I've got about a 3/4" difference measured from my wheel well from my passenger side (low) as compared to my driver side. Tires are both at correct pressure.
On a recent road trip with a bunch of stuff in the car the passenger side sat very low.

What should I look for, where do I begin? I'm going to be doing a rear brake job soon so I figure that might be the time to take a look at things.

Thanks!

 

I would start with new shocks.

 

Hello Zimbo,

Which corner of the car is low? Passenger front or rear?

Traditionally, when something like this appears people will put a knee on the bumper of the offending corner and perform a bump test.

This is done by pushing down, hard, on the bumper and watching the reaction. If the car rises and settles then it isnt the shock/strut. If the car continues tobounce then the shock/strut is done.

They must or should be replaced as a pair.

If it is the shocks (rear) then it can be done in the drive way with a pair of jack stands and any Mastercraft (or other) socket and ratchet set. A torque wrench is a good thing to have handy.

If it is a strut (front) then you would be best to take it to a shop as an alignment will be needed after work is completed.

[sm=icon_cheers.gif]

 

Thanks for the reply, it's the back of the car that has the problem.
I pushed down hard on the low corner and it comes back up and stops smoothly. So if I understand your explanation then it's shocks?

Thanks!

 

It sounds like the shocks are functioning properly, but you still would want to crawl under the car and check it out. Also, take a good look at the spring to be sure it is not broken or not seated in properly. Have you had any work done to the car recently?

 

Inspection last April, they had to replace control arms but that was it. All other work done by me (not too much to date).
I'll take a look underneath at the springs. If I understand the suspension correctly the shocks just control the up and down motion but do not provide elevation – that's the job of the springs. So it would seem logical that would be the problem??
Let me know if I've got this wrong.

Thanks!

 

If I understand you correctly what youre saying is, the car, when pushed down will rise and settle?

I agree with Psaboic, if the car settles, goes down - comes up and stops - then it is not the shock.

When driving with the car loaded up, have you ever hit a bump/pot hole that has really worked the suspension to cause abang against the bump stop? You would know by theSledgehammer BANG that kinda make you cringe[:@].

You may have a spring that is beginning to sag. Doesnt happen often.

Take a tape measure and from the rocker panelbehind the front wheel and in front of the rear wheel, measure the distance to the ground. If it is not equal all around, then this suggests a problem with that particular corner.

The shock/strut is used as a damper for the spring,otherwise the wheel would just continue to bounce and control would be nonexistent.


[sm=icon_cheers.gif]

 

Here's a few pictures to help describe my problem a bit better.
The side by side comparison was taken on a tripod to keep the camera height the same.


This is the offending side from underneath.


And here's a shot that I captured both sides in


Not sure what else it could be if I understand everything correctly except the spring?

 

The shocks might be bad and might have caused springs to get weak. That's why I said try new shocks first to see if the springs are weak.

 

Hello Zimbo,

When I did the suspension on The Anvil I did both front and back as the shocks had started to leak. It was a smack to the stones at the time.[:@]

From your pics, very good by the way [sm=smiley20.gif]- best way to show a problem, the bottom of the springpockets should always be the same distance from the ground as the car sits on top of the spring which sitsin the pocket.

The spring is what maintains your ride height, among other things. Shocks and struts help to control the bounce up and down or, dampen, the spring. Hence the term, shock absorber or spring dampener.

This looks like a job that can be done by a BYM as long as you have a good jack and stands and plan out what may be needed.

Springs, like shocks and struts, should be changed as a pair. And to make things easy, you can only buy them as a pair.

While Iagree with TechI also think that if you tried the bump test and the car doesnt bounce, just comes back up and settles, then I would consider your springs.

Either way you, unfortunatly, may be in th position of having to dothecomplete rear.

Again, great photos.


[sm=icon_cheers.gif]