Front spring failure....... AGAIN!!!!!!!

[Longintooth]

Hi
Well I've been putting off my little clonking spring bearing for a week now but from what you've just shown me I'm doing it as we speak - just called the stealer for a price and they quoted over £100, after picking myself up off the floor I called Andrew Page and they got one in stock (stealer did not) for £33. be warned. Your pic shows the CV joint gaiter has bust and maybe the CV is knacked has well.

[Welly]

I didn't know the 406 was famous for strut bearing problems?

So what happens? - sticky steering and clonky noises when turning the wheel?

[puggy]

and where do that lot put their horses out to graze

it never rains but it pours eh supa .... not having much luck

[puggy]

bunch of cowboys

[Longintooth]

Hi
Well mine had only been twanging a week so I thought no rush, but I wondered how long it had been stiff before it gets to clonk stage. I just been down picked the kit up from Page's cost me £44 inc VAT and it's a Monroe. fitted it in 1.5 hrs done and tested - clonk gone. The old bearing was free when twidling it no load on off the vehicle but as soon as weight goes on it gets stiff, some idiots might just have put this bearing back in. This had not colopsed but it was giving the spring a hard time and that's what breaks the spring in time. I'm gonna do the otherside before it starts to clonk. Oh the plonker at the stealer asked me if I had the special tool to compress the spring er.... What's that I asked, he said I could be killed if I did not use theirs.... er. Well I did it just like all the hundreds I have done before with a couple of Draper spring compressors so they are trying to scare even pros.

[Welly]

So we need to work the steering from left to right and listen for any twangs and feel for any resistance etc? I suppose the strut turns in a jerky motion with the spring taking up the slack.

Touch wood we all seem to have had 'snappers' at very low speed where, thinking about it, the twisting force on the spring is greatest bit worrying though all the same.

[Longintooth]

When the strut turns, the spring pivots on this stupid, thin ball race (about 4 inches diameter) that carries about 400 kg plus all the road shocks. When the balls start to collect sh*t it starts to break up the balls but they get rough first. This jams the race so it can't turn freely and the spring start to wind up then it goes with a twang - that's bad enough for the spring to get stressed, but as it gets worse the spring will stop twanging and then things really get bad for it. The steering will start to pull to one side or the other as it can't centre against the spring pressure. I've done many makes but never seen a design so poor as this.

[Welly]

I keep my wheel arches very clean with power washing, I wonder if this helps?

[Longintooth]

Well the bearing has very little protection from the muck thrown around from the tyres and when I released the cover it was caked with dirt. I have not opened up the bearing to examine what kind of seal keeps the dirt out but it does not look effective - the race actually flexes and you can hear the grating from what dirt has got in. Power washing may even make it worse since that will apply much more force to swill the dirt around the bearing. I'll take a photo of it but someone already has on here and it was broken open.

[steve_earwig]

I keep my wheel arches very clean with power washing, I wonder if this helps?

For some reason I read that as "washing powder" (then I have been languishing in my pit all day with a migraine). I suppose there's always the possibility you're washing the grease out of said bearing (Longintooth?)

Nasty bearing post and pic

[rapport25]

Its strange as my spring snapped drivers side and my shock was leaking and was replaced mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Im considering getting my steering gaiters topped up with greese as you mentioned on a previous post that seemed to stop your knocking noise.

The problem with my pug is when its warm really warm 25 degrees plus or if i have been sitting in heavy traffic i gettting a knocking noise of the suspension which my mechanic tells mw the rack is worn and sprays every component with 3 in 1 and seems to cure it short term.

[Longintooth]

Well I had a closer look at the old bearing and it seems the design is worse than I thought - when the coil spring contacts the support plate it only contacts just over half the plate meaning that only that number of balls are taking the weight !!! On really close inspection the bearings have levelled up with the upper plate which means there is no bearing support at all - it is rubbing directly on the upper mounting assembly and really gripping the plate with all the 400kg of weight.
No wonder it makes the spring twang. Oh - of course there could be other knocks such as CV joints worn like on the early minis that used to crackle on full lock,
but it is much different from the singular twang/clonk that this is. Never take one fault in islolation.

[Longintooth]

I just revisited your Pics Steve. Your comment - they repacked the bearing. This is impossible - they are sealed. What sort of people are doing repairs these days?

[Welly]

Am I the only one who got home last night and gave the old front wheels a good work out left and right watching/listening?

Are we heading for one of our famous 'spate of....' series?

Soops - people get unusually emotional at xmas time so I'd watch out for stuff like that coming up again

[steve_earwig]

I just revisited your Pics Steve. Your comment - they repacked the bearing. This is impossible - they are sealed. What sort of people are doing repairs these days?

Ones that are used to working on VWs and Opels Still, if there's no way of getting grease in there then there's no way Welton's going to be blowing it out with his washing powder... I mean, power washing