PM | #12 | Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Elizabeth City, NC Posts: 3,877 | 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 __________________ ~Dave~ 98 328ti Morea Grun slicktop 11 128i space gray slicktop 13 JGC WK2 Deep Cherry Search | RealOEM | | | 08-28-2013, 03:44 AM | #13 | Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Fl Posts: 1,353 | 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. __________________ SUPPORT 318ti.org! CLICK THE LINK ABOVE! Hosting a forum like this is not free. 318ti.org is one of the best BMW forums on the web because it is member supported, not vendor supported. The cost to become a Supporter is a nominal $10.00... A YEAR! DO IT! NOW! www.BimmerBum.com ALL NEW! 318ti Specific Parts For Sale www.facebook.com/BimmerBum BMWCCA #132203 95 318ti Club Sport 98 318ti Active S50 Swap | | | 09-04-2013, 12:38 AM | #14 | Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Hawaii Posts: 124 | Quote: 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. | | | 09-04-2013, 01:51 AM | #15 | Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Fl Posts: 1,353 | 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. Quote: 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. | __________________ SUPPORT 318ti.org! CLICK THE LINK ABOVE! Hosting a forum like this is not free. 318ti.org is one of the best BMW forums on the web because it is member supported, not vendor supported. The cost to become a Supporter is a nominal $10.00... A YEAR! DO IT! NOW! www.BimmerBum.com ALL NEW! 318ti Specific Parts For Sale www.facebook.com/BimmerBum BMWCCA #132203 95 318ti Club Sport 98 318ti Active S50 Swap | | | | Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests) | | Posting Rules | You may not post new threads You may not post replies You may not post attachments You may not edit your posts HTML code is Off | | | |