I've gotta FB ('84 GSL-SE) with crappyRE-SPEED coilovers/camber plates/Tokiko Illumina's up front. Been having problems with brakes since recently getting her out of winter storage...Sat. I drove to my "repair spot" ~45miles away and had all four corners up in the air with all wheels off. I had the rear supported with jack stands under the rear shocks, and the front with chunks of 4"x4" oak under the control arms, close to the inner lips of the front wheels. The front was only unsprung for ~1 minute while I jacked it up under the 'fore engine cross mount, then put the blocks under the control arms. After I was done messing around, and put the wheels back on, and put her back on the ground, the pass. front suspension makes horrible; Squeaking,Groaning,Shrieking, noises with ANY front suspension movement at ANY speed...What would cause this? What can I check? After driving ~50 miles like this, it hasn't gone away.

 

I'd lift the passenger side up again, unspung, and check to see if your top hat is on the spring properly. Do you have helper springs to keep the main spring compressed?

Carefully lower it again and see if the noise is still there.

I'm sure there are several people on the forum will be happy to take your crappy RE Speeds and Tokicos off your hands.

fm

 

Also could be those awful roll center adjusters. I'll take those off your hands if you'd like.

fm

 

Thanks for the reply, it's what I've been thinking as well, I just don't have any way to get my car off the ground or tools where I'm currently at.
First time I ever heard of helper springs, wish I had known about them or had some! I've been thinking "straps" of some kind to prevent all four corners becoming completely unsprung, but don't know what to use or where/how to mount them...
If you like my crappy stuff so much, why don't you just order yourself some new ones?

 

try lubricating your front control arm bushings

 

Don't you carry a jack in case you get a flat? That would work.

 

I've got GC coils up front and I'm not running helper springs and I've never had issues with the coils becoming unsprung. I don't daily drive the car on bumpy roads, nor do I drive rallycross, so...

You apparently haven't tried to order anything from RE Speed in awhile.

fm

 

No I haven't, with GOOD reason(I know what's up, and I was prolly one of the last to actually get a filled order delivered[WORST retail experience of my life!!!], just sum good ole fashioned sarcasm via the evil grin at the end...

 

Lol. Gotcha.

fm

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I'm pretty sure I can rule that out, It has brand new (~5-7kmiles) OEM control arms that I installed properly greased and properly torqued.

 

Don't carry a spare since it's a 14" and I gots 15"s on...Plus, you have any idea how much those huge jacks weigh?!?

 

Got the front off the ground and the front wheels unsprung. I noticed the problem one(Pass. side) had one of the two ZipTies that hold the top of the spring to the spring hat broken off. I also noticed the bottom part of the camber plate(the part in the center with monoball and the four bolts you tighten to lock in camber) was loose and rattly when poked at/grabbed. The heads of the four bolts you tighten are under there with a ~1mm gap between the head of the bolt and the bottom of the jiggly plate(see pic). The other side is not like that, the bottom plate is tight with the heads of the bolts and the rest of the camber plate. If I put the car on the ground and poke around at the seam(see other pic) between the bottom plate and top part the bottom plate is still rattly...But how in the world can those four bolts be tight(camber position hasn't changed, and you cannot tighten them anymore) and the bottom plate be jiggly? What's locking the heads in place if there is a gap between the heads and the now jiggly plate? Did the camber plate "come apart" somehow? Like everything I've been running into lately, this is BAFFLING?
BTW, after I put a new tip tie on I also noticed blue paint on the threaded tube(from the spring)see pic...How could the spring have been rubbing that area like that? BUT there is no longer any noise upon compression. BUT the metallic harmonic shriek is still there with extension/rebound. SorrySoLong, wanted to provide as much info as possible and hope some has experienced this or can help.

 

have you replaced the thrust barring in the hat on top the spring?

these guys

 

No, it's also only got ~5-7k miles on it. Makes no noise upon rotation, and that part never gets separated when unsprung, cause the nut is tight on top the shock shaft. I need to know what happened to the camber plate, why/how my spring rubbed where it did, and what's making the noise during extension/rebound?

 

Still have the horrible "shriek/squeal" now with ANY steering input and suspension extension...Only noticeable in parking lots and at LOW speed(sounds like brake squeal, but it's not).

 

Gave up for the year and was prepping my car for winter storage today. Saw some disturbing things on the driver's side front(it's the passenger side front that makes the shreiks/squeals)...The upper 1/3rd of the threaded tubes is worn smooth/destroyed in places...WTF is going on here?!?I HATE these crappy coilovers...The crappy springs are all rusted after a few thousand miles, and no winter usage, there's nothing to center/locate the threaded tube on the weld on collar, the top spring hat mates flat with the camber plate allowing no articulation camberwise, etc...The bottom plate of the passenger side camber plate still rattles and is loose somehow...

 

Here is a pic of where the camber plate has separated...

 

Help please?!? WTF destroyed my coilovers?

 

B u m p

 

Looks like the spring rubbed the threads raw. With the car on the ground check the angle of the spring in comparison to the other components, shock tube, threaded collar, strut etc. Make sure the strut is tightly fitted inside the tube and the lock nut is tight.

My .02

Order a new EIbach Ground Control spring pair and threaded collars. 8 inch x 2.5 inch ID springs in a 200-300 LBS rate.

Billy sold quality parts. My coilover kit on my old 79 was superb. The Canadian on the other hand... That surface rust is bizarre for its age. They look like 30 year old stock springs.

 

Thanks for the reply...When I originally installed these, I was horrified that nothing located or centered the threaded tube sitting on the weld on perch...Everyone here said it would be fine, once the weight of the car was on it...Obviously WRONG.
I can't check crap with car sitting on the ground...Can't even get my head under it anywhere...I put the damn thing away a few weeks ago, I'm not near it anymore. I'm positive the shock is solid inside the tube, and the cap is screwed on all the way, and it doesn't move up or down inside strut tube...

 

I remember the RESpeed sleeve had play. The Eibach sleeve fits snugly.

 

My GCs have o-rings that keep everything centered. I'm not sure why RESpeed's setup wouldn't employ the same method of centering the shock tubes in the sleeves. Did you buy them new or used? If used, perhaps the PO neglected to supply the o-rings? I had a set of GCs for my eg civic that I bought used that didn't have the right o-rings so I called them and they sent a package full of them for next to nothing.

fm

 

I'm ready to get this nightmare out of winter storage...Are there replacement "threaded tubes" I can buy to replace my ruined ones that will work with my collars? If so, any ones that fit snugly on the strut tube? If not, how do I remedy this?
As far as springs...I have the "Kentetsu special"(275 front/150 rear) adj. Illuminas, 1.5" roll center spacers, ended up with a ride height(measured from ground to top center of wheel arch) of ~23" up front and ~23.5" in rear. 15"x7", 114.3x4, +21 offsetwheels, Tires are Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec 195/50R1. Even with Illumina's on ONE, it is a VERY stiff, bumpy ride. Handled great, but on streets and town driving, a VERY stiff and bumpy/noisy ride. I didn't think this would be too stiff for street/DD driving, but it is. In fact, on the highway at ~70mph, where the highway changed from pavement to concrete as it stepped up and then back down for an underpass it was crossing...It really bottomed out (I still have the bumpstops up front, but they're cut in half) and broke the damn camber plate(pass. side). SO, spring rates too soft(even though a really stiff/bumpy ride), or is it too low for the Illuminas' remaining available travel? This is why I'm interested in a progessive spring rate approach...
Also, what the heck isn't articulating properly that chewed up me tubes in the first place?!?

 

Places like ebay,jegs, and summit will carry everything you need.