Well came to the car this morning and went to check the fluids as usual.

Found this resting on top my header tank!!!

:shoc ked:

Look where its sheared:


Camber on drivers side:

Passenger side (the broken side!!!):

WTF!

Thank fuck that didnt happen while i was driving at speed!! I can only think it happened as i reversed car up ramp into garage or over the rough cobbled driveway as id have noticed the noise!!!!

Any idea why its done that??? Sure i can see its sheared, but any idea why???

Looking into the strut top i see this:

the strut top is slightly ovalised, would this cause it to sheer the rod or was it ovalised through general wear or as a result of it breaking??

 

fook me, lucky it never happened at speed.

 

looks like it's been on it's way for a while and finally given up in the garage.

like you said lucky it was not at speed and that you actually checked the car over before driving it.

 

have you been airbourne? haha

due to the ovality of the hole looks like it was loose

 

Bloody hell!! How on earth did you not notice it when it happened though, the wheel's nigh on come off lol!

 

not been airborne in this car at all!!!

had it been my last puma i could have understood as i used to jump that over bridges etc and popped 2 sets of dampers but ive been generally pretty kind to this car!!.

Do ford still make the top mount assemblys?? and has anyone got an "exploded" diagram of one or is it the same as any other ford macpherson strut top mount/combined spring cup thingy??

 

Jesus, I had a suspension shock top nut ping off the top once. The previous owner had fitted Spax springs and shocks but had over tightened the top nut and stripped all the thread off it. Of course had the car for a few months and had looked at it but never would have known to look at it.

Problem was it decided to go when I was on the M11 when I was only a little over the speed limit *cough*

Luckly the car was stripped out, so when the nut pinged off it bounced off the roof of the car and the boot floor. I thought what the fuck was that noise, so I slowed down looked arround but couldn't see anything at first. But then the car hit a bump and my arsehole tightened to the size of a pin head when I spotted the top of my suspension strut vanish and then come back up through the mount with a huge bang. I nearly shit myself.

Pulled over and put anything and everything nut wise I had in the back of my car onto the strut to try and secure it enough for me to get back home.

Looks like you had a lucky escape too on that one...

 

because as i said it must have happened as i back car over ramp literally into garage last night its certainly not drivable as it is!!! Ive tried moving the car back and forth in garage to get it central for jacking up and it was too dodgy so i ended up jacking it and rolling front round on the trolley jack wheels .

 

Same mate - I'll send you an email

 

i LAUGHED at your story matey HAHA ace

RW

 

You have been lucky bud.If it happened on the road it could of been well worse.

 

Is the nut at the bottom sitting flat against the carbon top plate as it looks like its sitting at an angle. IIRC the carbon top plates have a steel insert bonded in where the nut sits? If it is at an angle then when the nut is tightened down the efect would be to try to bend the threaded part of the strut?

 

I seem to remember you fitted the carbon tops recently.



Same side that's sheared

.

 

good detective work. gotta be related

lucky escape really though!

 

Its been loosened by me before the photo was taken! Normally it was flat against the metal insert as it should be.
yes but the carbon strut top only requires the top mount bolt to be removed, NOT the bottom spring cup bolt!

This is how it looks with bolt done up tight.

It snapped inside where the spring cup is so i dont see how fitting strut tops would have caused that.

 

my camber is sat in slightly on the passenger side so gonna check mine tomorrow now

 

if the cambers as far in as mine then its probably already fucked