Corroded Coil Over Adjustment

[StormUk]

So, I got Bilstein B14's fitted a couple of years back and had the van nice and low. I made the decision to get it raised a little as I'm now up and down farm tracks etc. so need a little more clearance. Booked it into my local garage thinking they could adjust them then check the tracking for me. Anyway, an hour or so later I received a call to say they couldn't adjust my coil-overs as they were corroded and they couldn't shift them. Anyone else come across this issue and have a solution? Do I need to take the wheels off and attack the threads with WD40 and a wire brush or something to get them moving before taking it back to them? Thanks

 

[The Van Cave]

So, I got Bilstein B14's fitted a couple of years back and had the van nice and low. I made the decision to get it raised a little as I'm now up and down farm tracks etc. so need a little more clearance. Booked it into my local garage thinking they could adjust them then check the tracking for me. Anyway, an hour or so later I received a call to say they couldn't adjust my coil-overs as they were corroded and they couldn't shift them. Anyone else come across this issue and have a solution? Do I need to take the wheels off and attack the threads with WD40 and a wire brush or something to get them moving before taking it back to them? Thanks

It's fairly common on those kits for the adjusters to corrode and stick. If you can get it up on some axle stands and wheels off then have a go at cleaning up the threads with a wire wheel in a drill. Then soak the adjusters in a good penetrant fluid and leave them for a few days, adding more penetrant each day.

Hopefully that'll release them, but it can be tricky to get them moving again. Be careful of your knuckles when trying to adjust them as the C spanners can sometimes slip, usually just when you're at full strength and pulling like hell!

I have seen B14s that have been on a few years that are just impossible to adjust due to this issue.

 

[StormUk]

It's fairly common on those kits for the adjusters to corrode and stick. If you can get it up on some axle stands and wheels off then have a go at cleaning up the threads with a wire wheel in a drill. Then soak the adjusters in a good penetrant fluid and leave them for a few days, adding more penetrant each day.

Hopefully that'll release them, but it can be tricky to get them moving again. Be careful of your knuckles when trying to adjust them as the C spanners can sometimes slip, usually just when you're at full strength and pulling like hell!

I have seen B14s that have been on a few years that are just impossible to adjust due to this issue.

Thanks for the advice. I assume then if it still won't budge try a little heat? after that, replacement required

 

[The Van Cave]

I wouldn’t heat it. You’ve got oil and gas under pressure in the shock, so I would avoid heating it.

 

[StormUk]

I wouldn’t heat it. You’ve got oil and gas under pressure in the stock, so I would avoid heating it.

Replacement it shall be then (unless it shifts of course ha ha)