Shock Absorber Leakage: Action Plan

The shock absorbers balance the free motion of car body after crossing the obstacles on the road. If they operate well, the car will easily overcome the deep road pits and keep moving. It’s difficult and dangerous to drive the car with the leaking shock absorbers.

Reasons of Shock Absorber Leakage

The body of the properly operating shock absorber is leak-proof due to the special seal between the body and the rod that prevents the oil leakage from the shock absorber. Yet, the seal is not absolutely leak-tight, and an inconsiderable oil leakage is possible.

• The most common reason of the shock absorber leakage – the excessive loads of the suspension system. To give an example, night, road pit which you haven’t noticed – it’s enough for the shock absorber to ‘weep’. It’s a result of the immediate shock absorber pressing when the operative liquid can’t get through the valves and piston channels properly. Thus, it ‘looks for‘ the weak points in the gaskets and seals and flows through them although the small liquid leakage through the seal, at the rod area, would not affect the shock absorber performance capacities.
• Time and a big travelled distance of a car wear and damage the seal that results in the oil leakage from the shock absorber that shortly becomes incapable of the proper cushion and absorbing of car body motions.

 
Can you drive a car if shock absorbers leak?

The answer is absolutely clear – you can not. The car will react to even the smallest road pits by the intensive car body motions, besides, the driving into the curves would be tough and at low speed only, the braking distance would increase as well. All this brings to the higher risks of the accidents. You can’t ignore the oil leakage at the shock absorbers.

Moreover, the suspension system with the defected shock absorber wears faster as well as the ball joint ends, tie rod ends and bushings since it’s the suspension system that smooths the motions – instead of shock absorbers. If you noticed the leakage of shock absorbers don’t hesitate to repair or replace them, or make the diagnostics of the drivetrain.

The diagnostics of shock absorbers at car service station

Often three diagnostics methods are used:

1. Visual inspection.

2. Bounce test (applicable for passenger cars).

3. Shock absorber diagnostics on the special test bench.

Visual inspection

It’s the most available and simplest diagnostics method to check if there’s leakage at the struts. If the leakage is detected, the repair or replacement is obligatory. Note that the shock absorbers should be replaced in pairs meaning that if one shock absorber leaks you have to replace the second one on the same axle. The visual inspection may also reveal the failure of shock absorber dust boot that is the sign of the soon shock absorber failure.

This diagnostics method enables the detection of the failure of the shock absorbers with the visible defects. At the same time, the failed shock absorber may visually be in order, and it won’t be possible to find the defects using this method. If there’s a problem with the inner worn components the visual inspection won’t work.

Bounce test

This test method enables the detection of the completely failed shock absorber without visual defects as oil leakage.

To test the shock absorber, make a car bounce. If the car continues to bounce for a long time after you stopped pushing it down, it means that the shock absorber is out of order. Although this method is not the most accurate and it’s not applicable for all vehicles, it’s yet very illustrative.

Shock absorber diagnostics on test bench

To get the accurate and complete information on the condition of the shock absorbers, use the special test bench such as MS1000+ that checks the passenger car shock absorbers with any mounting type and at different vibration frequency. With the adapter MS203 connected to MS1000+, it’s possible to test the electronically controlled shock absorbers at different modes.

Despite its costs and complexity (you have to disassemble the suspension system and dismount the shock absorber), this diagnostics method is the only way to evaluate the condition of shock absorber with the highest accuracy.