I installed coilovers for the first time this weekend and have a question. I followed the Tein Flex DIY posted on here, and I started with the front passenger side which went really well. Then, using the same procedure I began to install the front drivers side. When I attempted to removed the bottom bolt that holds the shock it got stuck and there was a huge amount of pressure from the lower control arm pushing up against the bolt. We tried for about a half an hour to get the bolt loose. We had to use a crow bar to get the hole aligned and tapped out the bolt. The lower control arm was pushing up so hard I couldn't remove the shock. My buddy had to stand on the lower control arm and I was able to remove the stock shock. However, once I installed the new coilover, there was so much pressure from the lower control arm pushing up that my tire is almost an inch lower on the driver side than the passenger side with the coilovers set for the same height. I even lenghthened the driver side coilover height but it didn't help, the tire is still an inch lower on that side.

When I installed the rears same thing...easy install on the first side(passenger)...then difficult on the driver side. For this side my buddy litterally jumped on the lower control arm moving it down so that I could get the bolt out and remove the shock. I'm wondering if the opposite side is harder because of pressure from the sway bar or something?

Has anyone experienced this or is there something wrong with my car? Any recommendation on how to get the front driver side lower control arm to loosen up so it doesnt put so much force on my new coilover?(By the way I went with Buddy Club N+) Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

It's probably too late to help you, but just in case others have the same problem . . .

See this link for an already existing DIY.

Here are some quick notes:
1. It's not really clear from your post, but you should have both sides (all 4 corners) up on jack stands. Otherwise, you're fighting the swar bar.

2. On the front, the easy way to provide the suspension the ability to move is to remove the two bolts securing the upper A-arm to the car. The entire suspension assembly will then move easily. If you don't have a buddy to help, have a big cable tie or some baling wire, etc. to secure the loose upper A-arm loosely to the front A-arm mount while you're removing the shock. Others have said that you need to detach the sway bar links and the Honda shop manual says to detach the lower ball joint. Neither of these are necessary. Just do it the way I mentioned. When reinstalling, you'll need to use a jack to raise the suspension just a bit to get the lower shock mounting bolt in. (After you've reinstalled the upper A-arm - properly torque and use threadlock).

3. On the rear, you'll have to put a little pressure down on the suspension to work the lower shock mount bolt out. It doesn't take a lot, so just wedge a breaker bar in so a buddy can put a little pressure on it while you work the bolt out. You can do it solo, like I do, but it's a little bit of a contortionist act. On reinstall, you'll need your buddy to apply a little pressure again to make working the bolt back in easy.

As always, torque everything to the specs Honda provides in the service manual.


Now, why is it higher on one side than the other if you have the coilovers the same length? Starting with least likely:
1. You bent the sway bar. Not likely as this would take you and a really big friend.
2. You have the coilover length the same, but not the preload - that is, you have one side with no preload and the other with a bunch. You mentioned 1" difference, so preload seems unlikely, but stranger things have happened.
3. You just need to move the car backward and forward a bit (over a bump, garage lip, etc.) once it's back on the ground. If you did it with one side up at a time, you just compressed the side that was down and it's not returning to equilibrium. If you have the rebound compression setting at max stiff, it'll contribute to this happening.


Hope that helps. Good luck.

 

the DIY threads usually make things look easier than it really is lol

you may need to lift the whole front off the ground and take stuff apart so you can start from scratch. removing upper A arm and sway bar end links at both ends helped me a lot when I did my suspension.