Murphy's Law, catastrophic failure in a very bad place

**GregMilner** · 23rd June 2014, 01:43 PM

Originally Posted by CSBrisie

Excellent, glad there is some good news - and I guess when you look at what other travellers have suffered (that you mention earlier) one stuffed shockie isnt too bad in the scheme of things.

I think your last point shouldnt be understated - lying by a pool in Broome in 32 degree heat with a coldie in hand is a far better place to be than many others in this world (me included, right now lol!!!)

Cheers and enjoy the 'avo mate - sounds like you deserve every minute of the break!

Yeah, could be worse. While we were waiting at Drysdale for the tilt-tray, we got talking with a lovely Scottish gent, 75 years old, called Roger. He was travelling on his own, had flown out from the UK and landed at Darwin, hired one of those Cheapa Camper things and was travelling slowly down the Gibb and various offshoots (like Drysdale). The camper people had told him he wasn't to a) deflate the tyres at all(!) and b) if he got a flat, he wasn't to change it himself, he was to call them (how, one wondered) and they'd get someone out to help him.
We waved Roger off yesterday morning from Drysdale, and heard this morning that he'd got half way along the track to Mornington when he broke an axle, and had to abandon the camper van by the site of the road. He got a lift the remaining 50 kilometres, made a pay-phone call, and got a quote for $6,000 to truck the thing out. Happy days.

**101RRS** · 23rd June 2014, 02:08 PM

I see that your vehicle was sitting on the tilt tray fairly level so I assume the shockie failure did not damage the air bag.

What actually failed in the shockie - just the shockie internals, and/or the ends of the shockie and/or the shockie mounts on the car body or suspension arm. I guess if still connected the shockie locked solid.

Garry

**GregMilner** · 23rd June 2014, 02:23 PM

No damage to the air bag Garry, it seems just the shock internals gave up, it got red hot and blew a seal. The techies are going over the whole suspension system now, but there doesn't seem to be any other damage, certainly the car raises and lowers as normal.
A single failed shockie can bring on a very, very expensive recovery operation.

**Dougal** · 23rd June 2014, 02:40 PM

There is a travel speed of death for shock absorbers in rough terrain where they run the hottest and fail the most.
If you go faster the cooling air takes more heat away and they run cooler. If you go slower the heat creation is less and they run cooler.
But there's a band in the middle maybe around 30km/h depending on the terrain that will keep them the hottest.

Any room to clip heat-sinks on them?

**GregMilner** · 23rd June 2014, 02:48 PM

Thanks Dougal, I didn't know about that. Never heard of heat sinks for shocks. Sounds logical though. We were certainly in the speed range of death for a long time, 25-35kmh over truly horrible terrain.

I've asked the mechanic at Shinju Motors to go very carefully over the whole suspension system while it's up on the hoist. But a good point re the wheels.

Oh, for the ability to fit 18s.

**Dougal** · 23rd June 2014, 02:51 PM

Originally Posted by GregMilner

Thanks Dougal, I didn't know about that. Never heard of heat sinks for shocks. Sounds logical though. We were certainly in the speed range of death for a long time, 25-35kmh over truly horrible terrain.

I've asked the mechanic at Shinju Motors to go very carefully over the whole suspension system while it's up on the hoist. But a good point re the wheels.

Oh, for the ability to fit 18s.

That picture was a heat-sink for a small electric motor. But if you can find them the right size, they'll help anything hot. Just need good conduction.

I guess for the rest of your trip take some regular breaks to let them cool down in the worst conditions and best of luck.

**GregMilner** · 23rd June 2014, 03:05 PM

No more rough roads for me Dougal. All smooth blacktop down to Perth.

**Pedro_The_Swift** · 23rd June 2014, 03:06 PM

isnt the shock inside the airbag?
is it anything like this?

not much chance of cooling there---

**Pedro_The_Swift** · 23rd June 2014, 03:09 PM

Theres a reason God invented remote canister shocks

**disco gazza** · 23rd June 2014, 03:09 PM

Thats only for the front Pedro

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