Eibach noises...I have a fix
11-02-2005, 10:44 AM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 218
Eibach noises...I have a fix
I wasnt sure if anyone was still having issues with their Eibach springs or not but I finally found the cause for some of us having problems.
I noticed that almost everyone that had issues with the springs had the same story. Basically everyone started having problems about 1-2 weeks after installation. Once the springs are installed they tend to settle a little, and this is where the problem starts. When the spring settles the strut is so compressed that all the weight of the car is being held mainly by the strut. When the strut begins to hold most of the cars weight it allows the spring to spin and thats what causes popping and snapping.
Solution: Well, there's a couple of ways to solve the problem. One solution is spring isolators. My solution was to wrap the bottom of the spring with very thick heater hose. The heater hose pushed the spring up about 1/2" or more, allowing more of the cars weight to be held by the spring and eliminating all the noises.
I did this about 3 months ago and haven't posted anything until now because I wanted to make sure the mod worked. Hope this helps anyone still having the problem.
I noticed that almost everyone that had issues with the springs had the same story. Basically everyone started having problems about 1-2 weeks after installation. Once the springs are installed they tend to settle a little, and this is where the problem starts. When the spring settles the strut is so compressed that all the weight of the car is being held mainly by the strut. When the strut begins to hold most of the cars weight it allows the spring to spin and thats what causes popping and snapping.
Solution: Well, there's a couple of ways to solve the problem. One solution is spring isolators. My solution was to wrap the bottom of the spring with very thick heater hose. The heater hose pushed the spring up about 1/2" or more, allowing more of the cars weight to be held by the spring and eliminating all the noises.
I did this about 3 months ago and haven't posted anything until now because I wanted to make sure the mod worked. Hope this helps anyone still having the problem.
11-02-2005, 01:30 PM
#2
nice...... good info..... if you don't mind i used it on my other site as usefull info
www.6thgenmaxima.org
www.6thgenmaxima.org
11-02-2005, 01:58 PM
#3
I had the same problem with my eibachs ,the popping sound started when i change the position of the plate that says "out" , it sit right on top of the isolator, the fix to this problem was simple to keep the isolator and the plate that sit on top of it together in oem position .
when you set the top isolator with the front eibachs the "out" will move in , a couple of inches. that stop the noise for me
when you set the top isolator with the front eibachs the "out" will move in , a couple of inches. that stop the noise for me
11-09-2005, 03:31 PM
#4
Donating Maxima.org Member
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 87
Originally Posted by 4drsleeper
I wasnt sure if anyone was still having issues with their Eibach springs or not but I finally found the cause for some of us having problems.
I noticed that almost everyone that had issues with the springs had the same story. Basically everyone started having problems about 1-2 weeks after installation. Once the springs are installed they tend to settle a little, and this is where the problem starts. When the spring settles the strut is so compressed that all the weight of the car is being held mainly by the strut. When the strut begins to hold most of the cars weight it allows the spring to spin and thats what causes popping and snapping.
Solution: Well, there's a couple of ways to solve the problem. One solution is spring isolators. My solution was to wrap the bottom of the spring with very thick heater hose. The heater hose pushed the spring up about 1/2" or more, allowing more of the cars weight to be held by the spring and eliminating all the noises.
I did this about 3 months ago and haven't posted anything until now because I wanted to make sure the mod worked. Hope this helps anyone still having the problem.
I noticed that almost everyone that had issues with the springs had the same story. Basically everyone started having problems about 1-2 weeks after installation. Once the springs are installed they tend to settle a little, and this is where the problem starts. When the spring settles the strut is so compressed that all the weight of the car is being held mainly by the strut. When the strut begins to hold most of the cars weight it allows the spring to spin and thats what causes popping and snapping.
Solution: Well, there's a couple of ways to solve the problem. One solution is spring isolators. My solution was to wrap the bottom of the spring with very thick heater hose. The heater hose pushed the spring up about 1/2" or more, allowing more of the cars weight to be held by the spring and eliminating all the noises.
I did this about 3 months ago and haven't posted anything until now because I wanted to make sure the mod worked. Hope this helps anyone still having the problem.
11-10-2005, 06:13 AM
#7
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 218
Harryn80, don't be worried. Techincally it's a very simple fix. In fact, some people have never experienced the problem at all. The problem is that every spring made is going to settle at a different height. Pkane3 wanted some pics but unfortunately I don't have any. Prior to installation you might ask the installer about a spring isolator. I personally used heater hose as described above and the actual ride was much better after I added the heater hose because the car was relying more on the spring instead of the strut. If you have any other questions let me know.
11-10-2005, 06:57 AM
#8
Nations 1st 6th Gen Turbo
iTrader: (15)
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Displaced New Yorker in Southern, MD
Posts: 10,202
I never had a problem with noise on my Eibach, they have been rock solid since installation over 18 months ago. I believe most problems were cause by the upper plate being improperly installed thus not allowing the spring to seat right. Also when tightening the top bolts need to be alternated to ensure a level seat. Just my spin...
11-28-2005, 11:38 AM
#9
Not DAVEB the parts guy
Join Date: Aug 2000
Posts: 8,555
FYI, the spring is what holds the weight of the car. The strut/shock is simply a damper for the spring and the strut/shock bears none of the weight of the car. The noise issues of lowering springs on the 6th gen sound like the noises issues that plague lowered 3rd/4th/5th generations. The problem lies in the progressively wound coils that are lightly tapping/scuffing each other under certain loads. The simple fix is a thin piece of rubber tubing wrapped around the upper and lower coils that are touching one another. Simply jack the car up, properly secure the car, and inspect the spring to see which coils are touching. It should be pretty obvious because the will be worn or scuffed.
11-28-2005, 03:29 PM
#10
Supporting Maxima.org Member
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Reno, NV
Posts: 2,909
Originally Posted by 4drsleeper
I wasnt sure if anyone was still having issues with their Eibach springs or not but I finally found the cause for some of us having problems.
I noticed that almost everyone that had issues with the springs had the same story. Basically everyone started having problems about 1-2 weeks after installation. Once the springs are installed they tend to settle a little, and this is where the problem starts. When the spring settles the strut is so compressed that all the weight of the car is being held mainly by the strut. When the strut begins to hold most of the cars weight it allows the spring to spin and thats what causes popping and snapping.
I noticed that almost everyone that had issues with the springs had the same story. Basically everyone started having problems about 1-2 weeks after installation. Once the springs are installed they tend to settle a little, and this is where the problem starts. When the spring settles the strut is so compressed that all the weight of the car is being held mainly by the strut. When the strut begins to hold most of the cars weight it allows the spring to spin and thats what causes popping and snapping.
My springs made noise for about a month then the noises just disappeared.
11-29-2005, 11:26 AM
#11
"My springs made noise for about a month then the noises just disappeared'
Mine too - they made noise for a couple of months, then it disappeared - just noticed a few weeks ago that I hadn't heard any popping for a LONG time - no more issues.
Mine too - they made noise for a couple of months, then it disappeared - just noticed a few weeks ago that I hadn't heard any popping for a LONG time - no more issues.
01-07-2006, 03:13 PM
#13
Newbie - Just Registered
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 4
I installed eibach spring on all 4 corners this summer. You do not need camber bolts for the front but for the rear, YES! The only problem is no one makes them for the 04. I just put the rear oem springs back in and the car handles much better. The other thing is that with the eibach springs in the rear i ruined 2 BFG KDW tires b/c you don't have enough camber adjustment to compensate for the .8 inch drop.
01-07-2006, 06:17 PM
#14
Nations 1st 6th Gen Turbo
iTrader: (15)
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Displaced New Yorker in Southern, MD
Posts: 10,202
Originally Posted by bails0915
I installed eibach spring on all 4 corners this summer. You do not need camber bolts for the front but for the rear, YES! The only problem is no one makes them for the 04. I just put the rear oem springs back in and the car handles much better. The other thing is that with the eibach springs in the rear i ruined 2 BFG KDW tires b/c you don't have enough camber adjustment to compensate for the .8 inch drop.
I also have a set of BFG g-force KDW II tires on my ride, also ZERO problem. I think the only problem you may have with your new mis-match springs is you may need to adjust your headlights.
03-01-2006, 06:26 PM
#15
Newbie - Just Registered
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 3
i need help on this
can someone please tell me where i can buy this very thick heater hose, also what size hose and how much of it? i need to get this info to y custom shop guy because they have no other way to fix my popping noise from the eibachs they installed on my 04 max...thank you in advance
03-01-2006, 06:27 PM
#16
Newbie - Just Registered
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 3
i need help on this
can someone please tell me where i can buy this very thick heater hose, also what size hose and how much of it? i need to get this info to y custom shop guy because they have no other way to fix my popping noise from the eibachs they installed on my 04 max...thank you in advance please email me any info to fadmed@excite.com
03-18-2006, 06:56 PM
#18
Member
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Delran, NJ
Posts: 48
I'd like to add my .02¢ on this topic. About a month ago I installed a new set of Eibach Prokit springs on my '06.
I don't know if this is something new but my front Eibach springs came w/ what looks to be simple Tygon® tubing. Tygon tubing is a clear, thin walled tubing used in the food industry. I believe Home Depot and Lowes also sell it. Anyway, the tubing was positioned at the top of the front springs and had enough length to wrap around at least one full spring coil.
After I installed the springs (this has to be the easiest car in the world to install springs on) I was please to hear none of the knocking, clanking sounds that so many had described. My luck soon changed...the next day I started hearing the clunking. I drove it that way for a week until I could find time to get back under the car. That week the clunking progressively became worse. When I finally inspected the suspension I found that the Tygon tubing had slid down both front springs. I jacked up the car, taking the load off the front springs, and pushed the tubing back up until it stopped. I then pinched the tubing onto the springs using a single worm gear hose clamp. I positioned the clamp at the bottom of the tubing and made sure the clamp screw housing was outside the spring's binding area.
I lowered the car, took it for a drive and walaa!, the sounds were gone. It's been that way now for 2 weeks. I assume I'll need to recheck the clamps every now-and-again as they become fatigued. I think a more permanent fix would be to remove the springs and replace the tubing w/ a much longer length that would cover the entire spring.
Hope this helps.
I don't know if this is something new but my front Eibach springs came w/ what looks to be simple Tygon® tubing. Tygon tubing is a clear, thin walled tubing used in the food industry. I believe Home Depot and Lowes also sell it. Anyway, the tubing was positioned at the top of the front springs and had enough length to wrap around at least one full spring coil.
After I installed the springs (this has to be the easiest car in the world to install springs on) I was please to hear none of the knocking, clanking sounds that so many had described. My luck soon changed...the next day I started hearing the clunking. I drove it that way for a week until I could find time to get back under the car. That week the clunking progressively became worse. When I finally inspected the suspension I found that the Tygon tubing had slid down both front springs. I jacked up the car, taking the load off the front springs, and pushed the tubing back up until it stopped. I then pinched the tubing onto the springs using a single worm gear hose clamp. I positioned the clamp at the bottom of the tubing and made sure the clamp screw housing was outside the spring's binding area.
I lowered the car, took it for a drive and walaa!, the sounds were gone. It's been that way now for 2 weeks. I assume I'll need to recheck the clamps every now-and-again as they become fatigued. I think a more permanent fix would be to remove the springs and replace the tubing w/ a much longer length that would cover the entire spring.
Hope this helps.
06-24-2007, 08:07 PM
#21
I have Eibachs but I have not changed the shocks...Montreal has a lot of uneven pavement, pot holes, cracks across the pavement and man holes (including some that are loose or depressed) and I get the occaisonal clunking noise but I believe that it's the shocks as they are compressed. Anyway, I live with the noise and just enjoy the ride and handling.
07-15-2007, 10:06 PM
#26
Supporting Maxima.org Member
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Olympia, wa
Posts: 186
Originally Posted by 4drsleeper
I wasnt sure if anyone was still having issues with their Eibach springs or not but I finally found the cause for some of us having problems.
I noticed that almost everyone that had issues with the springs had the same story. Basically everyone started having problems about 1-2 weeks after installation. Once the springs are installed they tend to settle a little, and this is where the problem starts. When the spring settles the strut is so compressed that all the weight of the car is being held mainly by the strut. When the strut begins to hold most of the cars weight it allows the spring to spin and thats what causes popping and snapping.
Solution: Well, there's a couple of ways to solve the problem. One solution is spring isolators. My solution was to wrap the bottom of the spring with very thick heater hose. The heater hose pushed the spring up about 1/2" or more, allowing more of the cars weight to be held by the spring and eliminating all the noises.
I did this about 3 months ago and haven't posted anything until now because I wanted to make sure the mod worked. Hope this helps anyone still having the problem.
I noticed that almost everyone that had issues with the springs had the same story. Basically everyone started having problems about 1-2 weeks after installation. Once the springs are installed they tend to settle a little, and this is where the problem starts. When the spring settles the strut is so compressed that all the weight of the car is being held mainly by the strut. When the strut begins to hold most of the cars weight it allows the spring to spin and thats what causes popping and snapping.
Solution: Well, there's a couple of ways to solve the problem. One solution is spring isolators. My solution was to wrap the bottom of the spring with very thick heater hose. The heater hose pushed the spring up about 1/2" or more, allowing more of the cars weight to be held by the spring and eliminating all the noises.
I did this about 3 months ago and haven't posted anything until now because I wanted to make sure the mod worked. Hope this helps anyone still having the problem.
Couldn't this be fixed with aftermarket struts as well?????
07-16-2007, 03:03 PM
#27
Originally Posted by Elimackman
Do the eibachs make noise when you turn the steering wheel in the parked position?
When you look at the top mounting plate of the struts you will notice that it is not flat all the way across. The hole where the strut shaft passes through the plate actually sits at an angle when compared to the rest of the top surface of the mounting plate. This is what can get you into trouble because if you do not align the mounting plate with the arrow pointing out, the strut bearing will not seat properly against the strut mount. This causes one portion of the strut bearing to be under more pressure than the rest of the strut bearing. This then makes the strut bearing wear out quickly and results in all kinds of noises when turning because you are grinding metal against metal.
I found all of this out the hard way because my strut plates were misaligned and wore out my strut bearings. When you go to put lowering springs on and reuse the top mounting plates, some people's instinct is not to separate the rubber isolator from the plate itself in order to properly align the plate. This is something you have to do in order to get the springs properly installed. Otherwise, you will end up with the same problem I did.
08-29-2009, 09:18 AM
#28
Junior Member
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 72
Hey Guys I am racking my brains here on trying to get the suspension set-up correctly on my Maxima. I went with the KYB GR-2 Struts and Eibach Lowering Springs. Almost immediately I started getting the "Clunking" Sound that I have found out a lot of people have had through reading multiple posts. Unfortunately these posts were from back in 2005. I also found out through my Alignment that my Right Rear Camber is maxed out and cannot be adjusted any further. I am not sure what the numbers were but I have found out that the Standard Issue Camber Kit will not work and for the life of me have not been able to find anything from Eibach regarding a Camber Adjustment Kit for the 6th Gen. Or any other type of Sport Suspension Kits. Also I know about making the clunking sound go away but if anybody who has done this knows what dimension size hose they used it would be greatly appreciated. Sorry to bring up an old Thread again But the car is looking sweet if I could get rid of the clunking sound and not be paranoid about ruining my brand new tires then life would be good.
Thanks again.
Scrappy
Thanks again.
Scrappy
08-29-2009, 08:03 PM
#29
Hmmm. I have Tein's installed on my 08 with KYB GR2's and I have zero issues with them. As for the clunking noise, Tein refers to this as coil slap. They have silencer rubber that they sell and oh yeah, it comes with the springs if you would have bought Tein's
http://www.tein.com/products/silencer_rubber.html
08-29-2009, 09:01 PM
#30
Just use a thick rubber hose...you can cut the hose down the middle and place it on the springs where the obvious "wear" is, obviously on the uncut side....
Some people also get a clicking or poping sound when the turn the steering wheel...that's the wheel bearing within the top bear plate...and Moog I hear makes an excellent OEM replacement. Just read this thread and you will find the fix to this as well.
Some people do not get the noise....I had no issues for over 2 years until this year when I had to replace my Eibach spring because one of them actually cracked! Eibach stood behind their warranty and sent me two new front ones. You have to install the top plates properly.
Some people also get a clicking or poping sound when the turn the steering wheel...that's the wheel bearing within the top bear plate...and Moog I hear makes an excellent OEM replacement. Just read this thread and you will find the fix to this as well.
Some people do not get the noise....I had no issues for over 2 years until this year when I had to replace my Eibach spring because one of them actually cracked! Eibach stood behind their warranty and sent me two new front ones. You have to install the top plates properly.
08-30-2009, 06:46 PM
#31
Hey Guys I am racking my brains here on trying to get the suspension set-up correctly on my Maxima. I went with the KYB GR-2 Struts and Eibach Lowering Springs. Almost immediately I started getting the "Clunking" Sound that I have found out a lot of people have had through reading multiple posts. Unfortunately these posts were from back in 2005. I also found out through my Alignment that my Right Rear Camber is maxed out and cannot be adjusted any further. I am not sure what the numbers were but I have found out that the Standard Issue Camber Kit will not work and for the life of me have not been able to find anything from Eibach regarding a Camber Adjustment Kit for the 6th Gen. Or any other type of Sport Suspension Kits. Also I know about making the clunking sound go away but if anybody who has done this knows what dimension size hose they used it would be greatly appreciated. Sorry to bring up an old Thread again But the car is looking sweet if I could get rid of the clunking sound and not be paranoid about ruining my brand new tires then life would be good.
Thanks again.
Scrappy
Thanks again.
Scrappy
08-31-2009, 12:36 AM
#32
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Virginia
Posts: 535
i thought it was because i went from a 19' wheel to a 20 inch wheel..but perhaps they just settled... i didn't think that made sense because the difference in overall tire height was less than a 1/8 of an inch...
09-01-2009, 03:07 PM
#33
Junior Member
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 72
Thank You
You are going to have to tear those struts down and make sure they are put back together exactly right. Check the strut bearing and top plate to make sure the arrow is pointing out and the bearing is not torn up. Also, make sure the rubber isolators are properly aligned with the springs themselves. Eibach recommends about a half inch between the end of the coil and the rubber isolator. Last but not least, wrapping the first few turns of the springs with rubber hose or wire wrap is a good idea. As for your camber issue, you're going to have to check the installation again to make sure it was done properly. There should be no camber issues with these springs. I've been running them for over 4 years without improperly wearing tires or the aforementioned clunking issues once I corrected my installation.
But I greatly appreciate the feedback to such an old post. You guys are the best.
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