Leaking Shock Absorber – Causes and Repair | Learning Guide

Every wheel of your vehicle has one shock absorber. The function of the best shock absorber is to absorb the shock or energy of a bump that the car suddenly faces on the road. As you use your car for a long period, it results in shock absorber leaking. As they start to leak, they become problematic for a vehicle in so many ways. This means that you have to fix the shock absorbers to control further issues.

To understand everything about leaking shock absorber - causes and repair, go through every section given below. We are sure that the provided information would be of great help to you.

Leaking Shock Absorber - Causes

The problem of shock absorbers leaking is almost because of one of the few reasons like old aged shocks, damaged seal, worn out pistons and bent shock absorbers etc.:

1. Shock Age

Usually, the age of shocks is several years long. They can cover more than 50 thousand miles. Eventually, they start to wear out, which results in leakage. You must follow the instructions of the manufacturing company to know when shock absorber replacement should be done. It’s better to replace before facing the problem of leakage.

2. Accidents

When your vehicle faces a serious accident, it jars the suspension. You should understand that it will result in shocks leaking. In some cases, even the accident wasn’t that serious, but still, it affects the suspension. So, try to check it yourself or take it to the mechanic for examination. Learn what you need to do, replace the shock absorber or repair according the signs of bad shocks.

3. Damage in Seal

The pistons and oil storage have complete sealing to protect them. Due to the collection of dirt, and abrasion during the ride, the seal starts to deteriorate over time. This results in leaking shocks.

4. Bent Piston Shaft

Due to an accident crash or maybe due to some other heavy impact on the struts, the piston bents down. In such a situation, the shock absorber fails to move correctly. This ultimately leads to shock absorber leaking.

5. Bent Shock Absorber

In some cases, the strut itself bents due to heavy impact. The vehicle then fails to absorb shocks during the ride. It significantly increases the chances of leaking shock absorbers. In that case replace the struts with a better shocks such as Bilstein shock absorber according to your vehicle mode.

Repair of Shock Absorber Leaking

Even if your vehicle has the best struts, you still need to repair shock absorber leaking one day. So, you can start the process by parking the vehicle on a flat surface. After this, use a jack stand to lift the vehicle and to remove the wheels. Now you can carry on with the following steps:

1. Disassemble

First of all, remove the rear or front struts leaking in your vehicle wheels. You need to check bushing, seal, mounting, and pistons. This is done to assess the condition. You can decide if it needs replacement or repair. Once you decide that you are going to repair them, then move to the next step.

2. Clean the Components

The next step is simple and easy. All you need to do is to clean every part of the shock absorber. Now leave them to dry. Once again assess the extent of damage to decide about repair and replacement. Cleaning helps you better inspect them, so do not skip this step at all.

3. Replace Leaking Components

Now take out the damaged components and separately place them to start the replace them. These are the ones that have no chance of recovery so you have to change them altogether. Keep all those parts that do not show any damage. This will help you save money as you keep the reusable ones, and can also buy the best replacement shocks of the markets in your region.

4. Reassemble

Reassembling is the rebuilding process for your shock absorber. You have to be very careful as every part of it is very sensitive. Place them back together without damaging some components. Along with this, you have to add new oil, so never skip this step at this point.

5. Test and Adjust

As you are done with the disassembling and reassembling process, it is time to test the shock absorber. If you have repaired bad shocks leaking oil, then put force on them and observe. It should be working perfectly fine without leaking even a single drop of oil. Also, it should spring back quickly. If either of them is not the responsibility of your shock absorbers, then you have to reassemble it.

Advantages of Shock Absorbers Repair over Replacement

● Cost-Effective: Replacement of struts is expensive as you travel to the marketplace and buy a completely new shock absorber. However, the repair is cost-effective because you are going to use older parts that become perfect for use after correction.

● Environmentally Friendly Option: You protect the environment by not throwing worn out parts into dumps. In repair, we can even recycle some parts that are completely damaged. So, it’s a great option in comparison to replacement.

● Easy and Quick: As you disassemble the shock absorber that needs repair, you fix it on the spot. There is no need to rush to the market to buy anything as everything is at the disposal of your hand. So, it is a quick and easy option rather than a replacement that involves hustle and a lot of time consumption.

If you find that your car struts is not repairable, purchase the good quality Bilstein or Monroe shock absorbers according to your vehicle model.

Conclusion

Many people think that the leaking shock absorber- causes and repair might be very complicated. However, it is the complete opposite of reality. This part of the vehicle is the simplest one with few components to deal with during the repair process. Also, it is always cheap to repair them rather than buying a new one. So, do it yourself or hire a shock absorber rebuilding service provider to fix the problem.