Installing Tein HR Coilovers

[doobs]

Ey all,

Ive picked up a second hand pair of tein HR coil overs, and im just looking for some information about installing them...



1. Which are the front and which are the back? one pair are longer than the other...

2. I understand that once the assembly is installed, you have to use specialised spanners to adjust the height, where can I get these spanners? or can someone post a pic so I can make something?
With the 2 big nuts (pictured below), one seems to compress the spring... is the other just the locking nut? Is adjusting the height as simple as moving the top nut to desired height then locking it with the bottom nut?
Also can someone explain what the little spring is all about?


3. Does this look right? or should the thread be at the top of the nut? all 4 are like this, but the thread is at different depths. What does moving this thread in and out adjust?


Thanx for any help

[oldcorollas]

err.. for your stock ones (on car) which are longer? which of the Teins has higher spring rate?

google is really good these days.. you can search for stuff
http://images.google.com.au/images?h...+spanner&gbv=2

nuts.. you seem to know how to play with nuts.. that should work

there isn't thread to top of nut, but all 4 being in different spots is a bit weird... are they done up tight/properly?

edit: oh and little spring is "helper spring", cos your spring rates are HARD

[doobs]

If I hold the top and turn the bottom the thread will move, so its not done up tight...

[jimmmayyy]

That little spring is a helper spring,.. mostly it's there to keep the main spring captive at full extension.

Oh, and the longer ones go on the back.

[LeeRoy]

1. You will probably find that once you pull your old stuff you'll be bale to noticably tell the difference between the front and the rear. Chances are that the bolt pattern for the strut tops differs between front and rear too.

If they have some spring rates on them like old rollas said this will also distinguish between front and rear. If not you could always press on them and see which is harder.

2. Look at the spanners in the links old rollas posted. One of those spanners is what youll need. Just crack the bottom one off ie wind it down, then youll more easily be able to wind the upper one up to compress spring and lower the car. Youll probably need a hammer to knock the spanner to loosen the nut also.

Little spring is akeeper spring. It keeps the main spring in tension so it doesnt flop around.

3. The thread you can see is the top of the shock. This is where the tops bolt on to.

Since you've said they are loose then im going to guess that once tightened they will move up higher into the nut. Just so you know, when you try and tighten them the shock piston will spin so tightening them can be assisted by a rattle gun but not if they are an adjustable shock as this can spin the piston and damage the internals.

WARNING: Dont grap the shock piston with pliers or any other ill fated clamping devices as it can score the surface and then your shock oil will make friends with everything around it. I have previously held the shock piston with some vice grips and some rags, i would imagine some rubber would grip well too but try tightening them normally first before trying this as i really dont reccomend it.

[oldcorollas]

WARNING: Dont grap the shock piston with pliers or any other ill fated clamping devices as it can score the surface and then your shock oil will make friends with everything around it. I have previously held the shock piston with some vice grips and some rags, i would imagine some rubber would grip well too but try tightening them normally first before trying this as i really dont reccomend it.

at least i'm not the only idiot
if you grip them near the top, it should be ok... but if you do it at the bottom... time to buy new shocks


edit.. looks like the front springs should be about 12kg/mm and the rear about 6kg/mm
ie.. fat springs = front (assuming this is M/GZ20?)

[ReQuieM]

I found that a ratchet extender bar wedged through two of the top studs on the pillow mount was an awesome was of holding it all firm to tighten the top nut. if thats what you guys are on about with the vice grips

[LeeRoy]

On some setups there is the option to get a spanner onto the shock and you can stop it spinning while you tighten the nut with a socket. On a number of other setups though the tops cannot be held. My JIC coilovers which have solid pillowball tops are one example and even the standard tops couldnt be held iirc.

If you think about it, the whole strut is attached to the hub which is attached to the wheel and as you turn, these components move. Now since the tops are fixed and cannot move, any movement must occur at the strut top. Standard tops run a bearing in the tops for this reason.

[infotechplus]

The TEIN HR coilovers should be easy to tell apart. One pair will have the doughnut setup with rubber insert, like the one in your first photo; the other pair should have a horseshoe shape end without any rubber. The former will probably be the front and the horseshoe pair will be the back (but don't quote me on that - better to verify when you start work on pulling out your old suspension. They will match.

Check the US TEIN website Toyota catalog.



In the above photo (courtesy of the Vivid Racing site) the shock on the left is the horseshoe setup I referred to. The two sickle shaped items to the left of that are the C-spanners others identified above. You can buy them or have a set made up if you know someone with the tools. They aren't overly expensive and you can get away with one!

This is an adjustable C-spanner (or hook spanner as the Japanese call them) available in Australia for $55 from TW Performance.



Here's a photo of the TEIN C-spanners being used. Garage 13 can supply a pair for $55.



The nut at the top can be tightened with an impact gun and you should see at least some thread at the top from the strut top.

The spring rates are available on the net, and GOOGLE should help you find them. For most cars the standard spring rates are fairly uniform across manufacturers (in my experience).

The small spring is known as a "helper" spring, again correctly identified above. It sits at the bottom of the strut, on the two aluminium locking rings (the larger one has a locating lip and is locked by a smaller ring underneath.) They assist in keeping the setup tight when you are jacking up the car, amongst other things.

Here's some examples:



On the TEIN's there is a locating ring that separates the main spring from the helper spring, and helps again in locating the two on the strut.

Here's an example:



The good thing about the TEINs is that there are local agents who can help with rebuilds and spares. Check out the Fulcrum Suspension website.

I have the same set but for a JZS147 at home. I can verify front and back when I get home.

Cheers,

Peter

[doobs]

Thanx for the replys fellas, I'll have a look tonight and might have a go at wacking them in.

[doobs]

Ey Fellas,

It seems that the front shocks will fit in perfect but there are a few issues with the rears...

The tops on the rear tein struts are the same as the front tein struts, and therefore different to the stock rears... the thread is thicker... the only way to install them seems to be, to drill out the mounting holes for the rear struts to suit the new tops...

Does anyone see any problem with this? is this a common problem when using MA70 struts on MZ20s?

Cheers

[pisso001]

I dont think it would be a problem to drill the holes out.. I did it when putting S13 coilovers in my car..

Thanks,

Chris.

[The Real Roadrunner]

Ey Fellas,

It seems that the front shocks will fit in perfect but there are a few issues with the rears...

The tops on the rear tein struts are the same as the front tein struts, and therefore different to the stock rears... the thread is thicker... the only way to install them seems to be, to drill out the mounting holes for the rear struts to suit the new tops...

Does anyone see any problem with this? is this a common problem when using MA70 struts on MZ20s?

Cheers

if they have the same tops F amd R then chaces are they are both fronts, what poundage rates are on them ie what thickness are the springs, trust me when i say you dont want to install a front set in the rear, you will hate the car in no time flat.

cheers
linden

[doobs]

I'm fairly sure they are front and rears...

Part numbers are:
DLT39-12531, MA70-F-97E on one front (with the fatter spring)
DKT39-11531, MA70-F-97E on other front (Again with the fatter spring)
DLT39-12531, MA70-R-97E on both rears (With the smaller spring)

You can see that the longer tein strut has a much fatter spring in it... the old strut is the rear.


You can see the difference in the tops here, (note, no difference between front and rear on the teins)


cheers

[The Real Roadrunner]

they look to be correct spring rate wise, id hazard a guess that somebody has changed the tops for some reason hence the loose strut top nut.

btw that shaft wont protrude through the top of the nut so dont over tighten them, you will probly see a witness mark of where they were sitting b4.

can you get another set of rear tops? or just redrill your ones to suit.

cheers
linden

[doobs]

Yeah I havnt over tightened them.. just made them tight....

I dont know where id get the correct tops from... as for drilling them the pcd is different... it would take a bit of drilling to make them fit...

mmmm pissing me off.

Wonder if the stock tops would fit... and I'm probly going to need a spring compressor to the them off i think...

Anyone know where I might get some new tops? or exchange mine?

[doobs]

Ive put the old tops on the new struts, all seemed to fit fine... Gave as much rep as I could to you all,

thanx for the help fellas

[jimmmayyy]

No worries, hope it goes well.

[doobs]

Any tips on getting the front struts out?

I've taken the lower ball joint off (had to be replaced anyway) and the hub moves around a bit, but it seems the only way to get the strut out is to take the whole hub off...

Is that correct?

Cheers fellas