Big Suspension Problem - Never seen this before....

[knobby]

OK take a look at the picture below. car is sitting on the flat and suspensive is doing this.. i can move the rod up and down but didnt like to push it too far.. Any ideas???     

[wellfan]

Looks like strut internals are f....d. causing the strut to protrude as much. You were hopefully looking for a more informed reply and I am sure it wil come in good time. You will however need to replace the strut, costs very little at GSF or Eurocarparts, as I am sure you already know. Sorry if I am stating the obvious.

[knobby]

just had it all apart.. its a small circlip which stops the damper shaft moving up to far.. Its snapped. guessin i just need a new clip.

Knobby

[Mr Blue]

your car has had it. you need to sell me those wheels and the aircon setup

never noticed any clips on them before

anyone got a diagram off etka?

[Agreeable Slick]

just had it all apart.. its a small circlip which stops the damper shaft moving up to far.. Its snapped. guessin i just need a new clip.

Knobby

Correct, there is a measly circlip that sits in a grove on all shocks at the rear, this stops the spring from going all the way down the damper and letting the body drop. Unfortunately its not a simple fix of getting a new circlip. Whilst that one has been missing the other strut will be taking the majority of the weight of the rear of the car when going over bumps.

Best solution is to replace both of them with boge gas shocks from GSF, only £40 each and will give you peace of mind. Not quite as scary as you first thought though. 

[The Hoax]

I am not entirely sure that the diagnosis about the circlip is the full story. I had the same problem with mine and what had happened was that a large metal washer that sits above the lower rubber bush had stress fractured and broken apart thus allowing the insert to pop through into the boot exactly as yours did. I do not think that my struts had circlips. Anyway, I replaced the large washers on both sides of the car but I feel that the rear suspension is very harsh ad have never been really happy with it as I feel every bump on uneven roads.

I too would be really grateful if someone could post a decent illustration of the rear strut components shown in the order they go on so that I can do a rebuild.

[Agreeable Slick]

I am not entirely sure that the diagnosis about the circlip is the full story.

From looking at it, and what he has said it is the full story, i had mine collapse on me because the circlip broke and i was doing 60 down a dual carriage way. Not a great experience and at the end of the day everything points towards the clip more than anything else as the top looks solid.

Tried to find a diagram, unfortunately i can't find one.

[knobby]

Hey..

thanks for all the advice guys.. I'm pretty sure its just the circlip, id buy new struts but i quite fancy some coilovers so gonna try and get a circlip until i can afford the coilovers..

Ok Haynes manual has a picture of the suspension strut.. have a look below.. its not a great image but you get the idear.

Worse bit was.. ive spent the whole day cleaning her. Wheels have just come back fully refurbished so had clean and wax them before they went on. gave the whole car a good clean, she looks sweet.. then i took her up the road and could hear the parcel sheft moving, thinking what the he11 is that.. THen realised it was the suspension trying to get through.. LOL... Feking thing..

Gonna post some good pictures of her soon.. 

[GTI EDITION (aka LTD)]

I have only seen this happen once before in the 21 years that I have worked on VWs and that was on a new E reg 16v the thing was that the customer was a total nutter we put it down to the fact that he had admitted to thrashing the car around a a very bumpy field and it was only a couple of weeks old .
Mind you he treated his Quattro (the proper blown arched turbo model ) the same way ! .We repaced it under warranty ( without mentioning where he'd been driving it )
It never happend again to our knowledge but maybe he would have been too embarrassed to come back to us if he did it again :embarassed:.

[knobby]

I aint been thrashing mine round any fields i can assure you.. bet my machined rims would love that....

But saying that the car is 15 years old... you never know what its life has been like!!...

Knobby