AC. Posted April 28, 2012 Share Posted April 28, 2012 I purchased KYB gas struts front and rear and eibach springs from the z store. I'm bothered by the fact that they didn't bother to mention to me that these struts say not to use with lowering springs. But anyway, I had the parts installed at a local suspension shop and now the front is about an inch higher than stock and the rear dropped a little more than 3 inches no kidding. Can someone help me? Were they installed wrong? The nose of my car points up and my rear tires are now tucked in the rear fenders about 1.5 inches in. I would greatly appreciate any info I can get, thanks. 77 280z Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leon Posted April 28, 2012 Share Posted April 28, 2012 Springs are switched, they put the front in the back and vice versa. To double check, look at the part numbers on your springs. The fronts should end with a "1" and the backs with a "2". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluDestiny Posted April 28, 2012 Share Posted April 28, 2012 Probably put the springs in wrong. Go to that shop, tell them they better fix it and never go there again. You can get away with the kyb's and lowering springs, just don't drive over potholes and speed bumps at 50mph Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Racer Z Posted April 28, 2012 Share Posted April 28, 2012 My thought exactly. The front and rear springs need to be swapped. When I removed my stock springs there was a noticeable difference between the front and rear. My new Tokico lowering springs were marked "front" and "rear". They too were noticeably different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted April 29, 2012 Share Posted April 29, 2012 That is why I do as much myself as possible. Can you believe the shop gave it back that way- did they think he wouldn't notice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luseboy Posted April 29, 2012 Share Posted April 29, 2012 I don't plan to ever bring any of my cars into the shop unless it's to get tires installed or an alignment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AC. Posted April 30, 2012 Author Share Posted April 30, 2012 Thanks, I will look at the the springs for the numbers. I have never taken my cars to a shop other than for suspension work. I actually like the shop I go to, I've had other cars lowered there before. The owner is a great guy and they do good work, but since the owner is getting older now and he has this new guy working there that was the one that worked on the car. I appreciate the input. So the eibach springs are labeled 1 for the front and 2 the rears? I will take a look and definitely take the car back. Thanks everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOTHALOSISM Posted April 30, 2012 Share Posted April 30, 2012 If they fix it with no problems then why not keep going back? Mistakes happen and as long as they acknowledge it and fix it on their own dime then there should be no issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AC. Posted April 30, 2012 Author Share Posted April 30, 2012 I took a look at the springs, the rears were hard to take a look at, had to jack the car up quite a bit to get the spring to decompress, but sure enough, the rears ended with .001 and the front part numbers ended with .002. I took the car back this morning, the owner apologized and everything was good, they are going to try to finish it up today. Unfortunately the guy that worked on my car was let go, there were too many complaints apparently on his work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehelix112 Posted April 30, 2012 Share Posted April 30, 2012 That's not 'unfortunate' IMHO. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Racer Z Posted April 30, 2012 Share Posted April 30, 2012 Sounds like your world will soon be in order, once again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AC. Posted April 30, 2012 Author Share Posted April 30, 2012 Thanks again for all the help. I just picked up the car and it looks and drives great. The shop was really apologetic and everything worked out great. Now I need to figure out why my brakes are so soft. I have a new replacement master cylinder, earls stainless steel brake lines, and the toyota calipers.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leon Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 Thanks again for all the help. I just picked up the car and it looks and drives great. The shop was really apologetic and everything worked out great. Now I need to figure out why my brakes are so soft. I have a new replacement master cylinder, earls stainless steel brake lines, and the toyota calipers.... The soft brake lines to the calipers and wheel cylinders have to be removed when replacing springs. The system must be bled properly afterwards. Sounds like the shop is at fault again, if the car came in with good brakes and left with spongy ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luseboy Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 If it's not a bad bleed that caused the spongy brakes, it could be worn out soft lines, incorrectly adjusted brake booster, etc. I'd vote it's a bad bleed as leon suggests. While it is possible to change the springs without removing brake lines, most shops will just remove them because it takes less time that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AC. Posted May 1, 2012 Author Share Posted May 1, 2012 I'll have to see about bleeding them again, they were this way before I took the car in. I'll do that and if that doesn't work then I'll do some researching. Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luseboy Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 Could simply be that the master isn't big enough for the brake upgrade. Usually this only applies to rear disk conversions, but could also be a factor just from the fronts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 Your shop sucks and can't be counted on. Do it yourself. This isn't going to be some new problem or a faulty brake component. They probably had to disconnect your brake lines to get the suspension to drop down enough to compress and change the springs, so now you have air in them. If your brake pedal will pump up some, it is air, nothing else. If it won't, and you still have stock rear drums, you could possibly need to just adjust the shoes out with your e-brake handle. If you have done any conversion of your disc brakes, front or rear, the aftermarket bleed screws are often not truly located at the optimum location to get all the air out of the calipers. I would try adjustint the rear drumbs with the handbrake, and if that doesn't do it, then you need to bleed the master cylinder, then remove each caliper and bleed it carefully while holding it in your hand (watch the fingers) and rotating it around to different angles. Almost every non-stock disc brake conversion seems to have trouble with this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luseboy Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 While learning to do this all by yourself is fantastic, and highly recommended by me (it's acctually a lot easier than you think, your biggest enemy is your own brain telling you you're over your head and making you freak out), it sounds like this problem is not from the shop. I would start with a bleed-the right way, as it's the cheapest thing you can do really. From there, it's chasing what exactly is wrong. While replacing parts is fun, it's not the best option if you don't have an overfilled wallet. Often times tuning something will fix the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Racer Z Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 Earl's stainless lines will help the pedal feel good and firm. I've got Earl's on my truck and my Z. You said you do too, so we don't need to wonder if you have 40 year old soft rubber lines. Bleed the brakes and make sure there's no air in the system. For the self-adjuster to keep the shoes adjusted you need to set the brake every time you park. Trying to use the E-Brake to take up a lot of slack takes to long if they're badly out of adjustment. If you've still got rear drums, take the wheels off and check the shoe adjustment. Tighten them up till they just barely rub when you turn the drum by hand. If these two suggestions don't help, let us know and we'll move on to other possibilities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AC. Posted May 2, 2012 Author Share Posted May 2, 2012 Rebekahsz, The shop I take my cars has been really good, they had one guy that was new, they let him go and acknowledged their mistakes. If you would've read everything, I said my brakes were soft before I took the car in, and they were no different after they worked on the car. Keep those comments to yourself, that is a shop I can count on with a honest owner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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