i f*cked up please help

[Uberck]

i was on my way home from work and it was pouring, i took this turn and down shifted way too late and the back end kicked out. i tried to straighten it out but it swerved in the opposite direction and BOOM the front left tire smelt like melted rubber and the front left of the car was slouching looked like broken springs/ shocks. i drove it home and noticed that steering to the left was way too loose omfg i feel like a stupid ****head

[E7-S14]

ok.. what exactly did you do?BOOM=?

[Uberck]

i nailed a curb dude going 25 the whole front of the car is slouched i called my uncled he said it could be the ball joint

[Uberck]

and that the driving it home in that condition made it 10x worse

[jr_ss]

Need pictures...

[Uberck]

pics...

[spider_slayer]

probally gonna need new front knuckle and rods. you may have gotten lucky and just ****ed up the ball joint though.

pics would help

edit: pics with the wheel off.

[Uberck]

i posted picks check above

[E7-S14]

yeah.. when you get the chance jack it up and check it out for yourselfthe problem may be easily visible.but yeah.. this happens to the best of us..

[Uberck]

i don't want to touch right now, too dark. im getting it towed to the mechanic tomorrow first thing in the morning

[lbrowne]

I think you downshifted too early - that woudl cause your lower gear RPMs to be much higher and can potentially kick the arse out - on really really slippery surfaces or if yuo have bald tires.

If your ball joint separated, you wouldn't have been driving it home. If the ball joint became really bad but not separated you could have driven home no sweat and your car would not be slouching like you're saying. You could have a bent lower control arm or any number of things.

I always read about this on here "it was raining and I downshifted and I crashed" Guys I downshift during the rain and even around smoe tight corners and I've never had my 240 do this. You all driving on bald tires? Or going much faster than you are admitting to?

[Uberck]

it was pouring and i was taking a 90 degree turn i was coming into the turn in 3rd and down shifted in the middle of the turn and lost control (i usually down shift before the turn)

[lbrowne]

Now that pics are there, your LCA, TC Rod, Tie Rod end, Ball Joint, etc can all be messed up. You need the wheel off and pic then.

You also don't want to scrimp on what you're fixing because it can lead to be a PAIN in getting wheel alignments done. All those parts are cheap to get and easy to replace, hopefully nothing all those mount to are bent. I think you'll be ok with some elbow grease.

Turn your own wrenches at all? I don't think its going to be that bad - shop labor can be killer though.

edit: that front tire looks bald as fawk. Yes it has tread pattern on it, but no tread depth. If they're all like that, you need new tires man.

[Uberck]

yes i have done engine work such removing valve cover to replace gasket, change spark plugs, air filter, oil change but never done any suspension work well i did change a flat but that doesn't count

[lbrowne]

yes i have done engine work such removing valve cover to replace gasket, change spark plugs, air filter, oil change but never done any suspension work well i did change a flat but that doesn't count

Like I said, if nothing that those parts mount to are bent, its just bolts and part swapping. This forum would have you well on your way to changing those parts on your own. Yuo got the car home, tomorrow when it's day lgiht take a better pic, wheel off and see what we can help you with.

[Uberck]

thanks i will be up bright and early and will jack it up and remove tire to take better pics, hopefully save tow truck to the mechanic

[S13xCrazy]

thanks i will be up bright and early and will jack it up and remove tire to take better pics, hopefully save tow truck to the mechanic

yeah i never understood why people bring there cars to mechanics for EVERY small thing.

I mean you can find information all over on how to do it, and most of it you can do yourself with just a little time. Sometimes you need a buddy, and they are always good to have around. If you don't have a repair book, just check on autozone.com, they usually have some good info in their repair guide. Although its not 100% accurate, it will help you through the job.

[Black on Gold]

I must agree. Taking a part off and putting a new one is simple. Especially since you seen how it is put together when you took it off

[srpowered240sx]

Now that pics are there, your LCA, TC Rod, Tie Rod end, Ball Joint, etc can all be messed up. You need the wheel off and pic then.

You also don't want to scrimp on what you're fixing because it can lead to be a PAIN in getting wheel alignments done. All those parts are cheap to get and easy to replace, hopefully nothing all those mount to are bent. I think you'll be ok with some elbow grease.

Turn your own wrenches at all? I don't think its going to be that bad - shop labor can be killer though.

edit: that front tire looks bald as fawk. Yes it has tread pattern on it, but no tread depth. If they're all like that, you need new tires man.

bingo. im betting, tension (tc) rod, tie rod and/or end, and probably tweaked your lca. easy to fix, align it, shouldnt be too much. slow down in the rain man.

[Uberck]

ah yes i forgot to ad the fender is bent outwards i have been f'd in the a body work is so expensive and im already in a financial heap. i was talking to my uncle he said to get this stuff done right would be around $500-600.i'm feeling right now that i should just sell it to get out of this mess, what i'd give to be driving my dad's 1992 dodge dynasty again

[lbrowne]

ah yes i forgot to ad the fender is bent outwards i have been f'd in the a body work is so expensive and im already in a financial heap. i was talking to my uncle he said to get this stuff done right would be around $500-600.i'm feeling right now that i should just sell it to get out of this mess, what i'd give to be driving my dad's 1992 dodge dynasty again

I know when something unexpectedly shiatty happens to your car you mind immediately starts going into overdrive. Emotions change more than the wind and sometimes folks make irrational decisions.

Theres one thing I promise you, you sell your car because of this and you will regret it for years. If not your life. (not that you would have the car that long but you will reflect on the times you could have had in the car)

The fender bolts located at the bottom behind that tire are probably broke, easy fix.

Sit down, calm down, and straighten yourself out. You'll be ok. Do I have to slap a b1tch?

[Uberck]

lol thanks for all the helpful information its just that my mind is racing b/c i have put well over 4 grand in this car now, have low funds, and am gonan be out of a job at the end of this month. all sorts of ideas are going through my head, im sure if i get this fixed i'll be laughing about it later here are some pics of the fender i was talking about

[maku]

Stupid kid that is what you get for driving like an idiot. Live and learn.

[lbrowne]

Fenders buckle with ease, yours doesn't look cracked, dented or creased which means it's still usable and most likely won't require any body work.

Worry about the fender last, focus on the driveability components first.

[Redevil]

Looks like your lca is bent among many other things and your frame maybe tweaked a little depending on how hard you hit and at what angle.

You'll be laughing about it later? Yea, all the way to the bank when you pay for the repairs. If you sell it as is you're gonna take a huge loss and its not exactly a quick fix.

[slyedog240sx]

you probably broke the lower brace on the fender.I say the inner tie rod is bent and maybe the tension rod bracket is bent.Go to frame shop asap.

[mattscar]

Stupid kid that is what you get for driving like an idiot. Live and learn.

Umm did you even read his post? He wasnt driving like an idiot.

The same thing haoppened to me in my ae86. Definitly check your LCA and see if it is bent. Also when you get that fixed change the tie rods and whatever is bent or broken.

You are very lucky to have been able to drive home!

Good Luck! I hope you get it fixed.

[gumby74]

I am about to ask a really basic question, but why did you feel the need to downshift during a turn? The conditions were bad, your speed was a bit high for 3rd gear in a turn in bad conditions..... you sure you were not trying to get your drift on?Sorry for what happened to the ride, not trying to be a d!ck, but someone seems to have these posts about that 1 in a milllion slide that was not caused by carelessness.Next time the "tail kicks out" throttle down homey. Unless of course you were going waaay to fast to begin with, but then it was raining and all....Btw, pretty much everything on that side is scrap. Tie rods were the first thing to bend, and guessing by how far the tire is pulled back, the t/c rod isn't happy with you.If the lca did not bend, the mounting holes are probably slots now. May need some welding. If you are handy with tools though, you could save a bunch of money.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

why did you feel the need to downshift during a turn? The conditions were bad, your speed was a bit high for 3rd gear in a turn in bad conditions.....

+1... what happened to just braking?

its just that my mind is racing b/c i have put well over 4 grand in this car now

How in Zeus' butthole do you have over 4 grand into that car?

[Uberck]

ummmmm...... maybe b/c i payed 3900 for it, then bought new spark plugs, valve cover gasket, o2 sensor, air filter, oil change, and transmission fluid change, and if you add in the new headunit and speakers comes out to about 4700