I bought a set of Boge rears and KYB front inserts. The boge rears (aside from being two different colors, I'm assuming different build dates, but I dont care because they are the same part number) were packed with the shock full depressed. I had to physically try real hard to pull it out. I pushed it back in and it stayed there ... shouldn't they spring right back out?

The kyb's seem to be real goold build quality and they do return back when I depress them

I bought a set of Sachs super rear shocks off of ebay new, I was unable to manually push them in at all. However my blown original stock 1978 red with bmw part number rear boge shocks would easily move in and out and they stayed in if I pushed them in, and the oil was also leaking out of them as well. Maybe the shocks you have are worn out or defective....

Shocks, struts or strut inserts are dampners. The spring action is provided by the spring

Shocks, struts or strut inserts are dampners. The spring action is provided by the spring

Thanks captain obvious ;)

I used spring as an adjective ... I know what a shock does. I'm just asking if these are particularly slow on the rebound or if I have defective parts. Some shocks I have bought are fast with rebound, some slower, some rebound adjustable. But these are particularly slow [read: they don't move] on the rebound.

I'm sure they aren't worn, because they are brand new out of a box from a vendor ... but perhaps they are defective

They will extend if they are gas charged, it sounds like they are regular hydraulic strut inserts. I have a set of new old stock Koni's like that on the shelf. Hydraulic is still good-gas charge is a fairly recent development.

I run a Boge/kyb combo on my '82 and it works fine. Both are decent shocks, not as good as Bilstein or Koni but still good.

ken

Excellent ... just want I need to hear.

I'm debating just tearing out the old system and fitting these to a set of Bavauto or similar lower springs to just renew as much as possible and maybe lower/stiffen it a bit

how expensive are the kyb inserts? my front shocks are shot too but with the rear shocks new it's not as noticible as it was....I'll need to replace those right after i fix the fuel lines that are leaking and the caliper that is leaking....

I bought a set of Boge rears and KYB front inserts. The boge rears (aside from being two different colors, I'm assuming different build dates, but I dont care because they are the same part number) were packed with the shock full depressed. I had to physically try real hard to pull it out. I pushed it back in and it stayed there ... shouldn't they spring right back out?

The kyb's seem to be real goold build quality and they do return back when I depress them
Boge usually color codes their shocks by what type they are. Blue stickers are the Automatics, these are a basic OEM replacements. Red stickers are the Turbos, these are more of a sport shock. As far as the shocks sticking down, they shouldn't. Try pushing the shock down half way and rotate the shaft 108* then compress it all the way down. Try this a few times, if the shock doesnt come back up call the place you got them from and ask for new ones. If you plan on doing lowering springs neither the KYB's or Boge's will last long.

Boge usually color codes their shocks by what type they are. Blue stickers are the Automatics, these are a basic OEM replacements. Red stickers are the Turbos, these are more of a sport shock. As far as the shocks sticking down, they shouldn't. Try pushing the shock down half way and rotate the shaft 108* then compress it all the way down. Try this a few times, if the shock doesnt come back up call the place you got them from and ask for new ones. If you plan on doing lowering springs neither the KYB's or Boge's will last long.

I will try this ... it isn't the stickers that are different, it is the entire shock body --one blue one black, but the part numbers match.

I'm debating the lowering springs, but the entire set was under $175 shipped so if they only last 10K miles on lowering springs so be it

Thanks for the input guys

so if they only last 10K miles on lowering springs so be it

Thanks for the input guys

I got 3 months out of my KYB's with lowering springs. :(

I got 3 months out of my KYB's with lowering springs. :(

Yipes ....

For the $55 I paid for the pair, I could probably just take them off and save them for when/if I ever go back to stock and sell ... it would be foolish to kill them in 3 months

On this same topic...how hard would it be to tear apart the shock/spring assembly?

I haven't installed yet, and I think I'm regretting that I sold my air compressor/tools which made doing the job so much easier.

I have been running mine with Eibachs (-1.5") for several years with NO problems at all. If you blast through pot holes you may bottom them out but that's the only way you will damage them. If you lower your car severely you will be more likely to bottom out.

What often happens is people install lowering springs on shocks/struts that have been run for an extended period with stock springs. The shaft gets scratched by dirt in areas the they did not normally operate. Once the lowering springs are installed the seal now rides on the scratched area and it begins to leak. Once some of the fluid leaks out the shock/strut can bottom easily causing even more damage.

It's not difficult to change them. Use spring compressors for the front, so you don't get your head popped by a flying spring when you remove the nut. If I remember, the rear don't need the compressor to change them.

ken

I did the rears today with slight help from compressors ... I could have done it without them

The bitch was those upper shock mounts. One of the nuts is all the way in the back upper corner of the trunk on each side ... I could only turn a wrench about 1/16 of a turn each time ... what a horrible design.

I'll be doing the fronts tomorrow

Also did the rear brake shoes ... much more of a PITA than brake pads/discs, but oh well...they are done

The bitch was those upper shock mounts. One of the nuts is all the way in the back upper corner of the trunk on each side ... I could only turn a wrench about 1/16 of a turn each time ... what a horrible design.

13mm GearWrench work wonders for those bolts.

those rear nuts are easy to get in the 320......if you look in the tower you'll notice 2 holes in the sheet metal over each of the back nuts with some kind of plastic tape over them. remove the rear seat back take the end of your socket punch out the plastic crap out of the holes and you can socket those babies down with a short extention....

my guess is that is how the factory installed them, and then used that tape to cut down on rattles or noise or something....

those rear nuts are easy to get in the 320......if you look in the tower you'll notice 2 holes in the sheet metal over each of the back nuts with some kind of plastic tape over them. remove the rear seat back take the end of your socket punch out the plastic crap out of the holes and you can socket those babies down with a short extention....

my guess is that is how the factory installed them, and then used that tape to cut down on rattles or noise or something....

SON OF A

I could feel those holes thinking, I bet I could probably get at these things from inside the car

But I have no clue on removing the seat back ... is it just a grab on to the top and yank kinda thing? or are there bolts like the seat bottom?

Thanks

SON OF A

But I have no clue on removing the seat back ... is it just a grab on to the top and yank kinda thing? or are there bolts like the seat bottom?

Thanks
There are 2 10mm bolts that hold the bottom in place in the front, but I think the back just pops out. I cant remember cause the first weekend I had my E21 i removed the back seat cause it was falling apart and I hardly ever have more than 1 passenger.

there is a groove on the top the seat sits in and I believe there are 2 bolts on the bottom of the seat back that holds it down, my seat had been taken apart by the previous owner/owners so the bolts on the bottom were mising, but there are two brackets there that lead me to think that it bolts in from the bottom...

I wrenched off the first set of nuts an 1/8 of a turn at a time before I noticed those holes....man that made the job a million times easier...

I just put my set of bilstein's in yesterday you can install the shock/spring/mount assembly in one shot by yourself, something to watch out for the holes in the sheetmetal directly above your mount there are actually 6 holes 3 bigger, 3 smaller. The 3 bigger holes are in the right place directly above those 3 13mm's just big enough for a 13mm deepwall socket, you know you got it right if your socket and long-extention drop straight down through the holes and catch one of the three 13mm's. The other set of three holes are too small, a 13mm socket won't even go through the holes, I just wanted to send the info out there because it's easy to make this simple mistake, I've made it once before and as a result my car was sitting higher in the back on the right then the left, thats all it takes that 1/8th of a turn and that shock mount is in the wrong place causeing one side to sit a little higher then the other. Also make sure both your struts are screwed into your mounts the same amount, just count the threads, if you count 8 threads on one side be sure to do the same on the other side. Anyway good luck to ya.