Rear suspension damage

[Rivianero]

I finished my repairs over this summer and have had my T back on the road since. I got away with replacing just the jounce lines and the rear damper on only the drivers side.

It’s a Tenneco/Mclaren system, and it’s actually pretty simple to do if you’re a methodical person. I would highly recommend you watch a video by “Hollywood Mechanic” on YouTube, go to his page and search Rivian. He walks you through the process at a pretty surface level. I’d be happy to chat about the details if you have any more questions!

That is very generous of you. Very much appreciated!

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[Rivianero]

That is very generous of you. Very much appreciated!

I found used replacement parts easy enough on eBay. (Many were misidentified or poorly labeled, so one really has to scrutinize photos carefully.)

I reviewed those videos this morning. Can't thank you enough for pointing me to the exact specific info I needed. It looks pretty straight forward, however the specialty vacuum tool used for bleeding, degassing and filling the hydraulic fluid at pressure seems an expensive obstacle. I understand it's a bargain at $3250, but I'm balking at that for a one-time use.

I spoke yesterday with the Rivian certified shop in my town and they said they could do the work. Will get a quote there first I think. If it's whacko crazy there is a clear path to DIY.

 

[Mathme]

Wait wuut...that damage was cause by a forklift driver (presumable lifting the truck).

There's gotta be a story there somewhere...

 

[The_Skg]

So I made my own like in his video using a Harbor Freight media blasting chamber, an A/C vacuum pump + chamber (as a fluid separator), some 1/4" semi-rigid nylon line, and some misc fittings etc. It certainly doesn't have to be that expensive... probably $600 all told? And I can do it again if/when I need to. These systems are great, but I'm not convinced about reliability. I suspect I'll be back again at some stage needing to flush/bleed, and without a warranty I don't want to pay someone else to do it!

Looking at my doodle again, I omitted the check valve.

1. Fill suspension pump reservoir, run pump to pressurize line to solenoids, blip solenoids during pump running to ensure no air trapped in line.
2. Fill pressure tank and line to tank side ball valve (use vacuum pump if necessary), close. 4qt Pentosin CHF 11s
3. Connect quik-connects (OEM is parker, recommend change to Swage-lok) to vehicle, pull vacuum - removing air + old fluid until a strong vacuum is reached and holds. Close vacuum side ball valve.
   1. You now have some old fluid and vacuum in the vehicle system, ideally no air.
4. Open tank side ball valve. This will admit new fluid to the system, vacuum pulling it into any and all open spaces in the vehicles system.
5. Apply 120 psi of compressed air to the headspace in the pressure tank. This pressurizes the system to 120 psi.
   1. If at any stage you see air moving through the line from the pressure tank to the vehicle, begin again from step 2.
6. Close tank side ball valve.
7. Disconnect quik-connects.
8. Enjoy.

 

[Rivianero]

Wait wuut...that damage was cause by a forklift driver (presumable lifting the truck).

There's gotta be a story there somewhere...

Copart.
Rough handling and missing gear is the tradeoff one makes for a 70% discount on an R1T.

 

[Rivianero]

So I made my own like in his video using a Harbor Freight media blasting chamber, an A/C vacuum pump + chamber (as a fluid separator), some 1/4" semi-rigid nylon line, and some misc fittings etc. It certainly doesn't have to be that expensive... probably $600 all told? And I can do it again if/when I need to. These systems are great, but I'm not convinced about reliability. I suspect I'll be back again at some stage needing to flush/bleed, and without a warranty I don't want to pay someone else to do it!

Looking at my doodle again, I omitted the check valve.

1. Fill suspension pump reservoir, run pump to pressurize line to solenoids, blip solenoids during pump running to ensure no air trapped in line.
2. Fill pressure tank and line to tank side ball valve (use vacuum pump if necessary), close. 4qt Pentosin CHF 11s
3. Connect quik-connects (OEM is parker, recommend change to Swage-lok) to vehicle, pull vacuum - removing air + old fluid until a strong vacuum is reached and holds. Close vacuum side ball valve.
   1. You now have some old fluid and vacuum in the vehicle system, ideally no air.
4. Open tank side ball valve. This will admit new fluid to the system, vacuum pulling it into any and all open spaces in the vehicles system.
5. Apply 120 psi of compressed air to the headspace in the pressure tank. This pressurizes the system to 120 psi.
   1. If at any stage you see air moving through the line from the pressure tank to the vehicle, begin again from step 2.
6. Close tank side ball valve.
7. Disconnect quik-connects.
8. Enjoy.

That's awesome @The_Skg and a great help.

And here I thought that having an EV would deprive me of all the "shade tree mechanic" fun. Is it wrong that I enjoy the idea of repair causing me to build something else and acquire yet more tools?

I have compressors and a vacuum pump. The 20lb HF pressurized abrasive blaster should do the trick. Found a 3gal stainless vacuum chamber on Amazon. I have some 1/4" pressure hose, valves and fittings on hand but will likely have to buy a few more. Add a cart and a gallon of CHF 11S fluid.

Quick connects might be the trickiest item. It is tempting to stick with the OEM connector so that it could be used with any Rivian without modification.

 

[Rivianero]

@The_Skg Did you end up having damage to the solenoid? Looks like the retaining ring is missing from my lower one. Haven't found any replacements. Suppose I could secure it with a zip tie or adhesive, but would rather have a solution that's not likely to fail.

 

[The_Skg]

Well, I bought my replacement damper directly from my local rivian service center. It came with a new solenoid and wire harness going up to the knuckle. Two or three connectors all came together in one place, if I recall correctly. I didn’t try to repair the unit.

 

[CCuz]

Hi. I’m new here and just joined the Rivian community with the purchase of my own R1T at auction. It’s interesting to see that I’m not the only unlucky buyer that had his hydraulic lines damaged by a forklift driver. I would surmise that many Rivians bought at auction and loaded or moved with forklift will have damage to at least one if not all hydraulic lines and other components. I too have been doing research on how to change, drain and refill the system. I’ve seen Hollywood mechanics video and read many comments here sharing your experiences and want to thank you all for sharing. I will endeavor to do the same as I learn from this experience. So far I have determined that my rear right (R/R)jounce line($217USD) with part number PT00299402 and both R/R & R/L harness wheel arch($84) with part number PT00000569-M & PT00000588 respectively have been damaged and need to be replaced. I also noticed superficial damage to the R/R air spring($845) PT00001909-K (at least I hope it’s superficial). I’m ignorant to the way the suspension system is interconnected as I have not yet started tearing down to remove and replace the lines. It’s my understanding that the left and right are connected but is it independent from the front? My R/R jounce line was sheared and hydraulic fluid leaked from it. Do I need to flush the entire system including the F/L & F/R or is that separate from the rear? I will upload pictures to share when I start.

 

[The_Skg]

Truthfully I don’t know if you could get away with bleeding just one side. What I do know is they share a common reservoir and pump, and the fluid is hygroscopic. I wouldn’t want to use any of what’s there if you have a severed line. Also, if the system ingested air (because it’s always cycling) I don’t know where it will have moved to. Once you are going through the trouble of connecting to the rear, pulling vacuum, actuating the solenoids and pump, and admitting fluid it’s very easy to do both circuits.

Sorry if that’s not the answer you’re looking for, but it’s what I did and would do again (I too only had rear damage).

 

[CCuz]

Truthfully I don’t know if you could get away with bleeding just one side. What I do know is they share a common reservoir and pump, and the fluid is hygroscopic. I wouldn’t want to use any of what’s there if you have a severed line. Also, if the system ingested air (because it’s always cycling) I don’t know where it will have moved to. Once you are going through the trouble of connecting to the rear, pulling vacuum, actuating the solenoids and pump, and admitting fluid it’s very easy to do both circuits.

Sorry if that’s not the answer you’re looking for, but it’s what I did and would do again (I too only had rear damage).

When you put it that way it doesn’t make sense not to do both front and rear. Thank you.

 

[CCuz]

In hollywood mechanics video showing us his vaccum pump/pressure chamber setup he stated 80lbs, but in his other earlier video when he’s explaining the process to evacuate and pressure fill the hyrdraulic lines he stated 120psi. I’m left wondering which one is the right pressure. Im currently at harbor freight looking at the pressure chamber in his video. They have it for $89. It’s by Central Machinery and it operating psi is 90psi with a max psi of 125.

 

[The_Skg]

I did 120. The operating pressure would be during media blasting. Max pressure I think would be the rating for the seal on the top of the chamber. 5 psi margin is good enough for government work.

 

[CCuz]

I started the tear down but I’m unable to upload pictures here perhaps because I’m new. The pump was a little bit of a pain to get out because of the sponge and grommet. I don’t have the Parker quick connect so I will order that before continuing. I used a CAT 4ton bottle jack/jack stand combo and the truck almost slid off the stand because its shape doesn’t accommodate round pucks(scary). Fortunately I was not underneath the truck when that happened.

 

[CCuz]

@The_Skg Did you end up having damage to the solenoid? Looks like the retaining ring is missing from my lower one. Haven't found any replacements. Suppose I could secure it with a zip tie or adhesive, but would rather have a solution that's not likely to fail.

Im missing the entire piece your holding on one side and on the other side it’s damaged. I’m going to see if I can order those. Were you able to get a retaining clip?

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