wheel strut: cup AND spring broken!

[Duvel78]

Hello guys! I haven't found the time to be very active on the board, but I have a good news! I'm leaving my current job for another one, I will have a lot of time in September, this means that I will be (finally) able to make a serious update the website! (don't worry Adam, I still have all your scans )

I was reading filthyjohn's topic from yesterday, terrible pics, the 300 can rust very badly. But I think that I have a better pic for the broken front strut!

After 25 km on the motorway Friday night, I tried to park the GLT near my girlfriend's house. There was so place, so I made a U-turn, I drove very slowly to find another place and then a huge BANG: the front spring cup was broken.

What a chance it didn't happen 5 minutes before on a wet motorway, I just can't imagine the disaster, and with a passenger... Or on a test track, Nürbergring for example, something that I maybe wanted to do to celebrate the 200.000 km of the GLT

When I decided to check the damage, what a big surprise... It's not only the cup! The spring is also broken!!!! The bottom of the spring is as rotten as the cup...











Broken spring!!



I really don't know what I will do... Of course from Volvo I don't expect to get the part and it's a bit unecessary to put another used strut if the same problem happens... Any recommandations? I've seen that there is maybe a possibility to get rebuilt ones?

[pistonpen paultje]

There are still good ones @ Wreckers, at least, here in the NL they are...Look for a set!

[Fuse]

In here those lower spring cups were available from Volvo about a year ago but I don't know the current situation. Rubber mounts for struts were then available also but those have been discontinued..

Aftermarket manufacturers make that spring cup also, Klokkerholm/NOR atleast.

Klokkerholm part number

9005430 Front spring support, front, lower

NOR part number is the same, same part.

9005430 Lower spring seat

At least in here any parts shop is able to order those. I actually got one spare one.

Klokkerholm and NOR have a product catalogs at their pages too

http://www.klokkerholm.com/default.asp?lang=gb
http://www.nor-as.dk/Home/tabid/79/Default.aspx

[jtbo]

Aftermarket springs are not very expensive either, also better do both sides as other one is going probably too.

I recommend to find good welder that would weld that cup on place, if you deliver only strut it should not cost a fortune.

For me it was 30 euros from 2 cups, then 70 euros for two GLT springs, but prices can be different today.

[trabitom99]

After yours and John's experience, I'm not going anywhere above 30mph in mine until I've checked the condition of the cups

As Fuse says, NOR and Klokkerholm parts are still available, as are GLT springs (Quinton Hazell do them off the shelf I believe) and strut support bearings.

Tom

[Tourinki]

If i remember correctly that happened to Tero Huikko couple of years ago few days after christmas. He was doing about 80km/h. Luckily he and the car managed to getaway with it unharmed.

[petefarrell360]

I saw an F reg 340 the other day that the front cup was well and truly rusted through at least half way round, it must've been showing at the MOT last year. Basically one speed bump a little bit too fast and that would have been through!

The trouble is when it's someone that isn't mechanically minded or aware of such issues is when it can be very dangerous. A service on a car carried out by a garage is often exactly that, simple replaceable parts changed, in and out asap, job done, no extra safety check, or the knowledge to look for dangerous items and alert the owner of them. (Unless it's somewhere that is worse by scaremongering people into replacing parts needlessly to make money) So the owner is blissfully unaware anything was wrong until it comes around to MOT time, or unless it breaks or fails spectacularly in the meantime. A yearly MOT isn't a safety check either or any guarantee that a car is roadworthy, just a snap shot of what the car is like when presented. A lot can happen in the period of a year and deteriorate.

Even dedicated V3M'ers and 300 owners can be caught out by such things as the spring cups rusting.

Personally I've take the opportunity to replace your front shocks Aymat, get a good second hand strut, while it is all apart and with no shock absorber in it clean up the cup and get someone to strengthen it by welding some supports on, check the condition of the springs you get with them, and go from there. I cleaned mine up and gave them a good couple of coats of primer and paint.

My top cup on my GLT was in two pieces, I'm not sure I ever got around to posting the pics up here as I was going to do a small write up about it and the noise and problems it created. I took the opportunity to replace a few bits and pieces from some used spares I had.

Pete

[filthyjohn]

Don't worry too much about dying chaps, mine let go at around 55 on a country lane, and it just gouged the tyre and blew it out. Quite easy to control. When they fail, they tend to go on the outer side, and stay solid on the inner side, retaining the spring, so there's little danger of any part of the car fully bottoming out. Still, best to check 'em.

[bogbasic]

Hello, one of mine went when I let it off the jack (sharply) - perhaps that's a good test. Cheers, bogbasic.

[stuartB]

mine did the same

welded it back together, all fine now. Of course, it hadnt gone all the way around, but as someone said above, it went on one side only. bend it back and turn the MIG on

point to note, if you weld it on a bit lower, and repeat on the other side, you get a lower front end! no need for lower springs

EDIT: that one does look shagged tho... maybe it's time for a sticky on what other car 'legs' fit in the front of a 300 - anyone got any ideas?

[Justin]

I was touching up the front vallance on my 340 about 3 weeks ago and noticed my N/S cup was peppered with holes and leaning at a hellish angle, when I took the tyre off and put the car on blocks I noticed that the tyre had been rubbing the side of the cup making it very shiny, I reckon I had a week left before the thing went bang. Both cups on my previous 340 went bang within two months of each other, the first time I was doing 60mph on a dual carriageway and initially thought I'd just had a blow out, the car wasnt too bad to control.

A friend of mine seems to think Kevin Coopers Motor Factors do replica replacement suspension legs/struts.

Jus

[stuartB]

yeah mine still handled ok - just a bit lower and bouncier than before

[Jason B]

I had one with a little hole in it but nothing major, I managed to bend a perfectly good one after a jaunt down one of hampshire's bumpier lanes!!

[Cornholio]

I've had two cups go. Last time I couldn't find a replacement strut from a breakers, but George Mitchell at Friends of the Volvo 300 sent me a set of replacement cups for about £10 a piece.

I was barrelling around a roundabout at about 30mph when the last one let go, taking the tyre out with it. The car handled reasonably well though.

[Justin]

I always thought the cups were actually factory welded to the strut, how the hell do you replace one?!

J