Hi Everyone, Recently I replaced the stock coil springs with new 250# ones on my 95 Hijet and what a difference that made to the bottoming out issue. Before the replacement there was also a clunking noise in the front, worse when on uneven terrain. Thought the spring replacement would cure the issue but itn didn't. I've checked the CV joints and they are not the issue. One of the struts has no oil in it. Will an oiless strut "clunk" to anyone's knowledge? Thanks much for any response.
hmmmm, I have the same problem with my Hijet. Its not as bad now that its cold out. I often wondered if it could be struts. I'll be watching this post too. op:
I have the same problem - put new 250# springs and it helped a little, but I am looking for struts, or strut inserts. If anybody knows where to get them please let me know - I'd rather spend a few bucks for the better ride and also not beat the truck into an early grave Bob Jonah
rockauto.com has struts for certain years/models of Daihatsu. Maybe same strut for many models and years?
Thanks "Robercraig" - I did a search on Rockauto and it came back with 0 results. The KYB numbers that I have found are #633117 and #633118, but nobody seems to recognise them. Even KYB in USA and Canada don't recognise these numbers. I was hoping that somebody knew of a source for an alternative to KYB. Bob Jonah
when you search parts on rock auto the main page has little flags at the top left..check them all and the hijet parts will turn up in the search
I had a Datsun 240 z in the 70s and the struts had a screw on top to add oil, you might try drilling a small hole at the top and squirt oil in and plug hole. What do you have to lose?
Small World - I too had a 1972 240Z. I raced it in the Atlantic region till 1980 ( started a family ) used to do 1:17.6 at Atlantic motorsport Park in Nova Scotia - still a quick time at todays standards. I understand what you mean, and may well try that if I cannot find a proper solution. Thanks Bob Jonah
Bit of an update - Rockauto now has KYB struts in stock again - part # 633117 and 633118 @ $73.58 each - great price - I just ordered a pair - will let you know how they work in about a month. Bob Jonah
I did an experiment with the worn front shocks from my old Mits. u42t ..I replaced them with new ones so the old ones were junk so why not try drilling them out and refilling them...I extended the shock completely and drilled a 1/4 inch hole in the very bottom....filled the shock with motorcycle fork oil (can't remember the weight) and sealed the bottom with 5 minute epoxy just to see if it would work...they weren't 100% like new ,but were significantly stiffer than what i started with...if the seals were gone this wouldn't really help,but a tired shock with ok seals may be able to be brought back to life for a time fairly easily...this was just a test so I used epoxy,but welding a nut to the hole and tapping in a short nut as a plug would be more permanent and refillable solution.
Hi Fupa - I would be concearned about drilling the bottom as this is the main pressure vessel - better to drill the top as Old Old Man suggested. It is difficult to know how much oil to use as well. Also, if the shock is clunking, the valve body is most likely FUBAR. For the price , the new shocks from RockAuto looks good to me. They should arrive tomorrow, and I may have time to install them next week Bob Jonah
I replaced the struts on my Hijet with the KYB units from Rock Auto, identical to the stock unit, also did the 250# springs, removed the front lift kit spacers and the truck has the same ride height. Bill
Definitely for the price the new ones are the way to go....the entire outer body of a hydraulic shock is under the same pressure so top or bottom shouldn't make a difference..but the bottom generally has more clearance inside and less chance of hitting a seal....a gas shock would have a pressure reservoir on the bottom and would not be worth/dangerous to drill....The Hijet front shocks are available but some of the other trucks are looking at $300-$400 front shocks...for that price it may just be worth a try for some
Just a heads up, I had a friend that welded on a pressurized shock many years ago and burned through the shock and it sprayed flaming oil all over him.:frustration:
ouch..that sounds painful...I would hope anyone welding the shock would be doing so because it had no pressure in it to begin with
He was severely burned but I have to admit that just welding one dosent sound all that dangerous if you havent thought about it so thats why I mentioned it. I think any shock would be pressurized if you heated it up some too.
yeah that's possible for sure...you would also need to be careful not to wreck a seal with too much heat...small tacks one at a time then cooling...maybe a wet rag over the other end ..
So, I installed my new KYB struts today. They work better, but the clunking was still the same - did a bit of looking around and the body mount rubbers are toast. I mean they are really bad, to the point ob being mostly gone.
Does anybody have a source for body mounts, or am I off to CTC for some hockey pucks ? Any ideas or suggestions are welcome. Thanks Bob Jonah
Princess Auto - gotta love it. I found a stiff rubber roller for a boat trailer - 2" dia x 8 3/4" long with a 1/2" hole thru the middle. It looks about right, so it should be good for about 12 body mount pucks - total cost is under 10 bucks. I'll be doing it this wkend and will let you all know how it works out. Cheers Bob Jonah
I found a bit of time this afternoon and replaced that worn body mount - what a treat it is to have good shocks and no clunking - almost as nice as my 2500 GMC, and much more fun. Cheers for the comments Lads Bob Jonah
Yes, The original rubbers are formed to fit together in the middle to prevemt metal / metal contact. They were degraded so that they were loose, but otherwise OK. So I just cut a 1/4" slice from the boat roller and inserted it at the top to provide more compression on the original rubbers - problem solved for now and I have lots left over for future. If you wanted to spend more time you could cut the pieces to match the original profile and replace everything.
I just had the front struts replaced on my 92 Hi Jet. I got the new ones from Rockauto. They came from the UK. I could not believe that they came in only six days from the time I placed the order. Even with the 250 lb springs this thing rode like it was on wagon wheels. The ride improvement was unbelievable, no more clunking and banging.