The smooth running of the car, landscapes rushing outside the window and a gentle breeze in the cabin, pleasant music - what can please the heart of a real motorist more? Especially if the speed has "sunk" far beyond 100 km per hour, and the four-wheeled carriage is racing along the far not smooth road and does not jump on potholes, it rides - as if floating! To achieve such softness and ride comfort, and indeed, to extend the life of the car, you can use shock absorbers. Today, among such products, domestic Plaza shock absorbers are in special demand. They relate to the type of hydropneumatic products.
The Plaza brand appeared on the Russian market in 1992. It was then that her first products began to be produced. Now the parent company is located in St. Petersburg; The Plaza factory manufactures high-tech products for the Russian automotive market, as well as shock absorbers for foreign cars. Suppliers of components and parts, trading partners of the plant are such world famous companies as Sairex and Freundenberg.
The mechanical engineers of the plant developed the latest Plaza shock absorbers, which had no analogues in Russia and abroad before. They are suitable even for such branded cars as Ford, Nissan, Toyota.
For the most popular car brands, the St. Petersburg enterprise has developed several options and types of spare parts and accessories. Plaza shock absorbers are adapted for different driving styles and road surfaces of different quality, including dirt and gravel.
At the moment, the range of single-tube shock absorbers is represented by the following models:
- "Plaza Standard";
- "Plaza Extreme";
- "Plaza X-Drive";
- "Plaza Sport";
- "Plaza Profi" - this option is used mainly by professional racers.
If the shock absorber fails ...
To make a replacement, you must follow some rules and have an idea of the process itself.
First of all, of course, you need to understand the manual on auto repair work well, and also carefully study the technical documentation from the shock absorber itself. And now the working order itself. Let's say your front shock absorber “flew”, although which one is not important, the algorithm of actions is standard in any case. So, you need to do the replacement operation yourself. Your actions:
- The lower part of the car, in particular, its wheel niche should be well cleaned - it is in that place that repair work will be carried out.
- Pay attention to how and where the old racks, other details are relative to each other. If such a repair is done on your own for the first time or you just feel insecure, it’s better to photograph everything in detail - then it will be more convenient to assemble and put the parts in place.
- The strut is removed from the car - for this you need to inspect the upper part of the piston rod: there is a central nut. It should be loosened a little, loosen, however, so far - do not remove!
- Only when the stand is already removed, and the springs are compressed with special serviceable couplers, the nut is also removed.
- In one approach, you can remove one shock absorber or only one rack from the machine to avoid damage to the rubber joints at the suspension or brake tubes.
- After the suspension strut is disassembled, dirt accumulated there, as well as gaskets and other possible objects, must be removed from the inner space.
- When single-tube Plaza shock absorbers are installed, their cartridges will not tolerate the presence of any liquids in the tank rack, be it antifreeze, oil, etc. This nuance must be taken into account.
- All removable parts must be carefully inspected before installing them in their places - for any damage. It is especially recommended to pay attention to elastic details of fastenings and buffers; if the protective covers are damaged, they must be replaced.
- The cartridge in the rack should enter easily, without pressure and resistance. If this is felt, then the tank may be deformed. The defect is most often formed in the area of the seams of the spring cup. In this case, you must first increase the reservoir opening so that the assembly does not interfere.
- When the housing nut is tightened, you need to check the condition of the insert cartridge: how freely it moves from the upper position to the lower one and vice versa. To do this, move the cartridge by the rod on the mount. If the cartridge housing moves with extraneous noise (knocking), the housing nut should be tightened more or a sleeve should be put under the cartridge, a washer of a suitable size.
- The nut at the mounting rod must not be tightened immediately. First, you must install the top mount on the rack, and put the machine on wheels.
- The final tightening and tightening of parts such as rubber joints, spring bushings of shock absorbers, is done with a torque wrench. By that time, the car must be put on wheels and three or four times smoothly shake up and down.
- When the replacement of the shock absorber is completed, you need to test the friction in the region of the suspension: the front or rear of the car rises, and then the body lowers itself. It is necessary to measure the distance from the floor to any bumper point. Then squeeze the suspension by pressing on the body to lower it. When the suspension is straightened and the body rises, measure the distance again. The difference between the measurements should be no more than 15 millimeters. If the norm does not match, the friction in the suspension is increased, and its cause must be eliminated.
Plaza shock absorbers are an excellent option for replacing failed “native” shock absorbers of your car.