rbuesgen

Hello,
I am a seldom user to the Forum and have a question about my C5. I have owned it since almost new and have put over 250K miles on it. My current issue is with the drivers side shock mount. The top of the shock attaching shaft (and nut) is protruding above the washer fluid tank. It looks like the attachment point failed and allowed the shock to fully extend. The car is not resting on the tire, the spring seems to be supporting it. I called my local dealership and explained the problem. They (as always) suggest I bring it in for a look ($$) before they can give me a definitive answer. Has anyone encountered this probelm before? Is there a bolt on bracket to replace the mount or am I looking at having to dismantle the front end to allow a new bracket to be welded in place? Thanks for any help or suggestions!
Ric

bumble-z

Richard, sorry to hear of the problem your having.
Hopefully it's not as bad as your thinking.... but it possibly could be.

First off, congratulations for hitting the 250K mile milestone with your 1999 coupe.

I would suggest taking your car to a shop you can trust.
Have them remove the shock & see what has actually happened.....
Otherwise, everything is pure speculation


You didn't say how long the front shocks had been on the car.
It could be possibly nothing more than a broken shock shaft, worn out upper bushings, etc.
The worse case scenario, if you had to replace the front shock mount, which appears to be welded in place.
If the shock mount center is blown out.
Surely you would have heard quite a bit of noise
I would take it to a trusted collision shop & have the old mount burned out & weld/reinstall a used one in it's place.
Let us know what you find out.
Good luck.

Lothar34

Post a pic if you can, and if it is as you describe then a body shop should be able to fix it pretty easily.

rbuesgen

Thanks for the info. Yes, I have heard a lot of noise when going over relatively small bumps in the road. The shaft appears to be still attached to the shock, so I have to assume the mount gave way. I check out the local body shops and let you know what I find out. Thanks again.

fendermender

If the mount turns out to be broke or rusted away, I can help with a used one. I still have the left front rail removed from mine. The frame rail is junk but the shock mount is fine and I could cut it off.

bumble-z

Hey fendermender,
If the mount does indeed need replaced.
Doesn't the fender & liner need to be removed before he cuts the old mount out & to install the replacement?

Ps, it's a nice gesture, for your to come forward with a possible replacement part.

Bill Curlee

NO! The mount can easily be ground off and re-welded onto the frame with a stick or MIG welder.

I would never remove the INNER fender because it is EPOXIED to the frame.

If you welder says its too close,, use a cut of wheel on an air drill and grind it back some.

BC

Evilash

Couldn't it just be the bottom half of the upper shock mount broke free from the shock shaft?

Are both washers and bushings in the engine compartment or just the top half of the set?

Maybe you just need new shocks?

lionelhutz

Is it just the round shaft with the nut on the end sticking out of the washer tank? If so, it sounds like the bushing assembly has come apart.

If there is a larger diameter black washer and rubber bushing still attached then it has pushed through the bracket.

If the nut is missing, then maybe the shock pulled out of the bushing and stuck through the inner fender beside the bracket.

You really need to jack the car up on that side and pull the wheel and it should be fairly easy to tell what happened.

Peter

bumble-z

Just asking because that mount goes under quite a bit of some plastic, towards the direction of the wheel.

RonSSNova

A picture would be SO helpful here.

The shock mount is a simple part of the suspension. It doens't support the weight of the car unless for some reason the shock freezes solid, which I doubt.

My guess is that the 2 piece upper bushing has fallen apart.

OP, take 10 minutes to remove the tire and take a photo.

You can see the bushing and the mount/shock here.



BTW, as filthy as this was, it is all perfectly clean now....

Ron

fendermender

That's what I was thinking. In any case, I won't be letting that piece go to the scrap pile. I was thinking it was just junk but I guess you never know. Now I know why my place looks like I never throw anything away.

lionelhutz

Isn't there a snap ring on the shaft that the dust cover goes against? The dust cover also doubles as the washer for the bushing. If that snap ring let go, then the shock would be able to extend due to nothng holding the bushing parts in place. The gas charge would push it to extend up into the engine compartment.

Peter

rbuesgen

Hey, you guys are great! I very much appreciate the offer of the used part, Fendermender! All of the advice! And I apologize for not posting a picture yet. I have been tied up with work, which is why I haven't torn it apart, yet. I intend to do that this weekend. I get Monday off, too. I will definitely pull off the tire and look at the things you have already mentioned. Regardless, I will take a picture and post sometime before Tuesday. Thanks for all the great advice and I will get back with you soon.

Ric

RonSSNova

No. The dust cover just slides off. The lower half of the bushing slides on the shaft prior to putting the shock on. Once on and pushed through the frame mount, the top half of the bushing goes on followed by a large washer then the nut.
There is a bump stop under the cover. About an inch thick.
It is very conventional.

Ron

lionelhutz

Ron - what keeps the dust cover from sliding down the shaft??? I recall there being a wire ring machined into the shock shaft to stop the cover.

RonSSNova

Here is a photo (cleaned up) that shows the dust cover and the bushing as well as the mount.



You know, I had this all apart, and didn't look to see what holds the bump stop on the shaft. I pulled the dust cover off to look even.

I now believe you are correct. If there is a snap ring, and it broke, the shaft could poke through the bushing and there is the problem.

I tried to jack the lower control arm up to get the upper arm off the dust cover, but there isn't enough weight on the front end now that it's all apart to get the suspension to move enough. The car just lifted off the jack stands.

I stand corrected! I look forward to Ric's photos. Probably just needs new front shocks. Maybe a new rubber bushing.

Ron

bumble-z

Ron, the OP never did answer the very first question in regards to how long the shocks had been on his 250K mile car.
It could very well be as lionelhutz stated, in regards to shock failure.
Kinda hard to believe though, but with that many miles & most likely
the owner not staying on top of things, as he should have, the snap ring/wire is more than likely the culprit.
Hopefully for the Op, that's all it is.

RonSSNova

Well?
Any update?

rbuesgen

OK, you guys were correct. It was just a bad shock. I pulled the wheel and removed the shock. The original shocks were built with the dust cover acting as the lower washer for the bushings. The shock shaft has a ridge that stops the shaft from extending through the dust cover. Over the years, (yes, they were the original shocks and I did ask a supposed corvette mechanic about when to replace them and he told me to wait until they fail, my mistake) the hole in the dust cover for the shaft wore and the last little bump I hit caused the shaft to go through the dust cover. I replaced both shocks and intend to do the rears next weekend. I took a couple pictures but am not quite sure how to upload them here.

Please accept my sincere thanks for all your advice. I thought I was screwed in terms of having to get a new shock mount installed. If I had taken it to the dealership, it would have cost a lot more to just have them R & R the shocks.