Oops, upside down shocks ...

[mojo]

Hi all, just spent the arvo changing the front shocks, and I think they've gone in upside down. They are Terrafirma big bore shocks. Do I need to take them out and change them around? Please tell me no!

Cheers
Sean

[87County]

Ummm....

A pic may help :)

[ScottyD]

I was told that the TF Big Bores do not fit on the front of a fender, apparently they will rub. For this reason when I had TF shocks on mine I put pro-sports at the front and big bores in the rear.

Good Luck.
Scott

[mojo]

Sorry, can't get a pic just at the moment, but I can tell you the cylinder is at the top and the piston rod is at the bottom.

Cheers
Sean

[rangie ute on 38'']

Mate sorry but you have fitted them upside down, didn't you have the old ones to go by when u took them out

[mojo]

Yeah we had the old ones, it was just a stupid mistake. The old ones had the thicker section at the top, but we didn't realize it was actually the rod with a cover over it.

Anyway, my question is does it matter if they are mounted upside down? I took it for a quick spin and it seems to drive OK, certainly much better than the old shocks.

Cheers
Sean

[Slunnie]

Yes, they need to be put in the right way otherwise they won't work properly. You can only run upside down shocks that have the gas separated physically, like in monotube shocks, remote reservoir etc. Regular twin shell, gas, oil, foam etc have to be run with the body down and shaft up otherwise the piston runs through gas.

[mojo]

Thanks for the replies guys. I guess we'll be pulling them back out and fitting them correctly. :mad:

With regards to whether Terrafirma Big Bores fit, they were recommended and sold to me by MR Auto, so I assume they should be OK.

Cheers
Sean

[jackiec]

Thanks for the replies guys. I guess we'll be pulling them back out and fitting them correctly. :mad:

With regards to whether Terrafirma Big Bores fit, they were recommended and sold to me by MR Auto, so I assume they should be OK.

Cheers
Sean

Had exact problem just fitted mine upside down,after some research found this info:
Most modern shock absorbers utilize a twin (dual) tube construction; in order to work properly the inner of the two tubes (working chamber) should stay completely filled with oil. The outer (reserve) tube contains an oil reserve along with air or a pressurized gas. If the unit is mounted inverted (rod side down), the air or gas in the outer chamber can enter the inner working chamber, resulting in poor damping performance. Therefore, twin tube shock absorbers should not be mounted upside down (or on their side), with the exception of specially designed units that incorporate a gas cell, or cellular gas material, designed to keep the gas retained in the outer reserve tube.
Big bore is twin tube design so i guess upside down is not right.

[mojo]

Yeah, we turned the shocks around last weekend.

Only think I'm not 100% sure of now is if we need extended bump stops with these shocks. I asked the guys at MR Auto and they said when they fit these shocks they don't worry about extended bump stops, so I think it'll be with the standard bump stops.

Cheers
Sean

[jackiec]

Yeah, we turned the shocks around last weekend.

Only think I'm not 100% sure of now is if we need extended bump stops with these shocks. I asked the guys at MR Auto and they said when they fit these shocks they don't worry about extended bump stops, so I think it'll be with the standard bump stops.

Cheers
Sean
If you have standard hight shock tower you don't have to worry about the extended bumper stop