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Busted Rear Shock (Dial-up beware)


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I've read over the other recent shock/strut thread. I'm getting a mild kick out of the brain games, thinking of the different ways shocks can fail. Well, I got one for you:

IMAG0104.jpg'

 

Yep, it's bent into an angle. Not happy.

 

when I got the wheel off, this is what I found:

IMAG0132.jpg

 

The shaft is that bit just hanging out in the spring, not connected on either end. Not happy.

 

I got the spring restrained as best as I could, but I still don't feel safe working around it, not with the inherent limits of the shock removed. There's just not enough room in there to get a proper spring compressor on it. To pour salt into the wound, I wasn't able to get the lower bolt out of the rear arm, either. It's got another inch or so to travel, and it should pop out of the hole. I think the combination of the spring placing pressure, plus the angle of the forces involved have bound up that bolt. I spent hours hammering on it today, but just couldn't get it loose.

 

IMAG0141.jpg

 

I slapped the wheel back on and buttoned her up for the night. Seriously considering getting her down to the local garage (probably via flat bed... I don't want to chance driving it, have that spring pop loose, and go flying into somebody's windshield; most of that quarter mile is on a two lane bridge crossing a major river), all of a quarter of a mile away, and letting them properly secure the spring to keep it from flying off so they can remove that lower bolt. They may as well finish up the install of the shocks, too.

 

I hate being --> <--- close and giving up, though. Any thoughts before I hang my head in shame, anybody have suggestions?

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Upstate NY has some huge potholes. ;oD

 

Nah, I had an indication last fall that it was going. Had a few suspicions regarding the handling on the back end, so I asked the local garage to check it out while they were chasing down a transmission noise for me. They gave the shocks a clean bill of health.

 

The lower bushing started squeaking a couple weeks later. I soaked it with PB Blaster, and it quieted down. Then the top end got noisy... Soaked it, too, but it didn't help much. A week or two later, it quieted down again. When it did act up, it sounded just like a loud noisy bushing.

 

Then it snapped driving into work two weeks ago or so. We're a couple of weeks away from closing on a house, so we've been putting all of our resources into that. Was hoping it was going to hold together long enough to let me change it out after the house purchase. The best laid plans of mice and men...

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Drive that bolt back into its original position and the use a clamp or chain to hold the strut in place. Then drive out the bolt. Or jam something between the strut and body, just something to hold the strut so the bolt can be driven out. The objective is to keep the strut from moving as you hammer on the bolt. 

 

Use a jack under the strut to reduce the downward force. 

Edited by john in KY
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Bigger hammer.

 

Put a jack under the bottom of the strut to take some of the spring pressure off the bolt, put a few socket extensions together and feed into the hole then smack the end with a hammer a few times. Should pop out.

Wrap a towel around the spring beforehand to help keep it from going flying. Could also hook a ratchet strap to it and run it across to the other side of the car to hold it from flying out.

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Ah.. I'm seeing what y'all are saying. The bottom of the shock was traveling with the bolt as I knocked it out, complicating the bolt binding.

 

I had strapped the shock in, but only with one strap, which let it wander. I'll see if I can't knock that bolt back in, strap it like I had, and find some way to secure it against the rear arm as I knock that bolt back out.

 

Got a three pound cross peen hammer. I'm out of shape... If I need a bigger hammer, my arm may fall off. I'm going to need more socket extensions after this, too. I've boogered the ends up good. One of these days I ought to hunt down some proper long drift punches.

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No kiddin' there. I'm erring on the side of caution. I'd rather secure it too much and spend extra time than not enough and have it try to go through me. I've got enough brains to treat it like a loaded gun and stay out of the path of the fire. What I can't control is how it may bounce if it does let go... So I don't want it to let go. That would be a bad day.

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I've read over the other recent shock/strut thread. I'm getting a mild kick out of the brain games, thinking of the different ways shocks can fail. Well, I got one for you:

IMAG0104.jpg'

 

I hate being --> <--- close and giving up, though. Any thoughts before I hang my head in shame, anybody have suggestions?

Just to point it out for anyone who hasn't lived in the rust belt, all the white residue on everything in that picture is dried road salt.

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Brake pads and rotors are on my to do list; that left rear pad is down more than I like. They're not rubbing, though, and the rotor's brake surface is smooth. Between the salt and sitting for a week or two, those rotors look worse than they are. I love the Northeast, but I don't like the "Cover *EVERYTHING* in salt!" approach that NY takes.

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if you are going to attempt this yourself, I would advise using several straps on that spring - one to the opposite side of the car, one towards the front somewhere and another towards the rear - limit its potential escape paths as much as possible. And please be super careful around this thing. No one wants you to get hurt!

 

Around here, some areas use a lot of salt, some dont use any (when they should be) it is either clear, salted pavement, or ice covered - take your pick...

 

This is a paved county road that I use going to work 2 days after the freezing rain/snow storm we got recently. Has a nice thick layer of ice...no salt, no sand...

 

1899929_10201680031991751_1211070453_n.j

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I figured I'd put three straps on the spring itself. I'll pick up some long zip ties as well, and tie it down as much as possible, balancing the load across the spring. I'm not sure it'll hold until I try it, so running two (or more) other ratcheting straps from the spring to points on the body.

 

Heartless is right about the salt. I love the way it eats ice; I hate the way it eats cars. The Albany area tends to throw it down like cheese on a pizza, at any chance of ice/snow. I'd rather have dirt/cinders thrown down at times, but I doubt many would agree with me. Most folks in the area seem to drive in the winter like it's still August.

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That looks like a spring for a 4 wheeler or dirt bike.

I've seen enough hose clamps pop apart just trying to do what they're intended for (clamp hoses), no way I'd try to use them to hold a spring for a car.

 

Don't try to strap the spring in such a way that it can't move at all. You need to let it unload it self when it comes loose, otherwise it may go flying when you're trying to undo the strapping, and your hands are in the way.

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There's the crux of the matter. I need it to unload slowly. If it unloads quickly, it's liable to launch the bottom of the shock downwards. I can stay put of that path well enough, but when it hits the pavement, all of my bets are off as to where it may go.

 

Heh. All I gotta do is tilt the Baja up onto it's side. Then I can knock the bottom loose and fire the remants of the shock into a net. Sounds like a plan.

 

Hmm... What if I used three or four of the straps I usually use for tying kayaks down? They've got that knurled knuckle bit that clamps down on the strap. I certainly don't trust them well enough to hold the spring compressed by themselves, but would their clamping action slow down the decompression event?

 

My original thought was to use the temporary restraints long enough to get it off the Baja, then put the proper spring compressors on, letting me remove the temporary restraints and back off the compressors slowly.

Edited by the_bard
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I would use an abundance of w'ever method I chose. i would also leash or wrap or otherwise try to restrain any pieces that could conceivably fly away. And wear eye protection.

 

kinda surprised ther isn't room to get some compressors in there. Might only need to grab 3 coils each to have 'enough' control.

 

hose clamps definitely frighteneing, but may leave enough exposed that you could put real compressors on after removal - dunno;

 

gwsb1.jpg

 

01-8.jpg

Edited by 1 Lucky Texan
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Yep. '06 Baja.

 

I had enough room to get two compressors in, but because the spring's bent outwards, I couldn't get them 180 degrees apart. They were more like 90 degrees. If I can get the bottom half of the shock in its proper position, I'm hoping the spring will follow suit and give me enough room to get the compressors on proper. We'll see. The weather's supposed to turn cold and windy for the rest of the week. I'm not sure when I'll be in the mindset to brave the weather and get back at it. This business of being in your mid thirties, realizing you're not as young as you were a decade ago, and being all sore after working on the car all day long is for the birds. Now I know why Dad had kids. So he could lay under the car and have a gopher grab the tools for him.

 

On a good note, the mortgage was submitted and we're waiting on a closing date. After that, I can start looking at building a garage in the back yard. Four walls, a roof, a level floor, and a wood stove. Nice big wood stove.

Edited by the_bard
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congrats on the home purchase - hope everything goes well with that.

 

I can see how it would be difficult to get regular spring compressors in there - the crazy angle and other parts in the way...yeah...

Whatever you do, just use extreme caution.

 

I hear ya on the cold weather & age being a deterrent to working on the car - have the same problem here - and I have you beat by almost a couple of decades! LOL

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congrats on the home purchase - hope everything goes well with that.

 

I can see how it would be difficult to get regular spring compressors in there - the crazy angle and other parts in the way...yeah...

Whatever you do, just use extreme caution.

 

I hear ya on the cold weather & age being a deterrent to working on the car - have the same problem here - and I have you beat by almost a couple of decades! LOL

Yes, congrats on the home purchase......I hope that goes a lot better then working on the shock problem.

 

You may have already gotten that bottom bolt out. Like others have said..........use a bottle jack to take the weight off the bolt, also wedge in a piece or two of wood, if you are wanting to keep the shock from moving, when you hammer at the bolt.  I always keep several small pieces of a 2 X 4 around to either use as a "stop" to keep the shock from moving, or stack the pieces of wood to raise the needed heighth reach for the bottle jack to rest on.

 

Upon reassembly, I use the bottle jack to "push up" the bottom of the shock to the proper height and angle, so I can easily insert the bolt through the shock mount tube for an easy bolt up. It is so much easier then trying to push the shock upward by hand for bolting.

 

You may also consider wrapping the spring with a lot of old rags and towels real tight, so the spring has little space to move side to side, should that spring break free. The less the spring can move, the less it can snap out and hurt you.

 

Some how, some way, you will conquer this project. Once apart, reassembly with good parts should be easy.

 

Keep us posted on how you come out.

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