AlShack Posted October 10, 2002 Share Posted October 10, 2002 Dear All Driving home last night I went over some roadworks & noticed a rather loud clank. Having checked the rear suspension, there's a bit hanging off. Please excuse my ignorance while I try & describe the broken bit. Looking at the car (a 1996 deDion) from underneath behind the rear wheel (ie head under the boot), there is a suspension part with a ball joint at each end and a threaded shaft between them - about 10cm long. This attaches to two other suspension parts - one is near the top of the strut (I think), and the other is to a flat metal bar (about 25cm with a couple of bends in it) with 4 holes in it. The ball-jointed bit attaches to this flat bar in one of the four holes, and it still attahced. Well, it is this flat metal bar that has snapped at the point it attaches to the rest of the suspension further forward under the car. Huge appologies for the dreadful description, but I'm afraid to say I'm a bit of a novice when it comes to car mechanics. Is it safe to drive (slowly) to the garage (10 miles) to get it fixed? Any help greatly appreciated. Cheers Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ECR Posted October 10, 2002 Share Posted October 10, 2002 Sounds like you are talking about your rear anti roll bar. In this case yes it is safe to drive to the garage. The handling will be affected but only during cornering so take it slowly. Make sure the broken bits don't foul on anything if you drive it (take the broken bits off). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fast Westie Posted October 10, 2002 Share Posted October 10, 2002 Al Sounds like the drop link on your anti-roll bar. You can drive the car safely to a garage. The car in front is a Westfie1d Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlShack Posted October 10, 2002 Author Share Posted October 10, 2002 Thanks folks - reckon that's sounds about right. I'll crawl to the garage (Aryliam) tomorrow. Now all I've got to do is complain to Chesham council for digging the road up, leaving a 3 inch ramp and no RAMP sign - t0ssers. Cheers Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Carmichael Posted October 10, 2002 Share Posted October 10, 2002 It is the blade of the anti-roll bar that has failed. You can detach the broken bit without any tools. The ball joints are held in place by a little wire pin, which clips onto the joint housing. With a finger nail you ping the clip off the housing and remove the pin. A bit of carefully applied violence will then dislodge the ball from the joint housing. Five minutes work including taking the wheel off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caterhamnut Posted October 10, 2002 Share Posted October 10, 2002 'carefully applied violence' - 😬 😬26,000 miles in 13 months! angus@tinyworld.co.uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F355GTS Posted October 10, 2002 Share Posted October 10, 2002 Al reattaching the drop arm to the bar should be a simple few quid weld job to repair it Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gridgway Posted October 10, 2002 Share Posted October 10, 2002 "they all used to do that Sir"! I bought a replacement when mine went a few years back, but was abused by a welder friend who said he could have put it (accurately) back together in a few minutes! Graham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now