su_maverick, have you looked carefully at Post #26 in this thread ---->

https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ad-pics-2.html

The pics below were posted by skremese in that thread. There is more details written in his post as well. (Hope he doesn't mind me cross-posting his pics)...

"OE Parts Bilstein customer support said need to be included (not pictured in Bilstein install instructions):"


Correctly, "Installed!:"


"Bilstein incorrectly assembled, looking up from the bottom:"

 

Yeah, I had seen that. I didnt have the metal plate thats in his left hand installed since I was using the new one piece bearings but am going to pull apart the front and see if adding that will solve the issue.

 

So I pulled apart the front today and added in the front metal cup that the old two piece bearings sat in.

Here you can see all four pieces that make up the stock components that you need to carry over.



Here is how it looks completely assembled.



I will test it out later and report if it solves the issue.

 

Hopefully you will resolve it finally. I'm planning to do the h&r coilovers so I believe they will go together similar to yours. Good luck

 

test drove it today to get it washed and the problem is solved. The metal 'seat' made all the difference in the world to allow for the bearing to rotate correctly. No binding or popping noises.

 

I just did H&R coilovers, and they came with the angled aluminum colored piece that is pictured, but there is no fluted steel piece that sits between the thrust bearing and that angled piece.
I mounted mine like shown in the "wrong" photo in this thread with the bearing directly contacting the angled piece and they make an awful sound when turning the wheel slowly. That piece did not exist on my old suspension either so I guess I will have to find it on AutoAtlanta's parts diagram and order a pair somewhere.

Edit - Boy I feel stupid. I just went to the old parts pile in my garage and the bearing cups and the rubber grommets are sitting right there on my old front struts. Now at least I have the parts I need and it's just a matter of pulling the coilovers down to put them in place.

 

So the H&R's do go together pretty much the same as the pss9/pss10's then?? You put everything together like the pics above?

 

su-maverick, are the 4 parts you are showing in the first picture lined up on the flooor in the order they are supposed to go together?

You guys are going to save me lots of guessing thanks for posting those pics.

 

If you look at the diagram below you will see the stock pieces you need. The metal seat is #10

For the 4 pieces I showed, you want to put them together as follows (bottom to top). The angled piece you get with your coilovers - the rubber piece - the metal seat - the bearing (make sure that the bearing is seated so it rotates freely. Bench test it first)

mrmass - That sound is the suspension binding because it cannot rotate correctly. If these came from your stock suspension then you should have that metal seat as part of the old bearings. It is probably still attached to the bottom of the old two piece bearing. All you need is a screwdriver and hammer to lightly tap them apart. If you look at the inside you should see the seam. Just separate them and then clean it of any dirt and debris. If not, I think they are 20 bucks new.

 

Thanks!!

 

I did not put things together like the pics above (well, I put them together like the picture captioned "wrong" . The top section of the H&R's is definitely like the ones pictured and uses the same OEM parts in the same order.
I'm going to insert the missing pieces in mine right now and post afterward if it fixed the strange noises I am hearing from the front suspension since installing these.

 

You're exactly right. I got the old bearing half out of the part I needed to recycle with a flathead. I am going to install the metal and rubber part under the bearing right now. Question...my coilovers came with some grease and I'm guessing I should coat the bearing with it where it rotates against the top mount. Does this sound right? I'm not sure if the PSS9/10s come with grease but I probably should have used it the first time and since I will have the area exposed I may as well use it now if it belongs there.

 

Are you using the old two piece or the one piece bearings?

I dont think you would need to use any grease with the metal seat. The bearing actually holds firmly in that and rotates against the top mount.

 

It's a new one piece bearing. I just finished putting it back together properly and now it looks like it should have from the start. Having that bearing exposed in the wheel well without the housing never did seem like the right way to do it.
During the install I posted a question about the order of the front coilover components and even put a photo of the items in the order I intended to install them and I got replies saying "looks good" so i went ahead and did it. I wish I had seen this thread before I started but better late than never.

 

Unfortunately, I had never found a thread that explains how to put it together either until that DIY one. The install instructions with the kits are severely lacking which is strange given the cost of the products and the cars they are going on. When I get off work tonight I will put up a thread with this info so it can be easily searched in the future.