Bilstein 5100 Snap Ring Failure

[lewisp]

Hello,


I decided to order some Eibach Coils to mate with my Bilstein 5100's. Up until this point, I was running the 5100's on the 3rd Ring (Height) for 2.5 inches of lift and the stock coils. Yesterday, I removed the old coils and installed the Eibach coils on the 2nd height adjustment.

I read on Wheelers offroad that the 5100's and Eibach coils work well on the second height setting, so that is what I did, to obtain 3 inches of lift. After lowering the vehicle back to the ground, five minutes went by and we heard a loud "pop" and the front end of the vehicle dropped.

After examining the noise, we could see that the snap ring failed and the suspension dropped completely on the driver side. I'm not sure if the recessed setting on the shock could have been faulty, or the snap ring itself was bad (possibly a combination of both).

We never took the snap ring off the shock and we ensured it was seated properly in the 2nd perch setting. Has anyone else experience this in the past? I was basically looking for no more than 3 inches of lift up front.

Thanks

 

[1985taylor1925]

Yikes. That's a little scary. Glad that didn't happen while you were going down a highway! I originally assembled my 5100s, and then about a month ago I moved them from second ring to the lowest ring. When I seat the clip I first make sure the ring is clean, and then after placing the clip I spin it in both directions to make sure it's completely seated. It sounds like yours might not have been completely seated. Possibly there was something wedged between the ring and clip? That's the only thing I can think of. I've never heard of this happening with a 5100. It's a really popular shock

 

[GSPRunner]

I remember when I moved my 5100 settings around a little bit, I just got new c-clips. Thought it would be a good idea as the old c-clips were not only on the truck for a year, but also figured I'd stress them a little more when I moved them.

 

[-dustin]

Curious to see where this goes. 5100s were likely to be my next purchase here in a few weeks.

 

[cashmoney]

Curious to see where this goes. 5100s were likely to be my next purchase here in a few weeks.

Given the quantity of parts out there and the lack of failures, the odds are in your favor.

 

[-dustin]

Moreso concerned about the cause, how the problem is handled, and what, perhaps, could've been done differently, or should've been done differently. I know enough about snap rings in suspension to know that its rare that they fail and often times it's user error. But, still keeping tabs.

 

[shootmymime]

Enough to pictures of the shock body, let's see the snap ring. Where did it slide?

 

[LoxRunner]

Literally just finished installing 5100s on my ride. Did the rears yesterday and fronts today. Didn't experience any snap ring issues during install.

 

[1985taylor1925]

Moreso concerned about the cause, how the problem is handled, and what, perhaps, could've been done differently, or should've been done differently. I know enough about snap rings in suspension to know that its rare that they fail and often times it's user error. But, still keeping tabs.

Nothing is going to come of this. It's not like there's some shady design flaw in the 5100 ring and clip. Many many many people use the 5100s on many different truck brands and models. That would certainly not be the case if they failed frequently. It's just a matter of installing correctly and visually confirming that there is nothing wrong with the ring or clip to begin with. Again my guess is that there was something (dirt, rock, metal, etc) wedged between the ring and clip, or that the clip was not fully seated (no disrespect meant to op)

 

[Tyota89]

I had this happen during install on my integra using koni yellows. I believe I was at fault I didnt clean out the grooves when reinstalling luckily it happen while I was installing the strut and on the other side.
I sent it in to koni I think they sent me a rebuilt one for 45$. Also bought one new snap rings for the drivers side.

Not sure what happen to yours but it looks awfully similar.

*don't know what happen to your snap ring but mine was intact and looked fine.

 

[NHRunner]

You are using a D558 5100 which is made for Taco/4runner. Many of us actually use the 5100 for Tundras. The difference is that the D558 only has 3 spring perches while the Tundra has 5.

I suspect what you read was that it was okay to run the Tundra 5100 on the second perch with Eibach coils. The second perch on the D558 is supposedly equal to the 3rd perch on the Tundra 5100.

This all probably means the coil was a little too much overcompressed on the second setting, but I don't think that's necessarily means for the whole snap ring to fail. Maybe there was a little bit of dirt in there and it didn't seat properly?

No matter what the reason that snap ring failed, I would run that Eibach coil on the lowest setting per most peoples recommendation.

 

[1985taylor1925]

You are using a D558 5100 which is made for Taco/4runner. Many of us actually use the 5100 for Tundras. The difference is that the D558 only has 3 spring perches while the Tundra has 5.

I suspect what you read was that it was okay to run the Tundra 5100 on the second perch with Eibach coils. The second perch on the D558 is supposedly equal to the 3rd perch on the Tundra 5100.

This all probably means the coil was a little too much overcompressed on the second setting, but I don't think that's necessarily means for the whole snap ring to fail. Maybe there was a little bit of dirt in there and it didn't seat properly?

No matter what the reason that snap ring failed, I would run that Eibach coil on the lowest setting per most peoples recommendation.

That preload certainly wouldn't be the cause of the clip moving. If that were the case think of how dangerous it would be to hit a pothole or good sized bump driving down the road.

 

[lewisp]

Thanks for all the responses. This whole thing just blows my mind. Ive installed atleast six sets of height adjustable 5100's in recent times and two of those included 5100's with eibach coils. I've never seen this happen.

When I took the stock coil off the shock, we inspected the shock and the snap ring. We didn't remove the snap ring from the shock, but rather just slid it from the third perch to the second perch. We ensured the perch was clear of dirt an debris and also spun the ring around a few times in each direction, without and issue, once it was placed in the second position.

I know weird stuff happens and I totally understand that this situation is typically due to user error. So I'm not saying the possibility isn't their for screwing it up, but we knew of the consequences and double checked the placement before install. Everything seemed great.

I'm going to order another 5100 regardless. Do you guys think I should just go ahead and order a pair of the tundra 5100's, or should I get another 5100 like I have now, and just move the snap ring to the first position??

I just want 3" of lift on the front. If I were to get the tundra 5100's, which perch setting would you guys recommend for 3"?


Thanks everyone, for the great feedback.

 

[1985taylor1925]

Thanks for all the responses. This whole thing just blows my mind. Ive installed atleast six sets of height adjustable 5100's in recent times and two of those included 5100's with eibach coils. I've never seen this happen.

When I took the stock coil off the shock, we inspected the shock and the snap ring. We didn't remove the snap ring from the shock, but rather just slid it from the third perch to the second perch. We ensured the perch was clear of dirt an debris and also spun the ring around a few times in each direction, without and issue, once it was placed in the second position.

I know weird stuff happens and I totally understand that this situation is typically due to user error. So I'm not saying the possibility isn't their for screwing it up, but we knew of the consequences and double checked the placement before install. Everything seemed great.

I'm going to order another 5100 regardless. Do you guys think I should just go ahead and order a pair of the tundra 5100's, or should I get another 5100 like I have now, and just move the snap ring to the first position??

I just want 3" of lift on the front. If I were to get the tundra 5100's, which perch setting would you guys recommend for 3"?


Thanks everyone, for the great feedback.

Huh, that crazy. Sounds like you did everything right. I wonder if the ring was slightly twisted (like it is in the picture, but to a lesser degree) and if that caused it to slide down, starting at the gap.

What spring rate are your eibachs? The Tundra 5100s are valved stiffer for the heavier Tundra and higher spring rate. Tundra coils are around 600lbs/in. You can get the 3" lift easily with either shock. I would say choose the Tacoma 5100 for a softer ride and stock weight. Choose the Tundra if you plan on adding weight, have the 600lb eibach coils, or just want a stiffer ride. Personally, I would choose the Taco 5100s because Im running them right now on stock weight and 99 coils, and I don't want a stiffer ride.

I was at 2" lift with my 99 coils on the middle of the three rings, so with the eibachs Im thinking you would be closer to 3" on the middle ring, and probably over 3" on the top setting. If you went with the Tundra 5100s, I think 3rd or 4th ring would have you around 3".

Another option is to get the kit from toytec that turns the 5100 into a coilover. Then just adjust it to the height you want with the wrench.

**SALE** Front adjustable coil over kit for Bilstein 5100's

 

[Alabamaguy]

I have seen this on the old (yellow) 4600's quite a few times. Usually after leaving the ground and returning again, but not always. This is the first I have seen on the silver 5100's though. Interesting.

 

[atalarico]

Woah, crazy!

So, here's my experience if it helps; I had the tundra 5100s with eibachs for the last 4 years. I just replaced them with taco 5100s and reused the eibachs per toytecs recommendation. The springs have settled (obviously) and I'm on the first perch and get about 2.5" of lift.

I actually want to go lower, and was kind of hoping the taco 5100s would somehow influence this but they didn't. I will say this, I really like the ride of the taco 5100s more than the tundras. The tundras were just too rough and I never got the additional weight up front that I thought I would be getting.

Oh, and while bilstein or toytec won't warranty those, they might be able to give you a deal on a replacement. Never hurts to give either of them a call.

 

[Truck4]

I have the 620 lb eibach springs and the bottom spring perch on the tacoma 5100's yielded 3.5" of lift when I first installed them. I added about 100 lbs in bumper and winch and they've settled to just over 2.5" of lift.

 

[-dustin]

Any more on this? Diagnosis?

 

[0xfded]

Kinda blows my mind that the dynamic weight of the vehicle is resting on those tiny groves and rings.

That aside, I'll add to the chorus of happy 5100 users. Haven't seen that sort of failure here before.

 

[D Farms]

considering you just moved the ring, I suspect the ring swept some grime into the slot which allowed it to roll over like you can see in the picture. even if this had happened while driving, the worst case is you would be sitting on the bump stop, it would definitely throw you off though and cause an accident.

moral is, clean out the grooves if you plan to move the snap ring, I clean my shocks off thoroughly every time i have moved the rings.