Electric Shocks....

[Lazy-Ferret]

The T1, has electric shock absorbers, I can either have sports mode, or touring, and some how, via 2 wires running into the top of the shocks, it changes how they work. In touring, the car rolls more, and has a much softer ride, where as in Sports mode, it has a much harder ride and you feel all the bumps.

So my question is.. how do they work, and how can I make sure all 4 are working properly?

 

[96terrano]

The T1, has electric shock absorbers, I can either have sports mode, or touring, and some how, via 2 wires running into the top of the shocks, it changes how they work. In touring, the car rolls more, and has a much softer ride, where as in Sports mode, it has a much harder ride and you feel all the bumps.

So my question is.. how do they work, and how can I make sure all 4 are working properly?

Your terrano has this?:nenau

 

[makeitfit]

Your terrano has this?:nenau

T1 mate, older model than yours and had such goodies

 

[stinka]

The T1, has electric shock absorbers, I can either have sports mode, or touring, and some how, via 2 wires running into the top of the shocks, it changes how they work. In touring, the car rolls more, and has a much softer ride, where as in Sports mode, it has a much harder ride and you feel all the bumps.

So my question is.. how do they work, and how can I make sure all 4 are working properly?

Drive it, flick the switch, it will be instantly apparent

My dad had a carlton gsi 3000 with switchable shocks and it was very noticeable when the different modes were activated

BUT: I doubt u have this, as an old truck will most Likely have new shocks that don't do this

 

[96terrano]

T1 mate, older model than yours and had such goodies

Ahh, I thought T1 was a typo :lol

 

[Lazy-Ferret]

Drive it, flick the switch, it will be instantly apparent

My dad had a carlton gsi 3000 with switchable shocks and it was very noticeable when the different modes were activated

BUT: I doubt u have this, as an old truck will most Likely have new shocks that don't do this

It does have them, and they work, as in I can feel a difference when you flick the switch, but like you say, they are 23 year old shocks, so I wondered if there was a way to actually check that they were all doing as they should. Also I have no idea physically how such a thing can actually work, e.g. what happens inside the shock when 12volts is applied to the wires.


In all, this truck was well ahead of it's time, it has electric everything. electric mirrors that also swing in at the touch of a switch, electric windows all round, central locking, headlamp washers, electrically openable rear tail gate glass, cracking rear speaker pods.

It also had a wire embedded in the front glass, running vertically down the middle of the screen, but I have not worked out what that is yet, as it has a normal radio aerial on the wing.

 

[makeitfit]

I think the wire in the screen is a heater wire. I have one in the troll too
I also found out by accident last time I was off roading that I have heated wing mirrors I thought there were on fire at first as they were cooking the mud at the time :lol

 

[Lazy-Ferret]

I think the wire in the screen is a heater wire. I have one in the troll too
I also found out by accident last time I was off roading that I have heated wing mirrors I thought there were on fire at first as they were cooking the mud at the time :lol

:lol

That would be neat... looks like I will have to wait until the winter to see if it works...:lol

 

[Swiper]

So my question is.. how do they work, and how can I make sure all 4 are working properly?

They normally have an electric motor at the top of the shock which will turn a rod inside the piston of the shock altering how quickly/slowly the fluid inside the damper can pass through the piston. You should be able to check if the motors are working by feel or maybe removing them? Some Nissan bluebirds had this too.

 

[Lazy-Ferret]

They normally have an electric motor at the top of the shock which will turn a rod inside the piston of the shock altering how quickly/slowly the fluid inside the damper can pass through the piston. You should be able to check if the motors are working by feel or maybe removing them? Some Nissan bluebirds had this too.

Thanks... So I need to be listening for a motor noise when the button is pressed, will get misses to try turning them on and off as I check them out...

 

[Barrbeast]

My LWB Shogun had similar adjustable shocks with Hard, Medium and Soft settings. If you sat with the engine/radio/fan etc off but ignition on you could hear the motors working as you flicked the switch to the different modes.

Always thought it was more of a gimmick than anything else to be honest as Medium did for just about everything and the difference between it and the two extremes was marginal.

Between Hard and Soft though it was more pronounced - both front seats had their own suspension system so if I was feeling particularly evil when going over rough ground with rear passengers I would flick her into Hard and speed up a bit... :sly

 

[Lazy-Ferret]

:lol:lol:lol

Cheers

At the moment, round Sevenoaks, our roads are just a mass of 2 inch deep pot holes, where the upper surface has lifted away from the under level. Some places it is easier to stay in the pot holes as they are actually all joined together and smother than trying to dodge them. Then just over a month ago, they decided to re-surface a load of roads as well, but the bad weather stopped play, so now we have a load of roads with no top surface, lots of little up and down rams, and raised manholes.

I tried it out going along one of the roads, I take my wife to the train station on, and you can really feel the difference over the little ramps, in Sports you feel them right through the car, in touring, they are just a little bump.