Hey all, I've had my ISC N1 coilovers for a few years and the first year went splendidly. Here we come into year 4? and they're as seized as welds. I've taken them off the wagon and soaked them in WD40/PB/some other brand lubes for a few days then took a hammer and spanner/screwdriver/punch to the collars with no luck. The bottom mount also seems to be pretty stuck. I've soaked them in a bucked of vinegar as well, it took a good amount of surface rust off but didn't seem to get deep enough into the threads to make a functional difference. The only thing that I haven't tried is to use a torch on them. Anyone have any other suggestions or tips for when I finally decide to torch it? Thanks in advance!!
An air chisel/hammer with a blunt tip may help, the repeated sharp impacts could break it loose. Otherwise I think heat/flame would be my next step. If/when you do torch it, the goal will be to expand the outer ring only so make sure to evenly focus your heat on that. Might be a good idea to have a cold wet rag handy to help keep the inner shaft part cooler. Good luck!
Its not necessarily rust, that's the issue. I don't know for sure on THOSE specific coilovers, but if they are dissimilar metals (ie. aluminum and steel) they're going to eventually have galvanic corrosion.
I would soak them in brake cleaner (avoid seals, paint, etc.) to get the mismatch of lubricants off the strut. heat the outer ring to work out the remaining lubricate. then PB blast it again and heat the outer ring. The BC Coilovers I had on my Jetta I ended up dripping some rust converter gel into the threads and then started the PB/heat cycle and that seems to free those up.
