Advice on buying used Billy Sports (Video and Pic)

[willworkfore30s]

I just received some unknown mileage used billy sport front struts from a local seller who claimed they were good. I paid him $120 shipped for the two.

I am looking them over and trying to decide if they are good or not. They look fairly decent. I push them down (not very easily but not more difficult than i would expect) They slowly rebound. IDK for sure but they seem normal to me in that aspect.

Some of my concerns are that there are some nicks on the silver tubes.
Also I wiped the tubes down and then cycled the struts and when they came back to rest there is a thin layer of oil at the bottom of the tube (closest to the yellow outer tube.) Are these things normal or is the oil indicative of a leaky seal most likely caused by the nicks?

[Gregs///M]

They should not be leaking any fluid, that is a sure sign of failed o-rings and will lead to premature failure. However a bit of lubrication on the piston arm is OK.

Also, a shock should not contract when quickly forcing the piston inward. Slowly, yes. Quickly, no. Piston returning to extended position should happen within a couple seconds. Pistons returning after several seconds or not returning at all are failed.

[willworkfore30s]

This with two hand pushing down pretty hard.


This is an example of the kind of nicks that are around the tube. The brown coloration is the oil that I was referring to.

[jlevie]

Any damage, like shown in the pictures, is cause to condemn the struts. If not leaking now, that will cause early failure.

[Northern]

I think we're forgetting that that is not the piston, but the housing. Bilsteins are inverted struts.

Add to that, the oil in the strut housing that people often neglect to remove while installing Bilsteins could account for the brown oil on the strut.

If you pop the yellow sheath off, you may find a decent amount of oil that leaked in around the lower seam and a rotted out bump stop as well.

I don't know how to judge them via pictures/videos though.

[willworkfore30s]

So what are you saying? Are you saying the oil could be a non issue?


I am confident that the struts are functioning properly at the moment. I am just concerned about the nicked up tubes and the oil coming out. I don't want to go through the trouble of installing them when they really need to be rebuilt first.

[Northern]

I'm saying that it is quite possible that the oil is residue from the oil that is in the strut housing to help dissipate heat from the OEM shocks. If the PO of the shocks didn't remove all/any of the oil, it could have seeped in through the bottom of the billy sport's yellow sleeve where it meets its base.

Its just a bumpstop and open space in there, so there's plenty of room for oil to settle.

unless the gouges are deep enough to make you worry that the strut will fail, I wouldn't worry about them.

[willworkfore30s]

Ok, I appreciate the advice. I obviously have no experience with these shocks nor did I know what they looked like on the inside. I realize now that the piston is inside the silver tube so what you said makes since. The guy I bought them from really seemed to know what he was talking about and he said he believed they were good. I guess I'll trust him and give them a shot.

[jeffnhiscars]

Email that pic to wes.welch@thyssenkrupp.com and ask his opinion. He is at the CA facility where they do all the service work and was very helpful when I had some challenges.

I would also ask him if he suggests using some fine wetndry to smooth those ridges.

GL