ZX 1.9td - Farewell faithfull steed!

[purplebargeken]

Fuck!

 

Glad you are all ok, bloody hell. I can imagine how that could have been much, much worse.

 

I have no Citroen parts but all I can do is be thankful it was all reasonably ok in the end.

[dollywobbler]

I've had wheels come loose enough to start clonking, but have never actually lost a wheel. Funnily enough, the first time I experienced this was a Citroen AX. The garage had forgotten to torque them up. I think I'll make a point of checking the nuts every time I buy new chod!

[meggersdog]

A few years ago I heard a clonking noise on the Series LandRover I had at the time.On the way home from a  pay and play day at the old brick pits so thought I'd better stop and have a look.Just as I'd almost come to a halt the nearside rear wheel overtook me on the inside.It ended up right by the railway line so I had to run and collect it before the gates (might have) come down.

[Skizzer]

I've had wheels come loose enough to start clonking, but have never actually lost a wheel. Funnily enough, the first time I experienced this was a Citroen AX. The garage had forgotten to torque them up. I think I'll make a point of checking the nuts every time I buy new chod!

 

This.  I've never bothered to check before, but every day's a school day.

 

Like everyone's said, glad you're ok and that it wasn't any worse - must have been a fairly grim experience.

[155V6]

All 90s Citroens shed wheels.  PHAKT.

I hope not 

I did lose a wheel once,it was in a Mk 3 Cortina Estate which I'd bought for spares.I was being towed by my mate in his VW T25 & the front wheel suddenly wobbled & fell off.I managed to stop ok & didn't even break the rope,but we were just going over a motorway bridge so had to climb down an embankment to get the wheel 

[ProgRocker]

Holy crap beko. Glad you're OK. What a rotten thing to happen.

[ruffgeezer]

Hey Beko, sorry to see your citroenian dramas, we do have a ZX that some parts could be liberated from, but I suspect I am too far away from you for it to be of any use?

[nigel bickle]

That, Sir -is a real bummer. Damage looks limited/repairable- but it kinda makes you loose faith in the seller..

 

I had a lucky escape at 80(ish, Officer)  in the Pintara a year back. Eased gently onto a truck for the trip home, undamaged.

 

Feel your pain. Hope the family are confident enough to get in it, subsequently.

[panhard65]

I lost a wheel on a discovery a few years ago I had just driven 200 miles and had a strange noise most of the way back. I didn't think to check the wheel nuts as it sounded like a propshaft. I then went to take it into work to put it on a ramp and the first bend I came to the rear wheel came off peeling the rear 1/4 panel off in the process. 4 nuts were missing and one sheared off. When I checked the others the only tight nuts were the locking wheel bolts so I think someone had tried to pinch my wheels. Luckily the wheel didn't hit anything just took ages to find it in the ditch. I think I would be looking for a new recovery operator as that is pants taking that long to recover you. I use swintons and they were excellent when we broke down in France.

[Guest Breadvan72]

Picture of two year old maintaining sang froid in safe place behind barrier is excellent.  I have seen families with children milling about on the hard shoulder, but you haz done a sensible.  Glad all OK.     

[Albert Ross]

I have seen an older Land Rover wheel separate rim and hub, due to corroded rivets.... This is why I use the newest wheels I can find..... Glad you're here to talk about it.

[Ratdat]

Some years ago after to swapping in a Silvia Turbo engine into my old Prairie, I was so super excited to go take it for a test run that an kind of pre-flight checks were forgotten. Just as I was making my way back up the lane towards home after a successful test a front wheel fell off, fortunately causing no damage at all as it was at less than 20mph at the time. Very lucky as a couple of minutes earlier we'd been going VERY fast indeed.

 

No, I make it a rule that if I'm working on a car, wheels are either off or on and tightened. I never put on a wheel, pop the nut on and leave it to tighten up later.

[HillmanImp]

Whilst I have never had a wheel come off a car I have been driving I know exactly what a wheel that is about to come off sounds like as I must drive off without doing the nuts up at least once a year. 

 

Glad you are okay, must have been some scary shizzle going off there. 

[beko1987]

Oh I know what the sound is now! When I limped it down the road off the aa truck there was a slight wobble still, hoping its the shaved disc rubbing.

 

Just got off the phone to the seller, who fair play to him sounds mortified, and has kids of his own so knows how lucky we were etc. He said he would cover all sorts needed money wise which is nice. Going out later to have a proper look at it all with tools but I think all that's needed is a wing, discs pads and bolts.

[Joey spud]

Loose wheels are quite common i attended a 3 yr old V70 on the M25 at Godstone the other morning that was enroute to Gatwick for a flight.

The notes on the job said ''engine vibratation from the front / underside'',the guy with it who was an aircraft engineer so no mug said it had a noise start a few miles back and he thought it was the motorway surface but he changed motorways and the noise continued so he pulled onto the hard shoulder and said as he slowed to about 20mph the noise was worse with vibration  through the steering wheel

 

I got the jack and breaker bar out the van and went to lift the o/s to look underneath for any clues but first off i checked the wheel bolts and they were all finger tight and on the n/s front there was one missing and the other four just hanging on..

Luckily the wheel,hub and bolts were ok to go again and it turned out his local garage had done pads and discs on it a few days previously

 

Years back i had a Toledo and the rear wheel that was still bolted to the drum came off and bounced into a corn field.

For some strange reason the hub nut had come undone and was still with the hub under the chrome wheel trim so i quckly refitted it and carried on.

[twosmoke300]

Ratdat has the right idea . Important bolts and nuts have 2 positions , off or on and tightened up. This goes for sump plugs and filters. I don't even put them in finger tight while I get a tool to do them up. If you use this method you can't * go wrong. However I have terrible wheel nut and sump plug ocd. My torque wrench actually wears out ! But I've not lost any yet.

[Pillock]

Yeah, wise words Ratdat. I've had a near miss with all four wheels on my Fastback, I'd had the wheels off to paint them and upon leaving Santa Pod (having driven 80 miles down the M1 there) my mate behind started beeping and flashing, my wheels were doing a proper clown car wobble motion. I'd felt the weird motion but was driving on grass. I then instantly remembered thinking "I'll do those up later". Doh!

 

I now tighten, and leave the wheel brace on the passenger seat until I've done 10 miles and checked. A good reminder.

[beko1987]

I'm surprised its as common as you are all saying, but I suppose it could happen to anything. I've had to tell people that no, old cars r not shit, it could happen to yours! Getting a bit tiresome now.

 

My mate papped the rolling road block as the traffic wombles checked for debris

 

[Guest Breadvan72]

I saw a modern car minus a wheel in Solihul yesterday  (by coincidence a Citroen).  He'd lost his wheel on an A road after a roundabout.  I saw another modern car on a hard shoulder with what looked like collapsed suspension a week or so ago.  Borkage can be nowt to do with cars being old.  

[chaseracer]

/\/\/\

 

Quite. And anyone who believes so is terminally hard-of-thinking.

[Ratdat]

Years back i had a Toledo and the rear wheel that was still bolted to the drum came off and bounced into a corn field.

For some strange reason the hub nut had come undone and was still with the hub under the chrome wheel trim so i quckly refitted it and carried on.

 

I had this exact same thing happen to a 1.3 Marina I had years ago. The right rear wheel parted company complete with hub and drum. It occurred as I was pulling away from the lights on a busy crossroads. Slightly* inconvenient. 

[JohnDeere]

Not a nice experience. It reminded me of the ads for the 70s Citroens running on three wheels

 

[Pillock]

Wasn't there a "thing" with Allegros casting their wheels aside? I remember seeing a VDP on three near Chesterfield back when it wasn't a particularly old car, and my granddad suggested "they all do that"

[Spiny Norman]

That sounds like a proper trouser filling experience, glad you're all just shaken but not stirred.

 

Similar thing happened years ago when I was towing a mate's dead Renault 5 and all of a sudden I felt a tug, then heard a twang as he tow rope snapped, followed by a loud bang and grinding noise from behind.
About two seconds later I saw a wheel roll past the driver's window and bounce over a kerb and out of sight down the hill.
We never found out what caused it, but like yours it appeared to be loose  wheel nuts as there was no other damage, even the disc seemed OK afterwards. There was a deep gouge on Albert Drive for months afterwards......

[chaseracer]

Wasn't there a "thing" with Allegros casting their wheels aside? I remember seeing a VDP on three near Chesterfield back when it wasn't a particularly old car, and my granddad suggested "they all do that"

 

Inattentive mechs would torque up the AllAggro hubs as if they were the same as the ADO16 - which they were not...

[Station]

I reckon loosening wheel nuts, the wheel somehow managing to stay stuck to the hub, and then it lets go.

Anyone who has owned an MGRover will know about wheels sticking to the hub.

[RoadworkUK]

Yeowch. I'm relieved that survival prevailed and only horror and poverty have been caused.

 

I will confess to wheel bolt tightness not being something I check regularly. I really should. In fact, right now I can't honestly report as to whether either of my cars even have any wheel bolts.

[jonny69]

I think that's a horrible part of the M25 to break down on. I got stranded at Jn9 a few weeks ago and it took them 4.5 hours to get me the 10 or so miles home via Cobham services. I had my relay palmed off onto some tow firm in Surbiton.

 

Still, at least there is hard shoulder on that stretch. Wouldn't want to get stranded on the other bit.

[beko1987]

Firstly, here is a pic my mate took of the second AA truck

 

 

SWMBO went shopping earlier so I grabbed some tools and had a look at my new car! Left the passenger window open all night too but I imagine any potential theives took one look at it and ran away!

 

 

 

 

No damage at all under the wing

 

 

Bit of a scuff here

 

 

Lots of rubber here, and some cracked paint where it took a whallop from the wheel

 

 

The remains of the already nackered mudflap which was top priority to take off anyway

 

 

Lots more scuffs

 

 

 

Pads look very new. Wont be replacing those

 

 

Genuine too!

 

 

Discs look fit for replacement anyway

 

 

road marking paint still present

 

 

 

Hub seems ok, apart from the snapped disc bolts. Should I get them removed and re-taped, or would Ibe ok just leaving them and fitting the wheel and disc without them? Will it nip it up tight enough?

 

 

The wishbone seems to have dragged along the floor slightly, shedding (or snapping) a bolt in the process. So need another one of those. No other damage though that I can see

 

 

 

Happy that the damage wasnt too bad, I cable-tied the caliper to the spring, re-fitted the disc and caliper holder and refitted the wing. Wheel fitted, although one of the bolts has cross-threaded slightly, the one I tried to do on the hard shoulder. Seems to have done a good job though as it goes in it's broken hole fine and nips up nice and tight. I'll mark it so I dont put a good bolt in there

 

Wing was fairly simple, I bent the bottom out with some stilsons, tapped it with a lump hammer then once fitted a swift boot by the indicator had it looking ok!

 

 

Arch liner is in the boot from the m25 when I pulled it off, so will refit that once fixed

 

 

Need a better tyre on the spare too, the one fitted looks old and not great for motorway use...

 

I pulled the drivers wheel off, and all was tight and lovely. disc on this side is shagged too, and also has the broken disc bolts, although there is enough protruding to stop the disc rotating without wheel bolts

 

 

I took the drivers mudflap off too and found what a lovely mud trap it was

 

 

 

And put the wheel back on. Sorted the bolts out too so each wheel has 3 bolts.

 

Had a look around it now I was feeling happier

 

 

The battery was new on wednesday, as the old one died apparently! Certainly kept the hazards going for 7 hours, and the radio, and the engine fired right up. There's a sticker for the cambelt at 260k too which I forgot to take a picture of!

 

 

 

 

Nice bluetooth nokia kit that doesnt work! Will investigate that in time

 

 

Mileage

 

 

Toonez

 

 

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Love the disc with the flat on it. get it on the living room wall!!!