Front suspension damper retaining nut

[JRD93]

I know nothing about the Mk1's suspension but if it's anything like the mk2 you should be able to get a new insert in there, wouldn't make too much sense to have that retaining nut if you aren't able to rebuild them, would have probably left them sealed.

Might have explained why they were difficult to open as the pressure would have locked those threads more.

My assumption is the damper leaked the nitrogen through the seal, I assume they were fubar'd hence you rebuilding them. The fluid could be from inside the damper or dampers specify you add liquid, this varies between dampers and could just be that.

Waiting on jimi to correct me.

[jimi]

Nice tool more or less what I had in my head when I made the suggestion, smart way of getting the angles correct.
I was under the impression that the non rebuildable ones were welded, but I may be mistaken, I've read something about it somewhere, I'll try and track it down.
I do know that when fitting new insert it's normal to top up the housing with antifreeze, helps to keep the damper cool when working hard, they generate a fair amount of heat which can adversely affect operation.
MK1 suspension is very similar in principle to MK2 & MK3 suspension, brakes are also very similar

[jimi]

Some pics on this thread clicky any help ?

[JRD93]

I wasn't corrected, maybe we're onto something?

[jimi]

I'm pretty sure the original dampers were gas charged, so your theory is plausible

[GaryB]

Thanks for the replies both.

There was some gas pressure that was released when I loosened the large nut and some fluid did spray out....that shirt can go in the bin now!

Although the dampers weren't totally knackered, the shaft movement was very jerky when pushed in and released so I think a rebuild is in order. I also want to completely clean up and repaint all the components so definitely worth doing while it's all apart.

It does seem from the linked thread that he had the same struts as mine and fitted new KYB inserts to those. MR2-BEN has them on his site so I've emailed him to check that they will fit.

I might stick with the original springs though as they look OK and I don't want to mess with the ride height or fit stiffer ones. The car's only done ~45k miles. Any thoughts?

GaryB

[jimi]

I run mine with standard springs and dampers, I get a comfortable ride and the handling is fine, possibly a bit more body roll than with stiffer/lower springs/dampers/ coilovers etc but nothing that bothered me, even when thrashing it round a sprint track



I've never been convinced about messing with a setup that Mr T put a lot of time, effort and money into.
Maybe for a race/track car, but not for a road car

[JRD93]

Dampers will break down over the life of the car just naturally, springs on the other hand will degrade through compressions of the spring (miles) or they will rust through. If they aren't in terribly bad shape keeping the springs would be fine and I'd only change them if you want to slam that bad boy.

MR2Ben seems to have KYB fronts and toyota rears, these will be fine. The upgrade would be koni's, basically they'll be a better damper with some adjustment so you can make it as soft or hard as you like, although these cost about £600 for all four corners and it's currently a dilemna I'm having with my mk2.

[jimi]

Upgrade would be Koni's

But would it be an upgrade ? Mr T spent a lot of time on the MK1 suspension with track tuning by Dan Gurney, I'm not convinced putting a pair of aftermarket adustable struts in there and guessing at the settings is going to be an improvement
I'm not suggesting 30 year old suspension components are better, just that new standard is the way I would go, the only change I would possibly make is to fit TRD rubber bushes (if I could get them)
Bearing in mind the MK1 has different handling (better ?) than the MK2

[JRD93]

Would have to use KYB's for the front so we're already loosing out on the purity. Realistically they built everything to a price point, sure the original suspension works well for the price.

I think the Mk1 handling being better would be because you're behind the wheel of the mk1 and I'm behind the wheel of my Mk2

[jimi]

It's not just me that thinks the MK1 handles better, most reviews (other than ones from MK2 owners ) I've seen say the same

[jimi]

Came across this post

Shock absorbers .

When I took the struts apart , I was expecting a crtridge type shockabsorber So I didn't think and pulled it out . To my surprise half of the oil ended up on the floor .
These are oil filled , rebuildable shocks .

I carefully catched and measured the oil from the other side .
Turns out to be 198ml .

So I bought some motorcycle fork oil and replaced the usezd oil with new .

The new oil is grade 3 , wich seems to be a bit more viscous then the original . I'm assuming ( hoping ) the 30 years old oil has lost some of it's viscosity .

Will it work or not ?
I don't know . If it doesn't I'll have to take it apart again , and get some grade 2 or even grade 1.5 oil .

A word about shock absorber oil .

As I stated before , some of my oil ended up on the floor
and I bought grade 3 fork oil to replace it .

Didn't work out .
Grade 3 ( SAE 15 ) makes the suspension almost solid .
Feels like the shock absorber is non existent , as if it was welded shut .
Might be great for track use , but in Belgium with all its speed buimps
it will be a bad idea .


So I took out my din 4 paint viscosity gauge and started doing some test . Paint vicosity and oil viscosity have nothing in common .
But this will allow me to compare different grades with the original .



Grade 3 ( SAE 15 ) takes 52 sec's .
Original MR2 ( SAE ??) takes only 22 sec's .

Bough some grade 1 ( SAE 7.5 ) expecting it to be 26 secs .
No way , when checked it was 35 seconds .

Finally got me some grade 01 ( SAE 5 )
Lucky for me they accepted to take the grade 1 back .
This one does the trick . 25 seconds .
I guess the originaloil must be SAE 4.8 .

There's also a grade 02 ( SAE 3 ) wich would result in 19 secs .
That is to sthin , so the 25 seconds SAE 5 will have to do .


I haven't been able to take the car on the road , but at least the shocks
move again when I rock the car .
Only a road test will tell for sure , but it feels ok now .


Pat

[GaryB]

Interesting post, what he didn't mention is whether he re-pressurised them after refilling with oil. I'm guessing not as that would not have been easy without the proper gear.

I sent MR2-BEN photos of my struts and he confirmed that the KYB's will fit so I will get them.

Any thoughts on whether I should refit the original springs after a cleanup or whether to get brand new original spec replacements?

[jimi]

You'll probably find fhat the original springs will have "settled" a bit from new and the ride height will consequently be lower, if you fit new springs just on the front it may make the car high at the front. To keep it level you may have to replace all 4 springs.
If the car sat ok before, I'd probably just refurbish the springs and refit them.
Possibly plan to change all 4 springs if/when you do the rear suspension.
Whats the gap like between the wheel arch and tyre ?
Mine sits level with approx 55mm gap from tyre to arch all round. AFAIK its on standard shocks/springs which have been on since before I got the car (so at least 17 years)