Hmmmm guessing game time..
- Thread starter Jay
- Start date
streetracer_starlet
Member +
Was gonna say bottom ball joint.
Jay
Admin
Just realising the pic looks like the surface of the moon lol..
Was replacing my rear brake pads and discs. The bottom caliper carrier bolt was seized so I popped the spanner on and give it three taps with a hammer down the way and noticed a lot of whitish crap falling from the top of the wheel arch.. Gave it one last big tap and the whole bloody shock dropped downwards.
On closer inspection it appears my NSR topmount has disintegrated completely:
Here's a comparison with the other side:
I'm feeling kinda lucky that I discovered it today. I don't think it would have broken in place when the load was on it but the auto has seen a few airborne rallying moments over the years and I shutter to think how just one more might have turned out.. scary huh?
Was replacing my rear brake pads and discs. The bottom caliper carrier bolt was seized so I popped the spanner on and give it three taps with a hammer down the way and noticed a lot of whitish crap falling from the top of the wheel arch.. Gave it one last big tap and the whole bloody shock dropped downwards.
On closer inspection it appears my NSR topmount has disintegrated completely:
Here's a comparison with the other side:
I'm feeling kinda lucky that I discovered it today. I don't think it would have broken in place when the load was on it but the auto has seen a few airborne rallying moments over the years and I shutter to think how just one more might have turned out.. scary huh?
starletburkie
Member +
haha not in great shape!
x2 lol
Gryzor
Admin
On googling this, it looks like you have some galvanic corrosion .. http://www.corrosionist.com/Galvanic_Corrosion.htm
Prevention . Keep the metals dry or shielded from ionic compounds (salts, acids, bases), for example by painting or encasing the protected metal in plastic or epoxy, and allowing them to dry.
Prevention . Keep the metals dry or shielded from ionic compounds (salts, acids, bases), for example by painting or encasing the protected metal in plastic or epoxy, and allowing them to dry.
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WallaceGlanza
Member +
Yup, same happened to my fmic bracket. The aluminum parts are anodised to protect them but as soon as the coating is scratched and in contact with a more noble metal - directly or via an electrolyte the aluminium will corrode, so having the studs screwed/pressed directly into the aluminium plates means you can't avoid it.
That is some really nasty corrosion though - looks like they've been offshore for a while!
the salt on the roads up north dont help that, i done all the front arms on our a4 the weekend we bought the car from the north, the pinch bolts where bet in there i never saw the likes, steel and aluminum just dont go i greased the new bolts up to help for the next time.
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Jay
Admin
Interesting reading eh? On close inspection it looks like the studs have rusted which ate into the surrounding aluminium housing. No doubt the salted roads, heavy rainfall and occasional soaking in sea water has taken it's toil over the years. Will rip out the front units over the weekend to make sure there's nothing sinister going on there too.
These are a set of Cusco Zero 1 coilovers imported from Japan circa 2007/8. They were a few years old at that stage and after heavy usage on various EP's over the years they don't owe me anything thankfully. Would make me think twice about buying old JDM coilovers again though, especially if they have been on UK roads for a bit.
Jay
Good luck you've noticed the problem when the car was on the ramp and not when you were doing 70Mph on the motorway!
I must admit my 14 year old shocks and springs looks OK with minimal rust on it. Also the drive is not bad, they still actually do their job -)
I think the main cause of your problem is the Sea Water and that you actually live on the sea side, which gives you very high humidity. I also must admit that every suspension I had on the cars imported from Japan was in Mint condition even on a 15 year old cars, which makes me think that the road surface in Japan is very good and they don't use Salt to grit the roads in the winter... Don't know about Japan, but in Russia they use SAND, it helps to give a grip on ice. The Grit is useless below -5-10C anyway... I would've thought that the sand would do less harm to our cars then the salt???
I must admit my 14 year old shocks and springs looks OK with minimal rust on it. Also the drive is not bad, they still actually do their job -)
I think the main cause of your problem is the Sea Water and that you actually live on the sea side, which gives you very high humidity. I also must admit that every suspension I had on the cars imported from Japan was in Mint condition even on a 15 year old cars, which makes me think that the road surface in Japan is very good and they don't use Salt to grit the roads in the winter... Don't know about Japan, but in Russia they use SAND, it helps to give a grip on ice. The Grit is useless below -5-10C anyway... I would've thought that the sand would do less harm to our cars then the salt???
WallaceGlanza
Member +
Standard top mounts and pretty much all components are made of steel not aluminum so they don't crumble away like that!
You're right about Japan not using salt, in places liable to ice and on busier roads they have a system which flows water across them constantly which can never freeze, pretty simple but effective idea.
You're right about Japan not using salt, in places liable to ice and on busier roads they have a system which flows water across them constantly which can never freeze, pretty simple but effective idea.
Jay
Admin
Wouldn't have been a problem on the motorway, just a problem once I started the dukes of hazard style driving down the backroads lol. And yeah, you are right about the salt, really doesn't agree with car components. This sort of corrosion is new with me though. It's like the mount is eaten from the inside out.