I have a 96 Chevy Astro AWD. When I came out this AM the driver's side was collapsed enough that the wheel could not be turned. We removed the shock and it was definitely bad. I bought a new shock lowered the front end and again it collapsed. I went to 3 more parts stores who sold me 3 different shocks than the first guy - all collapsed. It is AWD so there are no springs. I am lost. I will be visiting a GM dealer tomorrow but would appreciate any help.

thanks
tony

Yo T666: That is the most shocking story I have ever read on C-Bid. I'm not a mechanic but I stayed in a Holiday inn once. Some heavy duty hydraulic shocks need to be air filled to hold a certain amount of weight are your shocks like that and if so did you fill them with the proper amount of air. JonR

Are there any hydralic lines or air lines going into your shocks? Shocks on almost any vehicle do not set the hieght.

If there arent any, you probably have a torsion bar suspension. That is a rod that connects to your lower control arm, and is extented towards the rear and bolted to the frame. The twisting force the bar puts on the control arm, sets the hieght. It may have come loose somehow.

It would be VERY hard for you to repair without special equipment. Take it to the dealer like you said.

Mag

The shocks do not support the height of the car. the shocks just absorb the bumps. If you could tell me more about it I could maybe tell you more.

tonester,
I own an automotive information website with alomst 1,000 mechanics in the membership that answer questions for folks about their vehicles, it is free, by the way.
They provide pretty in-depth information about their vehicles. They can show you what to look for and the cost of repairs.
e-mail me tm at batauto dot com and I'll e-mail you the URL if you wish.

But I would probably have to guess that you may have a torsion bar bushing gone or the torsion bar has a big problem, like Magnifide said.

I put my money on the bushing. It seems like if anyone ever needs any help all they have to do is turn to this site. There are people from everywhere to Engineers to poor college kids like me.

Well, I've worked on cars for 26 yrs. I say that its the torsion bar or related part. Remember, I'm the 1st to bring it up, you copycats...hehe!

Mag

Well,
I've been working on heavy trucks and equipment for 25 years, so I haven't a clue when it comes to the little vehicles. 🙂
Actually, I work fleets, so I have to work on everything from small cars, including the new hybrids, to HD trucks to 60' boats.
Ha ha!!
Mag, gonna send you an e-mail.

Well I may be young, dumb, and full of you know what but I was raised by an auto parts salesmen, hanged around enough mechanics, even studied auto technology for 1 1/2 years by a guy who used to work at a GM dealership.

Thanks guys. We checked the torsion bar also and it seems to be fine. They are gas shocks.

My old man's been working on cars for about 40 yrs and it has him stumped.

I'll be chatting with the dealer tomorrow.

If there is any tech info you need on your vehicle, let me know and I'll send it to you.
Any way I can help, let me know.

Thanks again fellas. It is a broken torsion bar. Total on parts roughly $500. Damn that's a lot of cigars I won't get to smoke.

Good call Mag 🙂

KC

tonester666

Hey, you sure he's been doing it for 40 yrs? I diagnosed it without even looking at it. Thats due to many yrs of knowledge I've aquired.

I've owned my own shop now for almost 16yrs. Had 10yrs under my belt when I opened it.

Godfather no offence but, ALL parts guys THINK they know how to work on cars. Selling parts is just that, selling parts.

Any other automotive questions?.... ;>)

Mag

Spoken like a true mechanic.

Heres a quick question for ya mag...
I owned a '99 saturn sc2 and even the Saturn dealer couldn't figure it out. The car was losing oil...not burning it. The compresion was fantastic, sparkplugs were never fouled, exhaust was clean, there was never a puddle uner the car, never the "smell" of oil burning, nothing. The heads were fine, no busted gaskets, no oil on the engine, it was like the oil fairy just kept visiting my car 🙂 The car just kept lossing oil, and I mean quarts. It would go through about 2.5 to 3 quarts every 3000 miles. The car only had 38,000 miles on it and was kept very clean and babied. If you need further info I can get it for you. I'm stumped!!

KC

MAG is the Man! Mechanics are great to have as friends.

Always put your trust in Manny, Moe, and Mag!

choner

when i have any trouble, i raise the hood. there seems to be a little lever that needs to be pulled to do that. i found the info on page 57 of the owners manual. on page 58 i solved the second problem. something about putting your hand under the hood and finding some kind of lever to pull and damn if the hood didn't open.

i looked for the on and off switch and could not find it, so i called the auto club and they towed it to the dealer.

i handed the cashier my credit card and drove away in my fixed car. i think the mechanic knows where that switch is.

It's a science and an art.

My grandpa was a parts man but he got me intrested in cars and then I started hanging around his mechanic friends and then I studied it in school. The thing about the oil easy its a Saturn enough said.