hit a really big road repair this morning and then "clunck!"

[v7guy]

I hit a rather large mound of asphalt and steel plate on the highway that looked to be a very poor attempt at a road repair. When I hit it I heard a pretty loud clunk, and then every time I hit bumps afterwards another clunk/series of clunks. turning also resulted in similar noise.

It took me awhile to find anything, but eventually I discovered the drivers side rubber center appears to have been shoved partially up through the spacer. The passenger side still appears to be fine and doesn't move like this. This is Marks 3" spacer with 89 springs.

I attempted to make a few short videos but it's pretty damned hard to bounce the front end and hold the camera steady. Here are the best two.





Don't know if I feel comfortable driving this the 30 mile round trip to work tonight. But I have the weekend off to work on it. Think I can take it apart and press the rubber back in?

[markmc]

If your 30 mile trip to work is the same route, i would avoid that patch in road.. but you should be fine..
Take alternate transportation if you have that option..

When designing the new front lift spacers, i knew there would be extreme cases of possible damage such as this..
I wanted a center bushing that was readily available to the end user, and designed the lift spacer around the bushing..
With that in mind:
You can purchase a replacement center bushing kit at any Autoparts store that sells Monroe brand for around $10.
Monroe part #901940
I use Advance Auto..

Or i can send you one free if you can wait for shipping..
As listed in my website.. I stand behind my products and will replace any part regardless of fault..
Thats my version of "No Fine Print"

lemme know what you want to do..

markmc

[v7guy]

I'll see if i can get one local, I'll check the advanced auto by me tomorrow morning when I get off work.

Does the old bushing press the rest of the way out and the new one just press in?

[v7guy]

Edit. Just looked up the part. It's two pieces with a sleeve and at my local advanced auto... Looks like it's a relatively simple fix and only 10.50.

I'll pick it up in the morning.

Thanks Mark!

[The Roadie]

The lower washer should have prevented this - I just installed this kit and I had no concerns about the bushings. They're extremely strong in compression. The aluminum separator between the upper and lower chamber gave me a small concern that an impact like yours could shear the aluminum at the edge of the disk, but nobody's reported that before now. I didn't run the strength numbers but it would have taken a huge hit. I'm sure you'll take pictures of the parts as you remove them.

The recent problems with BDS kits and how I broke my Icon coilovers have been on EXTENSION shock, not compression. On compression, there's a long stroke, and the shock has a nice puffy orange bump stop. On extension, the bump stop (whatever there is), is built inside the shock. Stiff springs can build up a heck of a lot of energy, and when you unweight the suspension, the springs can get that heavy tire moving with a huge momentum downwards. If the bump stop has less compression distance, there's a higher peak impact force, and I think that's when things break. But I don't see any way for Mark's bushing to shear, or to be extruded, through the center hole.

The bushings aren't pressed in - they get assembled on either side of the spacer, centered by a conical edge on the hole.

[markmc]

Edit. Just looked up the part. It's two pieces with a sleeve and at my local advanced auto... Looks like it's a relatively simple fix and only 10.50.

I'll pick it up in the morning.

Thanks Mark!

Glad to help..
If it were me..
i would try removing the center strut nut (with the strut assembly still in vehicle) and replace only the upper half Bushing and washer first..You will probably need a air impact wrench to do it this way..

If there is damage to the lower washer or bushing you will have to remove the strut assembly for repair..
be sure to replace and tighten the center strut nut before removing the strut assembly or it will shoot out of there like a cannon ball when you unbolt the lower strut mount..
Use a new washer from the kit if it looks like the old bent washer might be able to pass through the center hole of the lift spacer.
This will help hold the assembly together when removing the strut assembly from the lower mount..

[Trail X]

I too am quite curious what part actually failed to produce the clearance. Looking forward to seeing the pictures.

[v7guy]

Yeah i really have no idea if it was the sudden compression or the unloading that caused it. I'll take pictures.

The road repair was at the beginning of a long, gently sweeping merge/off ramp from one highway to another. It looked to be one of those steel construction plates bolted down to a heave in the road with asphalt packed 3" or so high on all 4 corners of the steel plate. I was going about 45-50 and braking while turning to the drivers side when I hit the repair with the front drivers side tire. Basically all the load was on the bushing that failed.

It was a new repair to the road and I frequently take this route. Damn near knocked a filling loose.

[DirtyBacon04]

so am i understanding this right, that if i leave the strut assy installed in truck, I can remove that center nut without it becoming a projectile?

[navigator]

the weight of the truck is holding everything together, as long as you don't "get jiggy with it" it shouldn't move.

[DirtyBacon04]

Ok, so I'll have to postpone my frequent jiggy sessions with my rig while I do this. Got it.

[boog2006]

Frequent will make you blind

[markmc]

so am i understanding this right, that if i leave the strut assy installed in truck, I can remove that center nut without it becoming a projectile?

Take a flat screw driver through the spring and slide the plastic dust boot and hiden bump stop down on the strut rod to gain access to the upper strut rod.

If the rod turns while trying to loosen or tighten the center nut, you can hold the rod from turning with a vise grip at very upper most part of the strut rod..
When finished, the bump stop will cover any marks left by the grips..

[HARDTRAILZ]

Thats crazy

[GreyMatter]

Hey Jay, keep me posted on the results of that big hit "clunk".
That rapid downforce that James mentioned, I've experienced it a lot. It makes the front kind of "unruley and loud".
Let me know how it goes, call me up if you need another pair of hands.

[v7guy]

was taking the assembly out and the whole thing exploded on the truck. Shock shaft is broke, cap came off the shock, spring went flying. Looking for a new bilstien HD locally

[galacticfuzz]

Wow, glad to know you are alright at least Jason. Best of luck man.

[v7guy]

unbolted the upper a arm, took off the lower shock mount nut, removed the upper shock mount/lift nuts and then I noticed some fluid leaking down on the ground. I just assumed it was PB Blaster. It was actually shock oil. put a pickle fork on the lower shock mount gave it a couple taps and then gave it a sideways tap to get the lower mount to pop off the stud. I was crouching by the door when I whacked the pickle fork and BOOM. The whole strut assembly exploded. It appears the last whack popped it loose and then the spring and shock flew out of the truck. The bushings seem fine in the lift but I haven't unbolted it to find out for sure yet. I assume this broke when I hit the road repair, and the only thing keeping it together was the weight of the truck and the lift spacer. Pretty unnerving. have to order a new shock online, can't find one local.

[DirtyBacon04]

WOW!!! Never seen one do that before! Glad you're okay, buddy! One more scar for the TBs

[v7guy]

Just took the bushings out of the lift spacer and gave everything a more thorough look over with Rich.
The upper (top) washer has been pulled from a convex shape to a concave one, the bushing below it has partially disintegrated and the aluminum under it is pitted. I didn't grease anything but it would appear that something got in there and corroded the rubber and spacer. Everything is covered in shock oil so it's not possible to tell what it was. The lower bushing and washer is fine.
It appears the constant unloading of the front suspension with the 89 springs is too much for the upper washer. I suspect the road repair probably compressed the suspension and then it violently unloaded causing the shock to break when it topped out. The rubber in the mount wasn't enough to absorb the spike in load during the extension and the next weakest link was the shock shaft threads. Previous to this, the rubber and the washer at the top of the shock seems to have taken the brunt of the load.
I'll get some pics of the new bushings and hardware compared to the abused pieces later tonight.

It does appear that the road repair caused the breakage. The passenger side upper washer is slightly bent concave in the center, nowhere near what the drivers side is that hit.

I'm not so sure this is really a viable arrangement with no front weight and the 89 springs. Rich and I talked briefly that maybe a thicker washer on top would help, but that may also cause the shock shaft to break first instead of the washer bending. The clunking sound was obviously the shock shaft digging around in the guts of the shock body.

Maybe I need to hurry up and throw that body lift on that's sitting in the garage and get the steel for a front bumper so I'm not topping out the shock so much. Maybe I should abandon the 89 springs. I've got a few days to figure things out and I'm open to thoughts and suggestions.