2024 Author: Erin Ralphs | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-19 11:42
The shock absorber strut assembly is a suspension assembly consisting of a shock absorber, spring, upper and lower support. This design is designed to reduce the load on the car body during starts and braking, maneuvering and overcoming obstacles, as well as creating comfort for passengers and the driver.
Signs of strut failure
A worn out shock absorber ceases to perform its two main functions:
- Maintain constant grip of the wheels with the road surface.
- Serve as a buffer between the road and the body.
As a result, characteristic symptoms appear that the driver will immediately notice:
- The car handles worse when maneuvering: it sways when cornering. At high speed, there is a risk of tipping the body.
- At the start, the car crouches with the rear axle, and when braking, the front axle.
- Driving off-road is accompanied by blows to the body.
- The more worn the shock absorber is, the more actively the tires are erased.
Reason for wear
The average shock absorber life is 70,000 km. But, as a rule, replacement of racks is required earlier. The reasons for this are:
- Poor road quality.
- The driving style of the car owner. The more often the driver uses sudden starts and stops, tries to fit into a turn at high speed or overcome a road obstacle without slowing down in front of it, the more stress the entire suspension experiences.
- Installation of a counterfeit (low-quality) part. Cheap can't be good quality. Such a shock absorber will not only not work out the stated period, but will also lead to an imbalance of the entire suspension, accelerating the appearance of its breakdowns.
- Incorrect element installation. You can’t just remove the old shock absorber and put a new one in its place. It requires knowledge of some nuances, otherwise the recently purchased part will again require replacement.
- Suspension damage in an accident.
Self Diagnosis
To check if the shock absorber struts really need to be replaced, you just need to rock the car. A serviceable suspension makes no noise, and the body returns to a static state as soon as it stops swinging.
It would be useful to inspect the racks. Oil leaks on the shock body indicate that the oil seal is deformed, respectively, there is not enough lubrication inside.
Cracks in the spring are also a signal to repair the shock absorber struts. If the spring is damaged, thenit does not fulfill its rebound function, and the oil shock absorber rod, working without a spring, cannot move out of the body on its own, which leads to its incapacity.
Diagnostics in the service
Before you start replacing the shock absorber struts, the car mechanic will diagnose: first at the stand, then visually.
The car drives into the vibration stand, which simulates the work of the suspension in natural conditions. The program determines:
- rod oscillation amplitude;
- rebound and damping work.
In addition, other suspension failures are detected. So that the repair of shock absorber struts does not have to be repeated in the near future, it is necessary to eliminate all breakdowns of the chassis.
After the vibration stand, the machine is sent to a lift, where a specialist inspects the condition of the shock absorber housing, oil seal, bearings, and evaluates the backlash of the remaining components.
Repair in a car service
It is worth noting that the replacement of shock absorber struts is done in pairs. If the right one fails, then the left one must be replaced. This applies to both the rear and front axles of the car. If the failure occurred due to natural wear and tear, it is recommended to install new supports.
Work begins with the removal of the worn rack: it is disconnected from the attachment points to the supports and dismantled along with the spring. Then the spring is compressed with a special coupler to remove the shock absorber from it. A new element is installed, the screed is removed, the rack is mounted in place.
Afterof the work carried out, be sure to adjust the camber angle.
There is a difference in the replacement of the shock absorber struts on the rear and front axles: the new front struts are fixed on the supports, and the repair ends there, on the rear axle, the final clamping of the shock absorber strut bearing is carried out only under load on it. That is, the car must either be on the ground, and not in a suspended state on a lift, or have a support under the wheel on which the new rack is being installed.
Self-replacement of the shock absorber strut VAZ
To carry out the work you will need a jack and wheel chocks. When replacing the front shock absorbers, the side to be repaired is jacked up:
- Unscrew the nut and washers securing the shock absorber to the upper support (cushion).
- Remove the wheel.
- Remove the bracket nut.
- Remove the shock absorber from the seat.
- Remove the hinge pad from the stem.
- Disconnect the bracket from the shock absorber.
- Set the new element in reverse order.
The algorithm for replacing the rear shock absorber strut does not differ much from the work carried out in the front suspension, however, it has some features:
- Unscrew the nut securing the shock absorber to the upper support.
- Jack up the car and remove the wheel.
- Unscrew and take out the bolt of the lower rack mounting.
- Remove the spring from the shock absorber along with the compression buffer, rubber protective cover and cover.
- Then remove the shock absorber itself.
- All rubber and metal parts should be carefully inspected for wear and damage and replaced if necessary.
- New parts are installed in reverse order.
If you have difficulty installing the shock absorber in the upper support, it is worth checking whether the insulating gasket is correctly seated on the spring. In order for the rod to enter the seat to the end, you can use a jack by installing it under the beam and thus raising the rack.
How to choose the right parts?
At the factory assembly, oil shock absorbers are installed on VAZ cars. They are designed for quiet driving on smooth roads. Off-road leads to their rapid overheating and failure.
To decide on the choice of new elements, it is necessary to take into account how intensively and in what conditions the car will be used.
Oil dampers
As already mentioned, they are not designed for extreme driving with obstacles. Such shock absorbers are suitable for trips on flat roads, at a speed not exceeding 90 km / h.
Gas-oil
These shock absorbers handle loads well: high speed, cornering and off-road. Nitrogen pumped under pressure into their structure prevents the oil from foaming and overheating. The only caveat is that domestic manufacturers do not have such a product in their assortment, so VAZ owners have to purchase partsforeign made.
The price of a shock absorber strut varies from 500 to 20,000 rubles, depending on the design and brand.
How to prevent breakage of the suspension strut?
In order for the shock absorber to work out the declared resource, it is worth following some operating rules:
- Regular inspection of not only the struts, but the entire undercarriage will help prevent unexpected breakdowns.
- Shock absorber replacement should be scheduled according to the manufacturer's instructions, even if there are no tangible signs of wear.
- If the car owner does not have experience in replacing the racks on his own, it is better to contact the specialists. They can also be consulted on the choice of new spare parts.
- If there are signs of a breakdown, you should immediately go to the service for diagnostics and subsequent repairs. A car with faulty suspension is a safety hazard not only for its owner, but also for other road users.
For installation, it is worth purchasing those shock absorbers that meet the operating conditions, even if their cost is higher than those offered by the automaker. The difference in price will pay off with a longer service life.
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