Front strut snap

[JacksonW Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close JacksonW]

Has this happened to anybody else?
Im running 2 inch TJM XGS front struts. I noticed a loud squeak had developed and a harsh return over speed bumps. On further inspection I noticed the passenger side strut has snapped clear at the bottom eye.
Is this a common fault or random occurrence?

[JacksonW Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close JacksonW]

[mjrandom Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close mjrandom]

I had it happen with ToughDog. I blame it on tensioning the bottomm bush while the car was still on the hoist and crap workmanship with the strut. I had a fillet weld of barely 2mm. Mine was out of warranty so I had to throw the defective unit through the glass window of the fitter. Fixed the problem. Worth talking to TJM. Can you post up a close up pic to show the weld?

[JacksonW Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close JacksonW]

[JacksonW Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close JacksonW]

It doesnt look like it is the weld the gave. So you think that the bottom bush should only be rattled when the car is lowered. I installed them myself and I think I tightened in on the hoist.

[D4Dforme Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close D4Dforme]

I have seen it before on a Hilux it was a Bilstein strut........Pretty sure there was a photo of another strut snapping posted up on here somewhere a few years ago.........

I have done 5 or 6 front strut changeouts for myself and mates rigs and always check the welds before installing as the Bilstein strut had barely enough weld IMO and i'm a Boilermaker by trade so I have some idea what to look for.

I don't think tensioning the strut from new while still on the hoist has much to do with it IMO that would only twist and destroy the rubber bushing insde.........the ferrule that is pressed in for the bush eye is usually a little longer/wider than the outer where the stut is welded to and so would receive all of the force and not the outer part.....

I'd be looking at your welds to be honest.

Dan

[AJ120 Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close AJ120]

I agree with Dan, poor strut construction is your likely culprit. It's a common enough issue, I know a member ere that had it happen on the Anne Beadell Highway, fortunately he took a spare.

Cheers Andrew

[JacksonW Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close JacksonW]

Yea thanks guys. I have buckleys claiming any warranty on it. Now just need to decide what to replace it with.

[mjrandom Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close mjrandom]

That has broken in a different place. I will see if I can find the pic I took of mine.

[JacksonW Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close JacksonW]

Your right mjrandom. That is definately a faulty weld break. It seems strange that mine snapped the eye ring.

[D4Dforme Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close D4Dforme]

It was yours I was thinking of MJ.........That's just rubbish quality mate..........Unfortunatly it would not be the only one they made like that I would bet.

Just as a matter of intrest the OEM struts seem to have good quality welds from what I've seen.

Dan

[Guest Close Guest]

Had one PP member come by my place for a shift lever repair kit and noticed that his front was a lot lower then normal. Ducked under to have a look and the OEM strut had snapped on one side. Couldn't take a closer look at exactly where but most likely where the weld is.

[Whitey Shockie Maker of the Month Award Find all posts View Profile Close Whitey]

It doesnt look like it is the weld the gave. So you think that the bottom bush should only be rattled when the car is lowered. I installed them myself and I think I tightened in on the hoist.

Hey,

Tighten up anything to do with suspension bushes with the car on the ground at ride height.

I wouldn't use a rattle gun on anything to do with bushes, everything will be way over torqued, and your bolts/nuts will be over stressed beyond the recommended torque for their dimensions. Use a torque wrench, and do everything up to the specified torque.

I believe most TJM gear is outsourced to China now, so you're unfortunately the recipient of shoddy workmanship.

What sort of budget have you got for replacement struts?

Best

Mark

[QUICKY Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close QUICKY]

I had one snap at the eye, TJM strut. Lucky it was still under warranty at the time. They put a new set in and no problems for the rest of the time I had the 120

[ZORDO Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close ZORDO]

That TJM strut has the old style bottom bush outer sleeve. the failure is due to metal fatigue & not poor welding in this case.
The newer style TJM struts have a much larger outer sleeve to prevent the flexing on the outer sleeve.
mjrandom's tough dog failure is due to a welding problem