Regreasing Inverted Struts

[BillyCorgi]

Found this link showing the procedure to regrease struts.
Hope it is helpful.

http://wrxinfo.com/how_tos/suspension/r ... struts.htm

[Jiyujin]

Hey Pete, appreciate the link!
Cheers buddy!

[Shaheenis]

Having done this properly the guy in this link is too quick and dirty for my liking and makes a couple of big mistakes. I like the 'All Clean' showing a significant amount of old grease in the tube . I like that someone has taken the time to make a step by step but it can do more harm than good if you aren't providing the right information to people. The factory grease is very different than any aftermarket grease I have found so you need to clean ALL of it out as greases are not all compatible. The cleaning is the biggest job, you don't want to see any yellow. The bump stop, shock piston and tube all need to be cleaned thoroughly with pipe cleaners, rags, what ever you can use without damaging the surfaces and then with wax & grease remove. Also you don't want to leave a big bead of grease on the outside of the seal, this actually attracts contaminants and will accelerate the damage to the shaft. The oil/grease seal actually has it's own channel for holding grease, nothing should get past that if grease is applied correctly. The grease he is using should be fine but not same as factory. The factory grease is a waxy consistency and a lot less sticky than what he is using and I believe this is to stop it being dragged out of the channel. I don't think this is a common off the shelf grease..

[Shaheenis]

None of the below is a complete guide however they are all helpful in some way as they show pictures etc.

https://ksportusa.com/edocs/inverted_sh ... enance.pdf
This guide is very basic.

http://www.iwsti.com/forums/gd-suspensi ... tures.html
This one is more about installing a grease nipple for ease of re-greasing when the problem returns but has some good pics. The good thing about this thread is it shows you a teflon coated bush which is the source of the sticking and therefore clunk problem. I have never seen this shown or referred to anywhere else in all my reading of this issue.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GohdFuJA338
This one is from Brett at MRT talking about the design of the shock. He says when this happens the shock is worn out and needs to be replaced which is not true although the easiest, long term (and most costly) solution. Some of the terminology and picture in the thread can be a little confusing unless you have actually pulled one apart yourself and can see how basic the outer design is. There is no bearing that wears out, it is a bush (the teflon coated one). In fact the internal shock absorber (the gas sealed portion) will usually be 100% fine which is hard to tell from the picture as the wear has occurred on the bush in the outer tube.

In the second link above you will see a teflon surface that has worn. This is why re-greasing temoporarily fixes the problem because it lubricates this surface for a period of time before the grease moves away from the worn section. Permanent fix is to replace shock or atleast outer tube, recoat the teflon bush somehow (not sure if this has ever been attempted and would depend on how bad the wear is) or install a grease nipple so you can keep pumping grease in whenever the problem re-occurs. I don't like this option as the grease has no where to go so over time the tube will fill and cause other problems.

Hope this helps.

[BillyCorgi]

Briansmobile1, with pictures.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYiP4DG_OQU

[Curley5959]

I have a set of Front Bilstein Struts from my Gen 4 Spec B Wagon.

Let me know if anyone is interested in using these for a project. They have the knock but I am told they just need regreased. I replaced them with new Bilsteins before I found this out and also because I couldnt have the car off the road

[notmyrealname]

I have a set of Front Bilstein Struts from my Gen 4 Spec B Wagon.

Let me know if anyone is interested in using these for a project. They have the knock but I am told they just need regreased. I replaced them with new Bilsteins before I found this out and also because I couldnt have the car off the road

Have them regreased and they'll be ready to swap out next time. You are keeping your car forever aren't you ? ....

[Curley5959]

I have a set of Front Bilstein Struts from my Gen 4 Spec B Wagon.

Let me know if anyone is interested in using these for a project. They have the knock but I am told they just need regreased. I replaced them with new Bilsteins before I found this out and also because I couldnt have the car off the road

Have them regreased and they'll be ready to swap out next time. You are keeping your car forever aren't you ? ....

I plan on keeping it for as long as possible Should hopefully see at least another 100-200k