shock absorbers. Health check

The suspension of any car incorporates elastic elements that smooth out the unpleasant impact when hitting the unevenness of the roadway. These elements are primarily springs and springs. Without them, driving a car in terms of comfort would resemble moving on a cart, and the car itself would quickly begin to fall apart due to constant strong shaking and vibrations.

However, the use of springs and springs has its downside, causing very significant vertical and horizontal swings. Such vibrations significantly reduce controllability and can lead to dangerous situations, for example, the vehicle rolls over. To smooth out such vibrations, shock absorbers or shock absorbers are used. If the shock absorber is broken, the car will remain on the move, however, constant rocking will pretty tire the driver. It will also adversely affect braking performance and tire wear.

Shock absorber and stand. Understanding construction and terminology

Many are convinced that a shock absorber is just a simplified term for a suspension strut. However, this is not quite true.

The shock absorber usually has a cylindrical design. Inside the housing is a piston with a rod. The internal space is filled with a viscous liquid (oil), sometimes gas is used instead of a liquid. The device works in compression and at the same time is able to withstand very significant loads.

When the car's suspension moves vertically, the piston acts on the fluid, causing it to slowly flow from one part of the cylinder to another through the small pores in the piston. The vibrations are then damped.

A two-pipe design is often used, in which the tubes are located one inside the other. In this case, the liquid passes from the first tube to the second through the valve.

The suspension strut includes a telescopic shock absorber as a main part. In many cases, although not always, a steel spring is put on it, which acts as a spring. By means of a support bearing, the rack is connected from above to the body. From below, it is attached to the steering knuckle, for this a rubber-metal hinge (silent block) is used. Thanks to this design, mobility is ensured not only in the vertical, but also in the horizontal direction. As a result, the suspension strut performs several functions at once - damping vertical and horizontal vibrations, suspension of the car body and freedom of wheel orientation.

Assessment of the state of shock absorbers according to the behavior of the car in motion

The fact that the shock absorber is out of order can be indicated by indirect signs that appear while driving. These symptoms include:

• the car sways or rolls quite strongly, such a manifestation becomes especially noticeable in a turn or during braking;
• sometimes, due to a faulty shock absorber, the car at high speed can wag left and right;
• noticeable vibrations are felt in motion.

In general, with faulty shock absorbers, vehicle controllability deteriorates significantly, and the braking distance increases.

Other manifestations of a malfunction

Often, the shock absorber reports its failure with a knock. Most often it is heard during acceleration, braking and cornering. Sometimes it occurs due to deformation of the body. Quite often, knocking in the shock absorber is accompanied by oil leakage from it. It can also knock in cases where the mount is loose.

An indirect sign of poor performance of shock absorbers may be increased or uneven tire wear.

How to check if a shock absorber is OK

To test, many try to shake the car sharply and watch how the vibrations die out. If you can’t swing it at all, the stock is probably jammed. If the car shakes more than twice, then we can definitely say that it's time to change the shock absorber.

But if the fluctuations stop immediately, then this says absolutely nothing about the degree of its performance. The shock absorber may be in excellent condition, or it may be on the verge of failure. The fact is that with manual rocking it is impossible to create real loads that the device experiences in the process of movement.

Something can be found out by visual inspection. On the mirror surface of the rod there should be no traces of corrosion, which can impede the free movement of the piston. If the body is even slightly deformed, the piston may knock or even jam. There may be a slight oil coating on the body, this can be considered normal. But if you notice obvious signs of oil leakage, then this is already an alarming sign. Try wiping the case with a dry cloth and check again after a few days. If the shock absorber is leaking, you will still be able to ride for a while, but how long this will last is impossible to say in advance.

There are special vibration stands on which you can diagnose and assess the condition of shock absorbers. But there are nuances here, which in the end can greatly distort the result. The vibration stand must take into account the model and age of the machine, the type of suspension, the degree of wear of other elements, tire pressure, wheel alignment and some other data. Otherwise, the diagnostic result may not be entirely reliable. The verification algorithm used on this particular stand can also introduce its own error.

If you drive with a faulty shock absorber

Failure of this damping element usually allows the car to stay on track. Nevertheless, the situation should by no means be ignored.

First, a rocking car is difficult to control.

Secondly, safety is significantly reduced - the braking distance becomes longer, the likelihood of a rollover increases, due to jumping on bumps, the contact of the wheels with the road is lost every now and then.

Thirdly, the load on other suspension elements is growing, which means their wear is accelerating. Ignore a shock absorber malfunction - be prepared for the failure of wheel bearings, levers and other parts. Pads and brake discs will wear out more intensively. And, of course, tires will wear out at an accelerated pace.

If you decide to replace the shock absorber, make sure the suspension is in good condition as a whole, check the silent blocks, ball bearings. Their wear and tear can reduce the life of the shock absorber and you will have to change it again ahead of time.

Do not forget also that the rear or front shock absorbers need to be changed in pairs.