Rear suspension damage

[CCuz]

Fill suspension pump reservoir, run pump to pressurize line to solenoids, blip solenoids during pump running to ensure no air trapped in line.

How do you "blip" the solenoids. And when I run the pump am I suppose to remove the black and white wires from the pump and apply the 12v directly to the pump?

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[Nixapatfan]

How do you "blip" the solenoids. And when I run the pump am I suppose to remove the black and white wires from the pump and apply the 12v directly to the pump?

Yes unplug pump and supply 12v to black and white wires, white is negative. Supply 12v to solenoids they will click once when power is applied.

 

[CCuz]

Yes unplug pump and supply 12v to black and white wires, white is negative. Supply 12v to solenoids they will click once when power is applied.

I’m a visual learner so I uploaded this picture to make sure I understand. I also need further instruction on how to supply power to the solenoid.

 

[Nixapatfan]

You went too far with the pump housing but yes the black and white. I just tapped at connector with gator clips and 12v battery.

Solenoids is same just gator clips to 12v.

 

[CCuz]

I did it! Took a trip to Yosemite with no problems. All dash light turned off and I was happy. Then 2 months later on our way to Vegas the “reservoir/filter” on the R/L damper started leaking. We were 400miles from home and about 100 from Vegas. We had to get towed back. It turns out the R/L damper was also damaged by the forklift. I was less worried about the repairs this time around seeing as I already have the tools and have done this before. Unfortunately, I’m not having any luck this time. In RiDE the system pressure is showing 7.5 Bar instead of the required 50 Bar. I didn’t even know that it required 50 bar of pressure until I had finished the repairs the first time and it’s left me wondering how on earth was that achieved while only applying 120psi to the pressure tank!? Well whatever made it work last time it’s not working this time and my dash light are not going off and I’m stuck in turtle mode at 51mph on the lowest height setting. Any thought anyone?

 

[CCuz]

found the issue. I'm sharing so others may learn from my mistake. I damaged the line going from the hydraulic pump to the solenoid when lowering or reinstalling the pump. Be careful because the line is easily damaged. After running the pump and blipping the solenoids I reassembled the pump assembly. Since the pump is protected by foam padding and inside a plastic enclosure I didn't notice any leaks because the padding absorbed all the hydraulic fluid that spilled out of the damaged line. after I notice in the RiDE menu that the "system pressure" had decreased over night I suspected a leak and took the pump housing apart. I was greeted by stream of hydraulic fluid making a mess on the floor. The foam padding was saturated and the entire hydraulic pump assembly and enclosure were oozing. I disconnected all the lines from the pump, removed it from the truck and used wd40 contact cleaner on the circuit board and coils as best as I could. Once the pump had dried I tested the pump with the 12v battery and fortunately it worked. I then went to my local Rivian service center only to find out that they don't sell the hose separately from the pump. the pump is $849. They also don't sell the foam padding for the pump. I had to wring all the hydraulic fluid from the padding, but couldn't get it all out. I don't know how long it will take to dry. I will look for the hose else where. I would recommend anyone doing this job to not reinstall the pump until after you have refilled the system and check in RiDE that the system is pressurized correctly just Incase you do get a leak you'll spot it right away.

 

[Nixapatfan]

Glad you figured it out, I was going to suggest a leak. Plenty of pumps on ebay

 

[viperbmw69]

I can not tell you all how much I appreciate your posting your experiences. I am a shape tree mechanic and built a few restomods and kit cars. I have a Lift in the garage, I have a 2022 R1T Launch Edition I am trying to get back on the road after sitting in Copart yard for atleast a year. I have all the parts coming to drain and filled the suspension hydraulics and hope to have that working. I am also thinking I am going to cut a hole in the top of the Hydraulic Pump housing to allow filling the fluid if needed. Also I might go ahead and put a small check valve hole in the bottom to tell me if there are leaks in the future. I had the truck as the SC for the Inspection and it passed fine. This one only has 7k miles on it and just a shame they want to get replace a bunch of parts for no reason, They quoted me 7 grand needless to say I laughed.

Right now Im just stuck in turtle mode until I can get the hydraulic pressure right. It's one of the codes they told me is causing the Turtle Mode, Seems odd to me to cause limp mode just cause a truck is missing "sway bars". just let it drive like crap I say.....

 

[100jacks]

That's a neat looking R1T @viperbmw69. Did you end up rebuilding your suspension?
I bought the parts through Rivian. My car had a side impact where the Gear tunnel door, rear passenger door and the wheel were damaged. Interesting enough, I replaced the rear door and it fits just fine, it closes and opens well. There's a bent behind the gear tunnel wheel area, but I think it can be pulled back to shape.
I believe most of the suspension damage is from Copart fork-lifting the car during transport. So far I see the some dirt on the damper where the car was hit, but other dampers seem in a good shape, except the jounce lines are severed and the fluid is leaking all over.
I'm building the vacuum system with compressed chamber like in the Hollywood mechanic video to drain and refill the suspension. I think I'll have to replace the suspension on the rear left (where it took the hit), but I'd do a drain and refill first to see if it's leaking anywhere else.
I'll post my experience after I perform this.

 

[Rivianero]

We really should start a class action suit against CoPart for the damage they cause.

$5k in repairs every rime they load up a vehicle.

 

[100jacks]

Yeah, it is ridiculously expensive that they cannot load the car properly. Although I heard horrible stories from my friend who repairs ICE vehicles; when they're buying cars from Copart in a run and drive condition, but still loading with forklift - e.g. the tire is blown so they cannot drive it.

 

[100jacks]

Hey DIYers, please help me out on the pump refill, before draining all the lines and doing the whole procedure.
I assembled the drain and refill machine, like @The_Skg did in this thread and from Hollywood Mechanic video, even replaced the valves with Swag lock QC4. However, when I opened the pump from the bottom, I didn't see where to go further to refill it. Do I need to access it from the truck bed or remove it from the housing for refilling?

 

[Nixapatfan]

Hey DIYers, please help me out on the pump refill, before draining all the lines and doing the whole procedure.
I assembled the drain and refill machine, like @The_Skg did in this thread and from Hollywood Mechanic video, even replaced the valves with Swag lock QC4. However, when I opened the pump from the bottom, I didn't see where to go further to refill it. Do I need to access it from the truck bed or remove it from the housing for refilling?

You need to take it out from the plastic housing and foam insulation, there is a small plug on top. You'll need to loosen the wheel flare trim, liner and bumper trim and prop up the pump between the wheel liner and bumper to fill it as there is no room to do it from below.

 

[100jacks]

You need to take it out from the plastic housing and foam insulation, there is a small plug on top. You'll need to loosen the wheel flare trim, liner and bumper trim and prop up the pump between the wheel liner and bumper to fill it as there is no room to do it from below.

Thank you @Nixapatfan! I will try this today. I was so close to get it done yesterday, but I got discouraged when I saw the pump and didn't want to do anything that could damage it.
Do you know if I can replace the valves back to original ones, or those lines will also be pressurized once I refill?

Also, my jounce lines were broken and the fluid was leaking, I installed new ones. I'm assuming there's a plenty of air in the line by now. Should I still drain the fluid, or skip to the vacuuming step?

Did anyone try this with jacks and stands? I don't have a lift in my garage. When I lift the car on all four sides using 4 jacks and 4 pucks, the wheels are still (barely) touching the ground. I'm assuming the suspension is 98-99% extended. Is this ok?

Thanks, any help is appreciated!

 

[Nixapatfan]

I did it with the whole thing on the ground, the kinetic suspension doesn't affect the springs/shocks it is just fancy sway bars.

The pump housing has spring clips you'll need to pry off with a small pick or screwdriver but be sure to not break them was you'll need them to seal the whole thing again.

Yes you have to drain from all 4 corners and with air pressure to each corner to clear out all the fluid then vacuum it otherwise you will not be able to fill it properly as air will be trapped in the lines. That step is messy so make sure you have your floors covered with cardboard or something to catch the oil spray. If there is air in the lines you won't be able to pressurize correctly as air compresses. Vacuuming without draining doesn't really work well as you'll have air bubbles trapped between fluid due to the small diameter of the pipes. There really aren't many shortcuts to this procedure though I did bypass the pressure tank rig and used a 100psi water pump instead.

You didn't need to change the valves as you could have just purchased OE compatible fittings instead. 1/4" NPT ISO 7241-B. Once you refill properly any opening of the lines means you have to redo the whole thing.

Just keep in mind here any shortcuts will mean you get to do the whole thing again, it is a tedious and messy job so take your time and do it right the first time. Before you fill the fluid make sure the system can hold a vacuum for a few hours to ensure there are no loose fittings and make sure to purge the air in the supply lines before opening the valves

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