Thank you for making this video, I changed out the struts to bilsteins on my daughters xterra, and I couldn't figure out why there was a clunk from the shock, but apparently previous person who disassembled it didn't put the washer back on, so glad i found this so i could figure out what was missing, and how to reassemble it.
I am assembling new struts for my'13 Frontier, for the bottom coil/seat insulator, I used 1/2 inch heavy duty shrink tubing, cut into 1/2 inch lengths (16 per side) and shrunk them and put a light coat of ceramic grease on the seat.
i feel your pain rick having the same issue with these bilstein struts 05 pathfinder they come with no instructions just horrible by the way great job and thanks for the video very helpful
Glad I found this video. Just bought a pair of "take off" Bilstien struts that was just the strut and spring. I will have to swap the top plates. Good info!
What is the torque on the nut once the spring is set and ready to be installed on the vehicle. Should their be clunking sound when driving or is that too loose for the application?
If something is clunking then something is wrong. The top nut seated solidly on a shoulder if I remember correctly, so you should be able to tighten to a hard stop if that is the case.
Excellent video. Real world home installation. I'm wanting the Bils but I may be going with the KYB completes to take your advice lol. I don't do any trails my '06 is daily driver. Curious how the Moog springs are holding up? Some say they don't get much longevity but no telling how hard on them they are either.
Doing this to my 09 xterra as soon as parts arrive - I knew i wanted bilstein struts but wasnt sure what spring/tophat combo would work best for me as i've got probably 170k on my current suspension and defintiely wont be able to reuse any fasteners or the old top mount. Thanks for the info.
The video shows that the spring perch/stand came with the KYB set. My bilsteins didn't come with a spring perch and the two sets described are not the spring perch. Any tips?
Sorry the parts I ordered came as shown--I'm honestly not sure what a spring perch looks like. Is it something you can salvage from the old assembly when you do the swap?
@@RickRose Hi Rick, thanks for the comment! The job went very smoothly and it was the first time I've ever attempted this. Between your video and a couple of great threads on TheNewX forum all the pitfalls had been covered. Good call on the spring compressors getting stuck! I went for some of the pricier ones as I want to do my Mustang and my buddy's Xterra as well and they were well worth it - Specialty Products 40260. Rock solid, easy to turn the screws and they juuuuust came clear when the strut was complete. If you're going to do a few cars, the extra cost is well worth it in ease of use and safety. The old struts and rear shocks weren't in bad condition on my 2011 Pro 4-X with 105k miles but the new ones have made a big difference! The ride is well controlled and much smoother (even on the cr@ppy San Diego roads!) and the slightly beefier Moog springs make the front end more direct in the corners. Result! Thank you once again Rick for taking the time to make this excellent video!
How are you liking the ride, so far? I have the same set-up installed on my '06 about a month ago. Definitely rides stiffer. Depending how it performs on the trail, I might consider putting back the factory springs.
Cheap Harbor Freight gloves. I'd provide a link, but I can't find the exact type online. They're rubber coated on the palm side and mesh on the back. Usually about $4 a pair in the store, but they go on sale for $2 a pair and I buy a bunch of them.
Thank you for making this video, I changed out the struts to bilsteins on my daughters xterra, and I couldn't figure out why there was a clunk from the shock, but apparently previous person who disassembled it didn't put the washer back on, so glad i found this so i could figure out what was missing, and how to reassemble it.
Love to hear when a video is helpful. Thanks for watching and commenting.
the rubber piece you call a bump stop is supposed to go on the top of the strut right before the big washer and your washers are upside down.
I am assembling new struts for my'13 Frontier, for the bottom coil/seat insulator, I used 1/2 inch heavy duty shrink tubing, cut into 1/2 inch lengths (16 per side) and shrunk them and put a light coat of ceramic grease on the seat.
Should work--good idea!
i feel your pain rick having the same issue with these bilstein struts 05 pathfinder they come with no instructions just horrible by the way great job and thanks for the video very helpful
Thanks for the kind words and hope you got yours straight without too much trouble.
Glad I found this video.
Just bought a pair of "take off" Bilstien struts that was just the strut and spring. I will have to swap the top plates. Good info!
What is the torque on the nut once the spring is set and ready to be installed on the vehicle. Should their be clunking sound when driving or is that too loose for the application?
If something is clunking then something is wrong. The top nut seated solidly on a shoulder if I remember correctly, so you should be able to tighten to a hard stop if that is the case.
Totally agree, much easier if the strut is assembled..
Bilstein didn't come with the Collars?
Excellent video. Real world home installation. I'm wanting the Bils but I may be going with the KYB completes to take your advice lol. I don't do any trails my '06 is daily driver. Curious how the Moog springs are holding up? Some say they don't get much longevity but no telling how hard on them they are either.
So far, so good, but like you I haven't been hitting any trails with the truck.
Doing this to my 09 xterra as soon as parts arrive - I knew i wanted bilstein struts but wasnt sure what spring/tophat combo would work best for me as i've got probably 170k on my current suspension and defintiely wont be able to reuse any fasteners or the old top mount. Thanks for the info.
Thanks for watching and commenting. Hope your project went well!
The video shows that the spring perch/stand came with the KYB set. My bilsteins didn't come with a spring perch and the two sets described are not the spring perch. Any tips?
Sorry the parts I ordered came as shown--I'm honestly not sure what a spring perch looks like. Is it something you can salvage from the old assembly when you do the swap?
I think they look like struts to me. Good work Rick
Thanks Randy! I hate it when I have to do a job twice, but sometimes that's the way it goes.
Thank you, Sir, for this excellent video and information! Got all the parts, about to do mine. Cheers!
Best of luck--Let us know how it goes.
@@RickRose Hi Rick, thanks for the comment!
The job went very smoothly and it was the first time I've ever attempted this. Between your video and a couple of great threads on TheNewX forum all the pitfalls had been covered. Good call on the spring compressors getting stuck! I went for some of the pricier ones as I want to do my Mustang and my buddy's Xterra as well and they were well worth it - Specialty Products 40260. Rock solid, easy to turn the screws and they juuuuust came clear when the strut was complete. If you're going to do a few cars, the extra cost is well worth it in ease of use and safety.
The old struts and rear shocks weren't in bad condition on my 2011 Pro 4-X with 105k miles but the new ones have made a big difference! The ride is well controlled and much smoother (even on the cr@ppy San Diego roads!) and the slightly beefier Moog springs make the front end more direct in the corners. Result!
Thank you once again Rick for taking the time to make this excellent video!
@@paulbeharrell Woot!
How are you liking the ride, so far? I have the same set-up installed on my '06 about a month ago. Definitely rides stiffer. Depending how it performs on the trail, I might consider putting back the factory springs.
The ride is definitely stiffer, but I like it.
How do you know how far to tighten down? The top threads you were measuring?
I was just trying to see how far I had to go and verifying I had truly bottomed out. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
How do you know how far to screw down the compressors?
Mine bottomed out on the shoulder of the threads. Hope that helps!
@@RickRose So you just kept drilling until you couldn't anymore?
@@MeliorIlle Yes, I tightened the nut until it stopped. No drilling though--I think that's a translation mistake.
@@RickRose You're talking about the nut on the compressors yes?
@@MeliorIlle On the very top of the assembly.
I just bought the same combo how's the ride now that Yu fixed it up ?
Struts are good but now I need ball joints. Ha! Ride is definitely firmer. Thanks for watching and commenting.
had the exact same problem
Hope it works out for you good luck!
What gloves are those? I tore my hands up doing this
Cheap Harbor Freight gloves. I'd provide a link, but I can't find the exact type online. They're rubber coated on the palm side and mesh on the back. Usually about $4 a pair in the store, but they go on sale for $2 a pair and I buy a bunch of them.