How to: Unseize your coilovers

[beems240sx]

my Stance GR+ coilovers on my s14 decided they wanted to rust and seize up in 2 years. i wanted to go lower but i couldnt budge the collars. so heres how i did it and it was very easy.

tools:
-PB Blaster
-BFH
-flat tipped chisel
- anti seize
-17,14 socket. 19 wrench

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p204/beemsmx6/180002_10150410189140282_806540281_17416002_320520 1_n.jpg

1. soaked the living crap out of the tread in PB blaster and let it sit for a day.
2.take the coilover off the car.
3. turn it upside down and spray in the thread of the bracket and let it soak.

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p204/beemsmx6/182934_10150410187375282_806540281_17415991_426655 1_n.jpg

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p204/beemsmx6/180140_10150410187755282_806540281_17415992_659687 9_n.jpg

4. place the chisel in the collar and beat the shit out of it.

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p204/beemsmx6/185642_10150410188140282_806540281_17415996_688673 9_n.jpg

5. set the coilover on the ground and place the chisel on the weld for the brake line bracket.

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p204/beemsmx6/182012_10150410188520282_806540281_17415999_108051 8_n.jpg

6. this would be the step where i plan to completely disassemble the coilover and repaint everything. but its under 30 degrees out so that will wait until summer.

7. use a lot of anti seize

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p204/beemsmx6/182419_10150410188905282_806540281_17416000_95547_ n.jpg

8. slam it

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p204/beemsmx6/182245_10150410189450282_806540281_17416003_285500 7_n.jpg

9. repeat 3 more times!

no pictures of it installed slammed because i either have to tub it or get smaller tires. it was hitting the inner metal. so i had to raise it back to where it was but whatever its unseized.

[chiboy002]

you should remove the collars and throw a bike inner tube there. Keep it clean

[Sumslapper]

Mine seized up like that but I could not get it to budge what so ever. JDM salt seized it all up so I dremeled a slit into the collar and hammered it off. Works great now and I have an extra 1/2 inch to go lower lol

[ILoveMyRHS13]

I put anti-seize on the threads before I installed them. It's held up for a year and a half now with no issues. But this is a good write up for people who didn't have the foresight to prep them.

[omgRWDgoodness!]

A spanner wrench attached to a breaker bar works wonders.

[buri_chan]

Nice, I did the same thing a few years ago, except I actually broke some teeth off the collars in the process ><

[dreaMervaj]

How long did you soak these things? I've soaked mines for a good hour or so and used the spanner wrench and a hammer to try and get the collar to move but no luck. I don't think I could get them to budge even if I toke them off!?

[negrosx13]

Bracket is seized tho

[vtund777]

Nice, I did the same thing a few years ago, except I actually broke some teeth off the collars in the process ><

I had this same issue. I need new collars. I took a flattened head screw driver and a hammer to loosen mine w/ some liquid wrench.

[beems240sx]

How long did you soak these things? I've soaked mines for a good hour or so and used the spanner wrench and a hammer to try and get the collar to move but no luck. I don't think I could get them to budge even if I toke them off!?

I would say I let then soak for 7 hours. The spanner wrenchs are garbage. Mine broke from the force. It's easier to loosen them up with the chisel. You need to shock the metal not put constant pressure on it. Yeah the collars might get chewed up but they are still useable.

I'm running a 17x9.5 +12 and I want to max the coilovers out as it is no longer my daily. I work at discount tire so I pick up used tires all the time and the most common size is 235/45/17. I can get a set of 215/45's, will these clear the inner metal on a full lock turn? Not the fender those are rolled. The inner part in the engine bay is where it rubs.

[wh0aitznic0]

Stance maxed out in the front? Won't be TOO TOO low. But a 215/45 will probably rub all day.

[nathanong87]

u need to move at one of those collars to the underside of the bracket. c'mon

[beems240sx]

u need to move at one of those collars to the underside of the bracket. c'mon

What coilovers are ever designed like that? Well looks like ill have to tub it and put my 255's on

[dreaMervaj]

I'm gonna try to attack this once again in a few days. Would it be easier to do it while the coilovers are still on the car since I don't have a bench clamp?

[CleanAndLegit]

hammer the shit out the inner tub and your straight (: i did and yeah i plan on tubbing later on when i get my welding on pointttt

[vtund777]

I'm gonna try to attack this once again in a few days. Would it be easier to do it while the coilovers are still on the car since I don't have a bench clamp?

I say keep the coils on and bolted. If it's off and not clamped to anything, then the entire coilover is going to want to turn with the collar when you try to hit it. I tried and it just kept pissing me off.

[jamg]

damnit...

i just installed my coilovers on.

i really dont want to take them off, and put a bike tube through it... or even put anti-seize on them.

so much workkkkk :(

[beems240sx]

damnit...

i just installed my coilovers on.

i really dont want to take them off, and put a bike tube through it... or even put anti-seize on them.

so much workkkkk :(

trust me, take them off and do it right. im SO pissed off about spending a grand on some shit suspension that rusted to all hell. even if i would had done a tube and anti seize from the start the brackets still would had rusted. coilovers are gay, i should just weld poles on the damn thing.

[waxball88]

A spanner wrench attached to a breaker bar works wonders.
.
Or a long pole for that matter. Kids these days don't go to school enough :P

Leverage is win

[harangatang]

Anyone figured out how to unseize the rear brackets on the GR+ pros? I tried PB Blaster and a mallet to knock them loose. Several times. No such luck...

[beems240sx]

ill be doing it soon, ill let you know how i figure it out

[s13superstar]

beat the living shit out of my coils! they got low alright!

[sincity_sil80]

pardon my ignorance.. but what do you guys mean when you say put a bike tube in the coilover to prevent it from seizing?

[StryfeS13]

^ What does that mean?

[Matej]

I put anti-seize on the threads before I installed them.
Everyone should do that.
Put anti-seize or lithium grease on the threads before installing them, and every time they are being tinkered with.
Doing so, one will never have to deal with this.

[Quail]

Taking a screwdriver and hammer to my Hipermax Pros was very, very painful.

Their replacements will be getting lubed up on a regular basis.

Also interested in the bike inner tube thing? I've seen coilover covers, but not sure how effective they are.

[KOUKIboy]

trust me, take them off and do it right. im SO pissed off about spending a grand on some shit suspension that rusted to all hell. even if i would had done a tube and anti seize from the start the brackets still would had rusted. coilovers are gay, i should just weld poles on the damn thing.

Its because you live in an area where it snows, also that salt they put on the roads to melt the snow also spells disaster for Coils, meaning they're gonna rust to hell, but yeah this is a good idea, and PB blaster works wonders...

[joeapple8]

When I got my coil overs the previous owner used thread locker on the fucking coilovers, he said it would loosen them selves and adjust by them self, so he thread locked them.

So I got a friend and each one of us used these and turned the opposite way on the collars and it worked fine, after I got every thing loose, I got a wire wheel and cleaned the threads on every thing, and I used anti seize on the threads.

http://www.gemplers.com/img/giant-pliers-product-134208.jpg

[Farkel]

Seems like lathering on anti-sieze all over the threads would cause dirt and grime to stick to them over time, no?

[Irresistible]

Seems like lathering on anti-sieze all over the threads would cause dirt and grime to stick to them over time, no?

That's where the bike tube comes in. It keeps them dirt free.



I personally just threw some grease on mine, and whenever I have the car jacked up, I move the collars around. Worked for a year. But then again, I've only had the car for a year and never driven it in snow/salt.

[samxini]

Seized coils suck. Me and a friend used pb blaster, screw drivers, hammers, vice grips, pretty much anything we could think of to break those things loose. I learned from his mistakes and I don't think I'll ever buy used coils now.

[vtund777]

When I got my coil overs the previous owner used thread locker on the fucking coilovers, he said it would loosen them selves and adjust by them self, so he thread locked them.

I had this issue after I greased up the threads on my coils. Ever so often the come loose and the coils end up making a squeaking noise. When I get the chance, I'm going to clean up the grease in the areas where the collars meet to keep them from shifting around.