2o6's Focus!

[Eye of the Tiger]

Buy the first VAN you see on craigslist.

[280Z Turbo]

Buy the first VAN you see on craigslist.

He'd be better off with a Chevy Express. The Express is better in every way.

[Madman]

I've got a non-running Volvo 740 Turbo I can sell you!

[CJ]

I've got a non-running Volvo 740 Turbo I can sell you!

I seriously bet you that it's something extremely simple that's keeping it from running.

[2o6]

Either a ball joint, endlink or possibly a front strut is going out. It's noisy over bumps (noisier than an endlink, which I had fixed) and it feels slightly unsettled over bumps.

[Secret Chimp]

"Noisy" is about the worst description you could give.

My suspension creaks and pops over bumps and turns, it's noisy.

My tires thrum on the highway, they're noisy.

I put Gorilla Glue in my crankcase and all of my lifters are jammed up, they're noisy.

My wheel bearing separated and I dragged the rear corner of my car a quarter of a mile, that was noisy.

[2o6]

Creaks and pops, not a consistant soft tap or clunk like an endlink.

[Secret Chimp]

Ball joints. Struts don't pop.

[2o6]

Ball joints. Struts don't pop.

Thanks. I kinda figured that, wasn't 100% sure.

[Eye of the Tiger]

"Noisy" is about the worst description you could give.

My suspension creaks and pops over bumps and turns, it's noisy.

My tires thrum on the highway, they're noisy.

I put Gorilla Glue in my crankcase and all of my lifters are jammed up, they're noisy.

My wheel bearing separated and I dragged the rear corner of my car a quarter of a mile, that was noisy.

[Secret Chimp]

Thanks. I kinda figured that, wasn't 100% sure.

You know what else pops?

Da booty

[2o6]

My heat won't turn off, now. Or sometimes, it won't turn on.

[Eye of the Tiger]

My heat won't turn off, now. Or sometimes, it won't turn on.

Isn't it cable operated?

[2o6]

Remember when I said it was a ball joint and you guys pretty much yelled at me for being stupid when I literally was utterly clueless as to how this could happen?


Well, when I started getting steering problems, I looked under the car to see where the balljoint/lower control arm meets the car, and I saw nothing out of the ordinary. I wasn't sure whether or not I was even looking at it right, and my symptoms seemed to feel more like a blown shock rather than a broken balljoint. I thought it could be either or, but I'm not sure.


Well, I limped the car to the mechanic today and they discovered that the front left strut is pretty much destroyed. The nut holding the spring inside the strut is gone. The strut itself may be blown or possibly bent (they will find out when the strut comes off).


I'm not sure whether it's a defective part, or possibly my brother and I putting it in wrong. However, if we put it in wrong I suspect it would fail almost immediately....not five months and 7000 miles later.

[SVT666]

It probably wouldn't fail right away, but it sounds like a defective part.  It's hard to install these things wrong because they only fit one way.

[2o6]

It probably wouldn't fail right away, but it sounds like a defective part.  It's hard to install these things wrong because they only fit one way.

I had the mechanic put the old strut in my car, so IDK if I can get anything or do anything for this.

[Laconian]

So your car has mismatched struts?

[2o6]

So your car has mismatched struts?

Sadly. They put in a stock quick strut and sent me on my way. There was no other way to drive my car safely, and I need my car for work.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Sadly. They put in a stock quick strut and sent me on my way. There was no other way to drive my car safely, and I need my car for work.

So you have one side with an SVT spring and strut, and one side with a standard spring and strut. Holy fucking shit. I can't find a big enough face palm...

[2o6]

So you have one side with an SVT spring and strut, and one side with a standard spring and strut. Holy fucking shit. I can't find a big enough face palm...

What else was I supposed to do?

[Eye of the Tiger]

I went to a new mechanic; this guy did the new front axles. This guy also fixed the strut today.


Even in fixing the front axles, there's no possible way for that spring and shock to come undone in the process of doing any of his repairs.


How is he incompetent?

Oh, let's see...
-obviously did not install the strut correctly, which is why it fell apart
-proceeded to replace it with a quick strut that does not match the rest of the suspension

[Eye of the Tiger]

What else was I supposed to do?

Source a new SVT strut and reinstall the old SVT spring on it.
I honestly just give up. Just sell the car and take the bus.

[2o6]

Oh, let's see...
-obviously did not install the strut correctly, which is why it fell apart
-proceeded to replace it with a quick strut that does not match the rest of the suspension

My brother and I did the suspension....it's in this thread. Did we do it wrong? I don't know. At the time it seems like everything was fine, and it seemed fine for the past five months.



The strut keeps the car rolling which honestly is my main goal at this point. It drives fine enough for my purposes.

Source a new SVT strut and reinstall the old SVT spring on it.
I honestly just give up. Just sell the car and take the bus.

I don't have time for that.

[Eye of the Tiger]

No. Let's talk about my VAN.

[2o6]

I think you guys are more riled up about this than I am.

[Eye of the Tiger]

[MrH]

The strut keeps the car rolling which honestly is my main goal at this point. It drives fine enough for my purposes.

Dude...

I just don't even know what to say anymore.

[2o6]

I started up the Focus today, and moved it a little. I'm going to miss this car.

[Cookie Monster]

Why? Seemed like a freaking headache, and your new car seems better in almost every way.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Why? Seemed like a freaking headache, and your new car seems better in almost every way.

Except the opposite is true, aside from the newness/lower mileage.