Mannn,....the luck I have

[BlackTigers]

I was just driving home with a friend, and were were going about 35. I downshifted to turn, and felt the car start bucking, very, very bad. I threw the clutch in and gotit out of gear, but to no avail.

I hear squeals, squeaks, and then the screech of rubber across pavement. Oh no.

Walk to my passenger side, and my axle is hanging out of my spindle, which popped OFF of the lower ball joint from the pressure of the car slamming around. Holy fuck. I looked a little bit closer, and it appears that I exploded the CV joint. The rubber boot was history and the axle halves were trashed. My tie rod bent from all the pressure as well. FUCK.

Had I been on a road which was more populated, and doing more than I was, it would have ended badly. Of all the things to my car, that was the scariest thing. I came within feet of hitting a car, I had no control.

Sigh...glad I can fix all the shit I break on this piece of shit. =/

 

[brblx]

forgive my ignorance, but what the eff are you talking about? your post seems like there's a chunk in the middle missing.

did you hit something?

 

[BlackTigers]

Originally posted by: brblx
forgive my ignorance, but what the eff are you talking about? your post seems like there's a chunk in the middle missing.

did you hit something?

I'd like to know what the missing portion is too, trust me.

Nope, didn't hit a damn thing, not even a pot hole. I'll take a picture in the morning to show you guys what I'm talking about.

 

[brblx]

i mean...did a wheel or any other major portion of the car fall off? if not, you had to have hit something to have a busted axle, busted lower ball joint, and bent tie rod.

although i've seen severe wheel-destroying, control arm-bending impacts, i've never seen that kind of damage. what is this 'pressure' you're speaking of?

 

[Malak]

I had the same thing happen in a parking lot, never left the parking spot. Car wouldn't shift into drive, wouldn't move, and BLAM explosion. I don't even recall what part blew up but the circumstances sound the same as yours.

 

[exdeath]

Axle and tire slid out? Where was the strut (or upper ball joint) all this time?

Anyhow, CVs don't take out the ball joint when they fail and normally give warning; it sounds like the ball joint failed first and the CV took on the extra work until it failed.

Also, since it sounds spectacular, pics or it didn't happen

 

[brblx]

the only way i could see all that happening at random is if the lower ball joint completely let go. held only by the strut, the wheel would flop all over the place and want to go sideways, bending the tie rod and probably the strut itself, as well as pulling the plunge joint on the axle apart.

if that's the case, damn dude. check your car out more often, that ball joint has likely had play in it for tens of thousands of miles.

 

[hiromizu]

so the front just fell off?

 

[BlackTigers]

Originally posted by: exdeath
Axle and tire slid out? Where was the strut (or upper ball joint) all this time?

Anyhow, CVs don't take out the ball joint when they fail and normally give warning; it sounds like the ball joint failed first and the CV took on the extra work until it failed.

Also, since it sounds spectacular, pics or it didn't happen

What upper Ball Joint?

I just have a LBJ and tie rod end, and of course my strut.

And good call. Tat's exactly what hapened, but in my fit of rage I saw it the other way.

I really don't know how that failed. I even splurged for the MOOG. =/

 

[boomerang]

I want to know make, model and mileage just for the sake of knowing.

 

[BlackTigers]

Originally posted by: boomerang
I want to know make, model and mileage just for the sake of knowing.

'98 Ford Excort ZX2.

111.5 k on body

56k on motor
65k on tranny (#3!!!)
15k on clutch
lol....5k on my entire suspension

 

[boomerang]

5K on entire suspension? Including ball joints? Either cheap parts or bad workmanship. Potentially criminally negligent workmanship

IMO the car should be given a thorough inspection. As I'm sure you're aware, you may not be so lucky next time. It's one thing to damage the car and hurt yourself, but if others get hurt .... well, that's not good.

Edit: Ball joints are installed with a castellated nut. That nut allows for a cotter pin to be put in to ensure that the nut can't come loose, back off and allow the ball joint to separate from the knuckle. I'd be looking this over real close. Did the ball joint break or did the nut come off? Cheap parts?

 

[BlackTigers]

Originally posted by: boomerang
5K on entire suspension? Including ball joints? Either cheap parts or bad workmanship. Potentially criminally negligent workmanship

IMO the car should be given a thorough inspection. As I'm sure you're aware, you may not be so lucky next time. It's one thing to damage the car and hurt yourself, but if others get hurt .... well, that's not good.

Edit: Ball joints are installed with a castellated nut. That nut allows for a cotter pin to be put in to ensure that the nut can't come loose, back off and allow the ball joint to separate from the knuckle. I'd be looking this over real close. Did the ball joint break or did the nut come off? Cheap parts?

I put them on myself

The ball joints, tie rod ends, are both MOOG. The bushings all over are ES.

There is no castle nut, it's not bolted on like that. It's a shaft that goes into the bottom of the spindle, and there is a bolt that goes through the side of the spindle and clamps it on.


The bolt broke. That's what fucking did me in. It was nothing more than a broke, rusted off bolt that took my entire front corner to pieces. =/ The spindle proceeded to hop off my LBJ and it took everything else with it on it's way. Fuuuccckkkk.

I went out and tore it apart in a half hour, and I have the new ball joint and axle on, but my tie rods are seriously a bitch and a half to replace. =/

 

[boomerang]

Originally posted by: BlackTigers

Originally posted by: boomerang
5K on entire suspension? Including ball joints? Either cheap parts or bad workmanship. Potentially criminally negligent workmanship

IMO the car should be given a thorough inspection. As I'm sure you're aware, you may not be so lucky next time. It's one thing to damage the car and hurt yourself, but if others get hurt .... well, that's not good.

Edit: Ball joints are installed with a castellated nut. That nut allows for a cotter pin to be put in to ensure that the nut can't come loose, back off and allow the ball joint to separate from the knuckle. I'd be looking this over real close. Did the ball joint break or did the nut come off? Cheap parts?

I put them on myself

The ball joints, tie rod ends, are both MOOG. The bushings all over are ES.

There is no castle nut, it's not bolted on like that. It's a shaft that goes into the bottom of the spindle, and there is a bolt that goes through the side of the spindle and clamps it on.


The bolt broke. That's what fucking did me in. It was nothing more than a broke, rusted off bolt that took my entire front corner to pieces. =/ The spindle proceeded to hop off my LBJ and it took everything else with it on it's way. Fuuuccckkkk.

I went out and tore it apart in a half hour, and I have the new ball joint and axle on, but my tie rods are seriously a bitch and a half to replace. =/

Wow! Well, shit happens! Glad no one got hurt.

 

[brblx]

pls don't drive anything you've worked on into my state.

 

[BlackTigers]

Originally posted by: brblx
pls don't drive anything you've worked on into my state.

Because a broken bolt on a 12 year old, northern state car is something that was the fault of my work.

I challenge you to come drive my car and tell me that you can tell I swapped the motor and trans.

You can;t.

 

[exdeath]

No sign off damage on the bolt?

Mental note: Spend an extra $5 on fasteners for cheap insurance when doing $300+ suspension work on any car from a snow state.

 

[EightySix Four]

I had a completely unrelated but similarly terrifying incident on the highway this morning. Doing around 50 (it was raining and very slick) I stupidly allowed myself to get boxed in by a car on my right rear, the rear, and a car at the front driver side. Of course the car at the driver side front decided he wanted to be in my lane and due to the car on my right rear I had to accelerate and get an extra 3-4 foot of distance before changing lanes. I dropped it into 3rd and punched it (bad call in the rain) hoping to get over in time... of course the entire rear end let go and I started to slide sideways. My traction control caught, put me back in the lane straight with cut engine power, and the car behind me braked heavily giving me enough room to get out of the way of the car getting over. The car that got over never noticed.


Shitty morning.

 

[Bignate603]

Originally posted by: exdeath
No sign off damage on the bolt?

Mental note: Spend an extra $5 on fasteners for cheap insurance when doing $300+ suspension work on any car from a snow state.

Yup, I've found the local ACE has a good selection of grade 5 and grade 8 hardware.