Hope you can help! I am starting to fear for my safety in my 84. 3 nights
ago I was coming home from the grocery store, when i felt the back of the
car go a bit wierd, just a little wobbly and loose, followed by an immediate
*BANG* like someone had taken a hammer to the back of the car, the bang
caused the car to jerk violently, and then keep driving normally, with the
exception of one shaken driver... I tried to repro the bang, and was able to
do it when i circled the Death Cookie (traffic circle, seattle residents
know of what i speak) at the end of my street. It happened twice, and when i
straightened out nothing... i went an pulled a u-turn at the other end of my
block and felt it happen again. Kinda spooked i called it a night, pulled
the car up to the curb, and pulled out my tire wrench, and thinking it was a
loose tire (for lack of a better explanation), checked all the lugs. They
were all fine, so i just called it a night, meaning to look at it in the
light (this all happened 'round 9:30pm).
Morning comes, and i don't have time to look at it, before i have to book
for work at 8AM. as i'm driving i noticed that:
A: the shimmy before a *BANG* is worse.
B: the bang is less violent.
C: the problem happens more frequently, now occuring while driving straight.
So i take it to Les Schwab (hey, they were the closest thing resembling a
mechanic, and i was thinking at the time it might a suspension/axle thing
and i didn't want to drive it too far) They look at it and tell me that with
the exception of a torn CV boot they can't see anything. So i'm thinking
"great, so i need a CV joint as well as the boot..." I go pick it up, and
driving across the bridge to get home i notice that the 3 things above are
happening to a higher degree. It now shimmies every block to 2 blocks. The
faster I go the less i feel it, but it still happens albeit with less
frequency at high speeds.
Of course the guys at Les Schwab, when i asked if it was safe to drive, at
least home, said that home was about as far as they would go with it. The
Pudge being my sole method of transport i wound up having to drive the 28
miles to work again in it this morning. All told i've had to put over 100
miles on the car since this started hapening.
This morning it feels as if a tire in back is riding crooked, wobbling,
shimmying, and then banging. I really dont need to get stranded on the
bridge (i'm halfway to safety, i have a cellphone, but no AAA) on the way
home but i would liike to get there, you know? It's getting pretty scary.
The worst part is, i STILL have to commute home in it tonight!
What i need to know, is:
A: Has anyone else run into this?
B: How unsafe is this to drive on?
C: Any guesses as to what it could be?
D: if it fails, it it going to be in a violent way? Am I going to go flying
into a barrier when it goes?
E: how much damage am i doing to the rest of the car by driving it like
this?
F: Ballpark to the mechanic's bill/can i do it myself if need be?
Thanks much, all, i appreciate it...
Matt Laverty
Seattle, WA
'84 505GL Wagon @ 168,000 miles
_____________________________________________________
To unsubscribe, send email to PEUGEOT-REQUEST@PADUI.ORG with the word
UNSUBSCRIBE in the message body. Leave the subject line blank.
_____________________________________________________