estrellajon

If thats the process. The swing arm inner bolt does come off I think but maybe not necessary. There is a rubber bushing in that sub frame. That exactly the bolt I torqued pre-loaded. This could a possibility with ingenieurs height issue that's worth checking. So what he's doing by placing on ramps then loosen and tighten basically will help on the pre-loading.

Ingenieur

I checked the springs, they are seated properly
Had it on stands with the wheels removed, got a good look
The bottom perch is notched/keyed
I also lubed all bushings/joints

Kind of grasping at straws but something has changed the height
I think the sway bar is the only thing removed for the diff but I could be wrong

It's close to 1/2" difference
Car rides and handles fine

nkc

thank you so much, will stock up on hardware

Ingenieur

Put it on ramps
Pulled the plastic lower arm covers
Loosened sway bar upper/lower bolts
Upper was a single std head
Lower had a E torx and std
Jostled the car and it settled 3/8 " or so
Tighted it back down
Bar must have had some pre-tension?

estrellajon

Hmm possibly. Interesting that the sway bar would have tension. Are you talking about adjusting the sway bar end links right?

estrellajon

Finally got the rears done. Took longer due to the exhaust had to be moved so I can remove the essentric bolt. I flipped it going back in so I don't have to deal with it next time. Dunno, took me like 3-4 hours.

Would have taken me longer if the little one didn't help

Ingenieur

After driving and remeasuring the height changed little... Still higher than before diff install

I think you are correct. After looking it seems like the inside lca was dropped. It has a internal 12 point on one side and a 18 mm hex on the other.

This makes me think springs aren't seated properly .

Any pics of how it should go?
Which is the top of the spring
Hows it sit in the bottom
Etc

I know on the e46 it looked like the end of the coil should butt the perch step/shoulder but if you did that it could not unwind/expand properly under load...you 'ld leave 1/2" or so per the manual

Mine looks butted up against the shoulder

estrellajon

Exactly . The end of the spring should butt up against the swing arm perches. Had an E46 as one of my cars that I worked on everything. Much easier to work on btw compared to our cars now. Our cars is like working on E9x cars. Takes much longer but doable.

Ingenieur

Cute assistant lol

Nice job
Any pics of the final stance ?

estrellajon

Ha. Yeah. Juggling the little one and car projects, adds time. I will take pics as soon as I get it settled and drive for 50 miles.

Btw, rear adjustments on these cars are impossible and will need to redo the whole process all over again . The adjustment perches are unreachable once everything is buttoned up.

I will post picks and let you know how many turns I did from maximum lowest adjustment.

Ingenieur

Then the bottom looks ok
So perhaps the top is not fully in the pad

I'll jack it up tomorrow and take another look

Thnx

estrellajon

There is a rubber pad on top which the spring end sits on.









The rubber pad has a slope that hugs the spring. These will only move if the spring is disturbed like Moving the swing arm down

Ingenieur

Thanks!
I'd wager the top is misaligned

What are the chances of getting a screw/hook compressor in there to relieve tension and spin the pad

Otherwise drop the arm and sort it out

estrellajon

I think dropping the arm is the only way to ensure the spring is seated on the pad. We can't really twist them due to the bottom being secured or enough room for a spring compressor. Besides at that point, better to drop the arm.

estrellajon

Ride on the H&R coilovers are different and I have mixed feelings. I like the drop but prefer the P30 ride suspension due it's stiffness. Ride is much smoother on the coilovers and takes bumps better than the P30. Not necessarily better on my part. I'm used to harsh rides I guess.

Ingenieur

Dropping the arm it is
Looks straight forward
Get it on stands
Jack under the arm
Remove inner bolt
Lower jack for clearance
Align it up
Reverse to reassemble

Ingenieur

Imho that sounds perfect
Lower AND a better ride

estrellajon

Definitely not as harsh as the previous P30 stockers. I can't really compare to other C63s. The only other C63 I've driven is a 507. I think the P30 is a bit stiffer.

Who knows. I only have like 10 miles so far. I'm sure once I get used to the ride. I'll change my mind :-)

Mort

Yes, that should do it. Depending on the direction the bolts are installed you may need to drop the exhaust. If the bolt heads are facing the rear then drop the exhaust because there will not be room enough to pull them out without hitting the exhaust. GL

Ingenieur

Looking at my pads right now
Mone have 3 'dimples'
Yours appears to have 1

They appear to be properly situated

abcut973

Are your springs pads the same on both sides?
What are the odds during the LSD install they put a thicker pad on one side ?

Ingenieur

3 dimples each side
And they appear to be situated correctly
No idea what changed ?
1/2" before/after
Could the springs relax that much from hanging unloaded for 24 hours?

I'll post some pics in a minute
The only thing I noticed the springs are reversed
Round end up on one reversed on the other
Don't think it matters

Upper rt side

Ingenieur

Lower rt

estrellajon

Not sure if springs will change if unloaded. Hard to believe it would but.....

Ingenieur

Murphy's law
The bolts are removed to the rear
Lol