The front suspension shock absorber strut consists of a shock absorber, an upper support, a coil spring and an upper spring support cup.
The shock absorber strut is attached to the car body with one nut screwed onto the rod - it compresses the body elements between the elastic elements of the upper support and the thrust washer.
The cylindrical spring rests on the lower and upper support cups. The lower support part is welded to the shock absorber body, and the upper part is secured to the shock absorber rod together with the upper support of the strut, consisting of a body and a bearing. The bearing allows the shock absorber strut to rotate when the steering wheel is turned, together with the spring and the upper support cup of the spring, and the rubber cushion prevents the transmission of vibrations to the car body. To protect the shock absorber from dirt and dust, a dust cover is installed on it.
Front suspension parts: 1 - steering knuckle; 2 — front suspension strut; 3 — stabilizer bar for lateral stability; 4 — anti-roll bar; 5 - lever; 6 — front suspension subframe; 7 — ball joint
To prevent hard impacts when the suspension breaks through, a compression stroke buffer is installed on the piston rod.
At the bottom, the shock absorber strut is secured with bolts to the steering knuckle.
The steering knuckle rests on the front suspension arm and is connected to it via a ball joint.
A wheel bearing is pressed into the steering knuckle and secured with a support ring. And the front wheel hub, in turn, is pressed into the inner bearing race.
The anti-roll bar is attached via rubber cushions to the rear subframe, and its ends are connected via the anti-roll bar struts to the front suspension struts.
Checking the technical condition
The technical condition of the front suspension must be checked in accordance with the maintenance plan.
You can assess the technical condition of the suspension while driving. When driving at low speed on an uneven road, the suspension should operate without knocking, creaking or other extraneous sounds. After driving over an obstacle, the car should not dissipate.
Recommendation. It is advisable to combine checking the condition of the suspension with checking the tires, wheels and wheel hub bearings.
Note: One-sided wear of the tire tread indicates deformation of the front suspension parts or incorrect wheel alignment angles.
1. We prepare the car for maintenance and repair.
Recommendation. The functionality of the shock absorbers should be checked immediately after a long trip, while the working fluid in the shock absorbers has not cooled down.
2. Check the shock absorbers.
3. We hang up the front wheels of the car.
4. Check the condition of the hub bearing by using your hands to rock the wheel in a vertical plane. To make sure that the play is not caused by faulty suspension components, repeat the check with the brake pedal pressed. If the play has disappeared, the bearing is to blame. But sometimes the play can be eliminated by tightening the nut to the prescribed tightening torque specified in the reference data.
5. Inspect the shock absorber struts of the suspension - no fluid leakage from them is allowed.
6. Inspect the front suspension springs. Sagging, deformed or broken springs must be replaced simultaneously on both sides of the vehicle.
7. By rocking the front suspension arm with a mounting blade, we check the condition of the front...
...and rear silent blocks.
There should be no play or breaks in the rubber, otherwise it is necessary to replace the front suspension arm assembly with silent blocks.
8. Using a mounting blade as a lever, check for any play in the ball joint.
9. Check the condition of the anti-roll bar cushions and struts.
10. Check the condition of the steering rod end joints.
11. Visually check the condition of the ball joint covers, stabilizer strut joints, drive joints...
...and steering rods.
12. Joints with play, cushions and covers of ball joints and steering rods with one-sided bulging of rubber, ruptures and cracks are replaced (see relevant sections).
13. We check the front suspension on the other side of the car in the same way.
14. Inspect the suspension parts. Deformation and fatigue cracks in suspension parts are not allowed. We replace damaged parts (see relevant sections).
The reliability of the suspension elements is very important to ensure safe operation of the vehicle. Therefore, in strict accordance with the maintenance plan, check the tightening of all fastening bolts and nuts to the prescribed tightening torques of threaded connections.
[The article was reprinted from the website «ChevyMan.ru»]