Koni Adjustables - Dangerous?

[coombsfh 2]

Is it dangerous if the silver top mount plates can be turned with my fingers? The Flat silvery strut top plate which dips in the middle to accept the shock tightening bolt.

 

Also after a search i have not discovered which tool is needed to adjust Koni's and also please PM me if you think that loose strut top plates are dangerous.

 

Fred

 

The flat top plate above the protruding dome is the thing that spins, how can it be rectified and do i need a special Koni tool?

 

Fred

[coombsfh 2]

BUMP-need to know if i can drive it please.

 

Fred

[Baz 421]

It's ok if that spins yes, shouldn't move too easily but it moves if you turn the steering wheel and watch it with the bonnet open. If it's excessive i'd worry though!

[Bonzai 2]

can you not just tighten the nut on top of the strut? Im assuming thats what is causing the plate to spin, if its not been torqued up...

 

if its a nyloc nut it should be at 33lb ft, according to the joke book

[coombsfh 2]

ssssssssssst!

 

Thanks, will torque the bastards tomorrow. fred.

 

CHEERS

[Baz 421]

Yes, should've been a little clearer, but as Ben says above, the nut holds the plate down, and it shouldn't move easily at all, but they do move thats all i was trying to say.

 

To adjust Koni's you'd either have a special knob adjuster or a pair of pliers/mole grips will suffice.

[coombsfh 2]

After a search... do they adjust in clicks or in sweeps/1/4 turns?

Also if i can turn the plate with my fingertips, does she want a tighten?

 

Fred

[ashley peddle 3]

just got your text dude. they were done up with an air gun so if you can tighten them up any more i would be very suprised

 

cheers

 

ash

[saveloy 8]

It is quite likely that the rubber donut and/or the bearing is worn excessively. Hence the movement.

[Richie-Van-GTi 71 2 Cars]

one of my konis done this, I removed the nut and put a washer beneath it as the thread wasnt long enough to tighten any further. Bits of a bodge though as said above its down to worn components elsewhere.

[ashley peddle 3]

they have 1000 mile bearings and Baker group N mounts... nothing is worn on them They done this the whole time i had them on my 1.9 - and that car probably gave the suspension a lot more abuse than the 1.6 will so i really wouldnt worry

Edited January 8, 2007 by ashley peddle

[Bonzai 2]

aslong as the nut isnt loose, then i cant personally envisage anything untoward happening

[ashley peddle 3]

well its a nylock nut and it was done up by an air gun at a local garage about 2 months ago... so i cant imagine it would come lose stranger things have happened though i guess...?

[Bonzai 2]

no harm in checking for peace of mind, but yeah the likelyhood would be very slim

[tom_m 0]

if it was me i'd strip them down and reassemble them, making sure everything was in the right order and they were done up tight, none of mine have every been loose or able to move independantly of the rest of the top mount (bar normal squishing of the rubber in the standard top mounts). on the pug spport grp n rubbers they just didn't move!

[Guest rich9]

Have recently got a pair of second hand adjustable koni.

 

Did you find out any information on if they adjust with clicks or quarter turns? Anyone any idea of actually damping rates from max to min?

[C_W 3 1 Cars]

The rears are gas and have 3 or 4 "clicks" to adjust.

 

The fronts have about 3.5 turns from min to max and will adjust infinitely between these settings.

[Guest doggybs]

if it was me i'd strip them down and reassemble them, making sure everything was in the right order and they were done up tight, none of mine have every been loose or able to move independantly of the rest of the top mount (bar normal squishing of the rubber in the standard top mounts). on the pug spport grp n rubbers they just didn't move!

 

I don't suppose anyone knows where I can find a diagram of how the top fits together, ie. so I can check if I got it all in correct order.

 

I have a slightly different problem, when the car is flat on the ground there is about 10/15mm gap between top metal cup and the other rubber top mount below, when I jack up the front of the car this gap disappears, but I am able to lift the front wishbone and re-create this gap.

 

I shall take a picture later on, as this prob doesn't make much sense.

 

I assume there should some movement here as to allow the shock angle to change as wishbone comes up and down, but this much doesn't sound good. Originally I though I had just re-assemble the tops wrong but to get it wrong on both sides I've got to be pretty stupid, lol.

 

Also whats this I heard about GrpN Top Mounts, does any one know where I can get some of them from.

 

Cheers

[C_W 3 1 Cars]

The gap that is created when there is weight on the car is the rubber mounts compressing slightly, but I dount you'D be able to make it do this by have lifting the wishbone (by hand).

 

Does the top plate feel loose with the strut off the car?

[pug_ham 244 3 Cars]

I don't suppose anyone knows where I can find a diagram of how the top fits together, ie. so I can check if I got it all in correct order.

http://forum.205gtidrivers.com/index.php?showtopic=69736

I have a slightly different problem, when the car is flat on the ground there is about 10/15mm gap between top metal cup and the other rubber top mount below, when I jack up the front of the car this gap disappears, but I am able to lift the front wishbone and re-create this gap.

 

I shall take a picture later on, as this prob doesn't make much sense.

 

I assume there should some movement here as to allow the shock angle to change as wishbone comes up and down, but this much doesn't sound good. Originally I though I had just re-assemble the tops wrong but to get it wrong on both sides I've got to be pretty stupid, lol.

Like Chris says, thats perfectly normal & due to the soft rubber top mounts that compress with the weight of the car on them. Although 10-15mm sounds a lot. With group N top mount rubbers its reduced to a couple of mmbut the ride height is raised by a similar amount.

Also whats this I heard about GrpN Top Mounts, does any one know where I can get some of them from.

BakerBM.com, Stew offers members of the forum a discount, check the group buys & discounts section on this forum for more details.

 

Graham.

[DirtyFlare 0]

How is the correct way to torque the top nut on koni adjustables? I have a set on mine but have become concerned as the top nut has come loose, not good when i just did a 5hr round trip

 

When I fitted the suspensions to the car I changed the complete top mounts and also used baker bm group n rubber mounts.

 

I tried to follow the instructions that came with the suspension but it made no sense, as it showed doing the top nut up before putting the spring, top mounts etc onto the suspension

 

You cant torque the top nut up witch a socket as it just rotates the piston in the shock

 

So my question is, how do you torque up the top securing nut? Can you do it whilst the suspension is on the car or do you have to do it off the car?

 

I noticed people speaking of a special tool, please could someone link me to it or tell me whats it called?

 

thanx for any help

[sonofsam 5]

I use a dip dish spanner and an allen key for the top nut, it is a nyloc so shouldnt come loose.

Do the final tightening when the shock is on the car.

 

Have also used a socket held by mole grips with an allen key through the centre of the socket, but the spanner works better

[DirtyFlare 0]

Yeah you can do that on the standard gti suspension but there is no where to put an allen key on the koni's because the adjuster is there instead. Or am i missing something?

[sonofsam 5]

I have the koni yellow adjustables, but I have to take the shock out to adjust it. maybe yours are the earlier/later type?

Sorry I cant help any further.

[Richie-Van-GTi 71 2 Cars]

mine have the allen key at the top, the adjuster is a plate at the top of the main body that turns using a special tool (C shape wrench similar to that from an angle grinder).