Safety warning!!! -- two failed Ohlins dampers
06-30-2005, 10:18 AM
#1
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Safety warning!!! -- two failed Ohlins dampers
<center><img src="http://gallery.rennlist.com/albums/album330/AudiS4_4398d.jpg"></center><p>
Everyone who has Ohlins MCJ dampers on the rear of their Audi needs to immediately check the dampers for cracking on the lower eyelet. I have now had two out of two dampers fail after six months use. Note that I only spotted the second failure after removing the damper from the car. The crack was at the bottom where it could not be seen.
I hypothesise that the failure was caused by water getting between the steel and aluminium causing corrosion and freezing expansion. Both failures appear to be tension failures. If I am right, then those in the salt belt are at greater risk.
Fortunately, neither failure was catastrophic. Were these dampers to fail catastrophically it could cause a very nasty crash.
A photo of the other failed damper can be found on the link below.
Stephen<ul><li><a href="http://gallery.rennlist.com/gallery/album330">Work, June 2005</a></li></ul>
Everyone who has Ohlins MCJ dampers on the rear of their Audi needs to immediately check the dampers for cracking on the lower eyelet. I have now had two out of two dampers fail after six months use. Note that I only spotted the second failure after removing the damper from the car. The crack was at the bottom where it could not be seen.
I hypothesise that the failure was caused by water getting between the steel and aluminium causing corrosion and freezing expansion. Both failures appear to be tension failures. If I am right, then those in the salt belt are at greater risk.
Fortunately, neither failure was catastrophic. Were these dampers to fail catastrophically it could cause a very nasty crash.
A photo of the other failed damper can be found on the link below.
Stephen<ul><li><a href="http://gallery.rennlist.com/gallery/album330">Work, June 2005</a></li></ul>
06-30-2005, 11:30 AM
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the outer alum. has a higher coefficient of expansion, so it will expand more than the steel
underneath, but this could give way to salt and water entering the gap and causing the above damage
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06-30-2005, 12:07 PM
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as long as that steel eyelet stayed put, did you see his other pic, I would guess this could have
caused some serious issues if it happened under some sort of load.
<img src="http://gallery.rennlist.com/albums/album330/AudiS4_4379a.sized.jpg">
<img src="http://gallery.rennlist.com/albums/album330/AudiS4_4379a.sized.jpg">
06-30-2005, 12:26 PM
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Hmm, I haven't played with the Ohlins
But if that's a load bearing piece that failed... then that is a VERY serious issue. I thought the steel piece inside the aluminum was attached to the shaft and that the aluminum was just a spacer meant to replicate the factory dimensions.
06-30-2005, 12:31 PM
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I don't have them either, though I just assumed it was the other way arround, the alum is
an extension of the body and the ateel insert is just used to convert to factory dimensions and also provide a high wear area for the mounting bolt. But I could be wrong.