arctic_mark Posted July 5, 2007 Share Posted July 5, 2007 (edited) So, I was wheeling in the mountains in my '94 WD21 over the Canada Day (July 1st) long weekend. Went out with the boys & girls from Northern Alberta 4WD Assoc. A long trail on Saturday over loose river boulers and cobbles, very rough, and like 16 river crossings. Sunday was a great ride up to a mountain top above treeline, but very technical trails, heavily gullied and washed out, super flexy. The result was a busted driver's side front shock (bent stem, doesn't presurize, failed lower mounting eye), missing bump-stops on driver's side U & LCAs, and outer CV boot issues. The passanger side had lost its outer (big) retainer strap and was ozzing grease, the driver's side was ripped and the large retainer had slid inwards. Looked like the CV boots has pinched against the lower control arms, in one case just bustig off and leaving the boot OK, in the other, jamming and casing the boot to twist up and rip. The question is, was this caused by excess travel due to missing bump stops or something else? I've removed the fromt sway-bar and am running a Calmini 3" suspension lift. Should I put the sway-bar back on, run taller bump-stops, or both? Any suggestions> Anyways, here's a few pics of the run, and the damage! On the Ruby Falls Trail Tons of river crossings (sorry its a Jeep but I was taking the picture!) At the end of the trail at Ruby Falls with the NA4WDA Ruby Falls - worth the damage? Busted driver's side CV boot Busted and bent shock Edited July 5, 2007 by arctic_mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arctic_mark Posted July 5, 2007 Author Share Posted July 5, 2007 sorry to post twice, the computer crashed as I was posting it the first time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted July 5, 2007 Share Posted July 5, 2007 Man, that sucks...sorry to see the carnage. Perhaps a slightly longer front shock would be a help on that issue. If the bumpstops are missing the front suspension can cycle too far and pull the CV's apart, cause overextension of the shocks, etc. Drive carefully and slowly when offroading, and replace those bumpstops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enjoi408 Posted July 5, 2007 Share Posted July 5, 2007 Sorry I dont have the solutions or advice because Im no WD expert, but where is that place? Its beautiful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arctic_mark Posted July 5, 2007 Author Share Posted July 5, 2007 (edited) Sorry I dont have the solutions or advice because Im no WD expert, but where is that place? Its beautiful! Ruby Falls. South west of Edson (or NW of Nordeg) in Alberta, on the eastern slope of the Rockies. Some awsome wheeling in the area there. The trails must be around 30-40km long, some great booulder crawling, river crossings and huge "jeep-eating" mud holes in places. Was there for teh canada day weekend so it was crawling in quaders. makes a good winter run too if you manage not to break through the ice! Got a whole bunch more pics in my photobucket site if you're interested. Mostly jeeps though as I was busy driving my own rig. Edited July 5, 2007 by arctic_mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mws Posted July 6, 2007 Share Posted July 6, 2007 My opinions: - Torn CV joints. Cranking T-Bars to get a full 3" lift is known to be rough on them as it forces the driveshaft to make sharp angles. Not having the bumpstops that prevent excess droop travel definitely compounds the problem. Solutions: Install bump stops and reduce front suspension lift. Or just change CV boots regularly. As they age, they do get less flexible and are more prone to rip. - The shock: I suspect the root cause was the failure of the lower mounting eye. After that tore loose, the shock hung up on something and bent the rod, preventing the seal from functioning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nige Posted July 6, 2007 Share Posted July 6, 2007 are you missing hardware on your upper ball joint? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casey.T Posted July 6, 2007 Share Posted July 6, 2007 You have that cranked all the way up.... At the max height you will stress the CV's... Lower that font end about 1".... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fondo Posted July 6, 2007 Share Posted July 6, 2007 Well, judging by the pic you have posted, it looks like the boot is intact and the c-clip that clamps the boot to the joint itself has been pulled off the ring it seats into. I would say 88 has the best explanation for what happened. You lost your bumpstop and the axle hyperextended istself when you had the steering wheel turned and the suspension was at some point in its travel. Am I wrong? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arctic_mark Posted July 9, 2007 Author Share Posted July 9, 2007 Yeah, that's what I figured, the missing bump stops being the main factor. As for the T-bars, I'm running a Calmini 3" suspension lift wich comes with new UCAs and T-bars to help maintain better CV angles so it shouldn't be too much of a problem. Or that's the idea at least! As for the shock, that's the second mounting eye on a Calmini shock that I've had fail in the last 18 months. Gonna swap those out for some better made ProComps when I replace the damaged bushings and ball joints. Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mws Posted July 9, 2007 Share Posted July 9, 2007 Just so you know, the CalMini kit does nothing in the way of changing CV joint angles. The UCA's help correct upper ball joint angle, but that is all. The T-Bars just make it rider firmer/harder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arctic_mark Posted July 9, 2007 Author Share Posted July 9, 2007 I was thinking that, just after my last post. No way it would improve CV joint angles at all. Damn it Jim, I'm a doctor not a mechanic! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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