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Mike Beck
Goo Roo
New Zealand
Celsior V8

Posts: 1277
Reg: 11-2005

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Monday, May 28, 2007 - 03:34 pm, by:  Mike Beck (Gold_40gt) Quote hilighted text Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Well, Just thinking about my airbags in the celsior, and I thought hmmm is it possible to have them reconditioned before they fail?

From looking around on the forum theres no clear answer so I'm not sure if its possible to have them removed and check the rubber bags and seals for any eventual leaks. Then to have them treated or strengthened with some kind of product... Any one have any ideas about this? A place that assists with high stress rubber/plastic etc what ever makes up the bags that could be able to increase their strength?

I ask this as Im sure one day in the next few months they will start leaking due to their age even though they have only done 102kms... If they do Ill just get stock celsior/LS400 coils and shocks, But at the same time Id like to keep the air bags in and find a way to increase their life with out forking out nearly 1 Grand each on replacement struts...

Any help would be great guys.
Darryn Dewar
DieHard
Gisborne
UZZ30 Soarer

Posts: 781
Reg: 09-2005

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Monday, May 28, 2007 - 08:19 pm, by:  Darryn Dewar (Mrphreak) Quote hilighted text Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Don't forget Mike that the bags are only part of the strut, basically replacing the springs. The dampeners inside will most likely be shot which will put more strain on the bags if they're rebuilt.

You could ask around the lowrider shops, and also any place that does truck suspension work but personally I'd stick to the "Don't fix it if it ain't broke" scenario.

There are a few aftermarket solutions for bags too, I think Rich O'neil got a set of Arnotts struts because they were cheaper (and from memory he thought better built) so it may pay to have a yarn to him as well.
Matthew Sharpe
Goo Roo
North Island
JZZ31

Posts: 2704
Reg: 10-2005

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Tuesday, May 29, 2007 - 06:32 am, by:  Matthew Sharpe (Madmatt) Quote hilighted text Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

There is a lowrider shop on Church Street Mike, just a hundred meters or so up from my work. They seem to specialise mostly in Ute conversions, but might be worth asking them about it?
Rich O'neil
TryHard
Queensland
90 Celsior

Posts: 118
Reg: 05-2006

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Tuesday, May 29, 2007 - 07:11 am, by:  Rich O'neil (Kiwiinaus) Quote hilighted text Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

As Darryn said it's not the bag that's the problem , the dampening inside goes and ultimately that's what causes the failure , the bag itself almost never fails , they will last almost forever !! [ aside from rust that is ]
What fails is the rubber joiner/seal at the very top of the strut , this gets hammered by the poor dampening [ after all they are 16 odd years old !! ] and results in this rubber ring chunking and then leaking .
I replaced one on a friends Celsior the other day that had punched this bit through about 6 mm !!
So take your top strut cover off and have a look , this area can also get wet if the top cover seal is not great or even perhaps from condensation , check and see if it's chunking or split and if the area is rusty , you can get a temp fix by cleaning the top rubber area with some prepsol [ wax and grease remover ] and then drying it off with a hair dryer and then sealing it with some araldite or similar , I have seen such a repair last 6 mths !!
Repairing the strut involves cutting it apart , recrimping the airbag to the strut is almost impossible , when the top part was stamped out and the airbag rolled/crimped in it's a one shot deal .
The new Arnotts struts I bought have an alloy billet top machined from a blank to get around this problem and the bag is crimped on with a big ring .
I have been told that Arnotts are not making the LS replacements anymore ??
There really is no alternative to new struts , I still think though that at $950.00 each for 15 years of life it's very cheap !!
Mike Beck
Goo Roo
New Zealand
Celsior V8

Posts: 1278
Reg: 11-2005

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Tuesday, May 29, 2007 - 07:25 pm, by:  Mike Beck (Gold_40gt) Quote hilighted text Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Ahh I see, I understand the situation much clearer now. :-)

I guess that means dont go over bumps too fast as dampers will wear out quicker?

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