To say the least, the "instructions" that came with my Bilstein PSS kit SUCK.

It comes with 1 lame ass generic shock assembly diagram and doesn't tell me a whole lot.

This is what the shocks looked like right out of the box.



Underneath the dust cover...







Assembled with OEM top hat







Everything seems fine, except that 1 washer under the dust cover that sits on top of the rubber cushion slides freely up and down the shaft, making a rattling noise. Is this supposed to be like this, or are they installed incorrectly? The shitty diagram in the manual is not helping me figure this out, so hopefully one of you can so I can get my install finished.

Thanks
Matt

 

My PSS9 also had a rattle from one of the rear coilovers... Just like you, had a little slack.

However, once installed, no noise and everything is good.

 

So it's normal to have that washer free-sliding up and down the shaft inside the dust cover?

 

Bump stops should be installed at the top of the shaft. You can preload the bump stop and washer with the top assembly. That will keep the washer from rattling.

 

Ok, so I need to take that rubber bump stop off and assemble like this:

ON SHAFT from bottom to top
dust cover -> washer -> bump stop -> washer -> OEM top hat

 

Nevermind, I gotcha. Slide the bump stop up to the top of the shaft, but underneath the dust cover.

 

Bingo. The damper body is going to push the bump stop to the top as it compresses. You probably would have been fine with your setup that you took pictures of.

 

I pushed it up anyways. Just finished getting the fronts installed; going to finish the rears tomorrow after work. Thanks guys!

 

yeah, bumpstop and washer need to be all the way up

 

Rears are fun, shorten them up before installing. They go on easier, then set the height.