Brand New Koni Sports Leaking Oil
05-19-2008, 09:35 AM
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Well all I know is there are a couple of parking lots I drive through often at maybe 10 mph and when crossing some of those shallow rain drainage gutters,with the Konis the front end would slam hard against the bump stops. Since putting the OEM shocks back on it never happens.
One thing I do want to point out, it would take more then a teason of oil to leak out to impact how they perform. Hotchkis springs are not that much stiffer then oem springs, so they aren't going to offer that much more resistance against bottoming out on those large bumps. And adjusting Koni Yellow's stiffer won't change that either since they are rebound adjustable only, compression damping is fixed
05-19-2008, 10:30 AM
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So I had to BUY a new shock from TC Kline to not have 4-6 weeks downtime. The other option was to pay to have them serviced myself by sending them to Truechoice.
I just purchased another one and I'll send this one back. Once they determine that it was a defective shock, they issue a refund minus shipping. I can live with that.
I just purchased another one and I'll send this one back. Once they determine that it was a defective shock, they issue a refund minus shipping. I can live with that.
12-26-2008, 09:24 PM
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I wanted to add to this old thread because my front truechoice shocks started to leak as well (about 1 year after the last rebuild). I had them serviced by performance shock at infineon and he noticed that they were leaking because the top of the shaft was slightly ovaled out, thus crushing the sealing washer. This probably happend while I was holding the shaft to keep it from rotating while installing the top nut. The moral of the story is to be careful while installing the top nuts on the front shocks.
In addition, I didn't really feel any difference before or after serving. They told me that you'd have to loose a heck of a lot of oil to actually feel a loss in performance.
In addition, I didn't really feel any difference before or after serving. They told me that you'd have to loose a heck of a lot of oil to actually feel a loss in performance.
12-27-2008, 07:40 AM
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Interesting thread. I used to work with Gabriel Ride Control for years. I ran their tech line and did warranty evaluations on returned parts to determine the causes of failure.
Leaks do happen from time to time with all shock manufacturers. The line about "overfilling" the shock with oil is BS. No shock is designed to leak a little then stop. There usually is a coating of oil on the piston rod straight out of the box, but not on the shock body. This was all cleaned off prior to painting.
Leaks at the adjustment **** (if on the side of the shock) is bad. Return it for warranty replacement. The seal may have been damaged when the **** shaft was inserted in manufacturing.
Check for leaks around the upper and lower caps on the shock body. There's usually a roller weld there. Misalignment of these components in manufacturing can cause a leak from the welded portion. (Defect)
Leaks from the piston rod seal. (Where the rod goes into the shock body.) This is usually a triple lip seal. There may be a small trace of oil around the seal but not a teaspoon. Many of these leaks are not manufacturing defects. (Not accusing here.) Many installers will try to hold the piston rod still with pliers or vise grips while they tighten the upper nut. This is a problem found more on strut installations instead of shocks. The rod spins from the impact gun on top leaving marks on the rod. The rod is nicked up with sharp edges which eventually slice through the piston rod seal. Causing a leak.
Losing a bit of oil will lead to lower gas pressure on the shocks. The gas pressure is dependant on a certain amount of volume inside the shock. As oil leaks out, the volume increases and the gas expands into this area resulting in lower pressure and lower rebound values.
Poor chroming of the rod can lead to pitting on the surface. This pitting can lead to sharp edges or small valleys that pick up oil and carry it past the seal. This ends up being more of an oily mess instead
As for the dyno, it will not in anyway harm the shock. Bench tests ocillate the shocks as if the car was on a washboard type road. The reality is that the shocks hardly see any movement on the dyno.
Clunking noises are usually related to the upper mount. Unless the shock is completely leaking and bottoming out OR if there is an internal failure such as rod guide or separated piston. If the shock appears to control compression and rebound well, I'd focus your investigation of clunking to the mounts.
Leaks do happen from time to time with all shock manufacturers. The line about "overfilling" the shock with oil is BS. No shock is designed to leak a little then stop. There usually is a coating of oil on the piston rod straight out of the box, but not on the shock body. This was all cleaned off prior to painting.
Leaks at the adjustment **** (if on the side of the shock) is bad. Return it for warranty replacement. The seal may have been damaged when the **** shaft was inserted in manufacturing.
Check for leaks around the upper and lower caps on the shock body. There's usually a roller weld there. Misalignment of these components in manufacturing can cause a leak from the welded portion. (Defect)
Leaks from the piston rod seal. (Where the rod goes into the shock body.) This is usually a triple lip seal. There may be a small trace of oil around the seal but not a teaspoon. Many of these leaks are not manufacturing defects. (Not accusing here.) Many installers will try to hold the piston rod still with pliers or vise grips while they tighten the upper nut. This is a problem found more on strut installations instead of shocks. The rod spins from the impact gun on top leaving marks on the rod. The rod is nicked up with sharp edges which eventually slice through the piston rod seal. Causing a leak.
Losing a bit of oil will lead to lower gas pressure on the shocks. The gas pressure is dependant on a certain amount of volume inside the shock. As oil leaks out, the volume increases and the gas expands into this area resulting in lower pressure and lower rebound values.
Poor chroming of the rod can lead to pitting on the surface. This pitting can lead to sharp edges or small valleys that pick up oil and carry it past the seal. This ends up being more of an oily mess instead
As for the dyno, it will not in anyway harm the shock. Bench tests ocillate the shocks as if the car was on a washboard type road. The reality is that the shocks hardly see any movement on the dyno.
Clunking noises are usually related to the upper mount. Unless the shock is completely leaking and bottoming out OR if there is an internal failure such as rod guide or separated piston. If the shock appears to control compression and rebound well, I'd focus your investigation of clunking to the mounts.
Last edited by Phreakdout; 12-27-2008 at 07:42 AM.
12-29-2008, 09:15 AM
#25
Interesting thread. I used to work with Gabriel Ride Control for years. I ran their tech line and did warranty evaluations on returned parts to determine the causes of failure.
As for the dyno, it will not in anyway harm the shock. Bench tests ocillate the shocks as if the car was on a washboard type road. The reality is that the shocks hardly see any movement on the dyno.
As for the dyno, it will not in anyway harm the shock. Bench tests ocillate the shocks as if the car was on a washboard type road. The reality is that the shocks hardly see any movement on the dyno.
Below is a Roehrig dyno run, though I can tell the run was done in the shorter less informative CVP format. The OP's shocks were tested in this format and the more informative longer duration PVP format.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYFQ9kqPSPs
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