So I'm driving home from work yesterday and all of a sudden <crunch> - I hit something. At least it felt like I hit something. I didn't see anything in front of me and nothing came out the back. So I pull over and give things a quick look-see. NOTHING. So I continue to drive home and I'm hearing a metal-on-metal rattle from the left side as I roll over bumps in the road the whole way. When I get home, I change my clothes go to work - jacking the car up and checking all 4 corners. Again NOTHING. So I take the J for a little spin, listening for the rattle to try to determine where it's coming from. Occasionaly I even hear a mild metal-on-metal rub. OK - by now I've determing it's definately coming from the left rear - the rub was the dead give away.
So here's what I'm figuring must've happened: Even though it definately felt like I hit something with the left front, I'm now thinking that perhaps a retaining spring snapped in the left rear brake drum. Perhaps when that happened, the shoes flew out and grabbed the drum causing the car to lurch. And they are now hanginhg there semi-freely causing the rattle and occasional rub. But it's now dark, I've got kid duty, an I don't have to the bolts necessary to remove the disc.
Fast forward to an hour ago. I take it down to the local Econo Lube 'n Tune for their free brake inspection. I explain to the guy what happened. So they perform the brake inspection - and just as he's about to start checking the parking brake drum on the left side, guess what he finds??? Go ahead - GUESS! A tire iron! A black one - that explains why I didn't see it on the asphalt road. I ran over a tire iron and it wedged itself in the left rear A-arm right next to the gas tank. Snapped that tire iron in half too. But there was NO damage to the car. Whew! That could've been nasty. Could've ripped brake lines, tore apart the exhaust, and punctured a hole in the gas tank.
So - I'm feeling pretty lucky right about now.
Oh - my brakes checked out perfect too - 75%. w00t!
I'm feeling pretty lucky right about now.
LOL! No the Q is in great shape. 
I've been on vacation, spending most of my time in Spokane WA. I stayed at a friend's house for a while and alternated between driving their 94 Chrysler LHS and their 85 Nissan Maxima. And this week I was house sitting at my dad's house while all the relatives went to Seattle and Vancouver (across the state with a vanload of kids didnt seem appealing to me). My brother moved for college a few days ago so I got to drive his car, which is this heap of metal:
Side view.
Side view.
It picks up AM -and- FM! Tape player didnt work.
I had to replace the water pump. You can see my sloppy RTV up front. I then filled the system with water from a pitcher in the yard.
My handy work.
More of my superb craftsmanship.
I eventually got it up to 65mph and it scared the hell out of me. It also shakes violently when shifting.
I return home the 10th. I miss the Q.
-Jesda
I've been on vacation, spending most of my time in Spokane WA. I stayed at a friend's house for a while and alternated between driving their 94 Chrysler LHS and their 85 Nissan Maxima. And this week I was house sitting at my dad's house while all the relatives went to Seattle and Vancouver (across the state with a vanload of kids didnt seem appealing to me). My brother moved for college a few days ago so I got to drive his car, which is this heap of metal:
Side view.
Side view.
It picks up AM -and- FM! Tape player didnt work.
I had to replace the water pump. You can see my sloppy RTV up front. I then filled the system with water from a pitcher in the yard.
My handy work.
More of my superb craftsmanship.
I eventually got it up to 65mph and it scared the hell out of me. It also shakes violently when shifting.
I return home the 10th. I miss the Q.
-Jesda
The gas tank is not under the car per se, but the lug wrench got wedged pretty high in the A-arm - and it look sheared prett good where it was cut in half. The gas tank is in right about that position between the back seat and the trunk. So, if it gone had that direction, it wouldn't have taken much more force at 60 mph...
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Q451990
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- Posts: 11033
- Joined: Tue Jul 23, 2002 8:21 am
- Car: 1990 Q45 - 118K, 2022 Toyota 4 Runner, 2004 Frontier M/T - 108K, 2012 Xterra (Mom's), 2023 Rogue (Inlaws)
- Location: Columbia, SC
- Contact:
I wired a muffler up for a buddy on his Prelude back in college. The coat hanger was still there after the muffler rusted off and fell down in a different place 5K later. He's the only person I've ever known that had a distributor cap and rotor disintegrate after never being replaced in 200K+ miles.
Heath
Heath