Old Prado broken

Submitted: Monday, Aug 16, 2004 at 12:31

ThreadID: 15599 Views:2532 Replies:6 FollowUps:6

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Utemad

Just took these pictures yesterday. Was following a tilt tray with the last shape Prado on it. The front left wheel was pointing left and the other pointing right.

Looks like the upper ball joint has broken in half. The lower ball joint looks to have separated from the wheel mount but looks to be in one peice complete with nut. The CV has also been torn from the diff.

Looks like the only thing holding the wheel there is the steering arm and the brake line.

This is just my opinion based on the photos I took without leaving my car (at a red light).

There was no panel damage whatsoever on the vehicle.

[ View Image]
[ View Image]

Don't know if it was mechanical failure or if the driver hit a stump or the like but I bet they really messed their pants when it happened lol.

Utemad

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Reply By: Flash - Monday, Aug 16, 2004 at 13:03

Monday, Aug 16, 2004 at 13:03

They probably tried what one sees on adds on TV.

AnswerID: 72790

Reply By: ianmc - Monday, Aug 16, 2004 at 14:08

Monday, Aug 16, 2004 at 14:08

Well done Utemad! You might get an offer of a new Tojo if you withdraw THAT pic??
Occupants were lucky to escape unharmed I guess . If it happened in the wrong place no one would be any the wiser & they would not be here to tell the tale.

I cannot also come to terms with the coil over shock set up on a so called unbreakable 4wd. The skinny little shock bushes not only have to take the
damper load but the weight on each corner. Seems to me like cheap solutions.

Oh what a feeling??

Doesnt seem to be anyone complaining about their Mitsubishis in recent times
except maybe the floppy plastics. Just quietly & HAPPILY MOTORING ALONG!

AnswerID: 72798

Follow Up By: Wombat - Tuesday, Aug 17, 2004 at 15:47

Tuesday, Aug 17, 2004 at 15:47

Quietly and happily, Ian!!!!

I love sitting back and watching the;

Nissan versus Toyota,

3.0 versus 4.2,

petrol versus diesel,

and Engel versus Waeco

debates, wondering why there are so many who feel the need to justify their choice of purchase.

FollowupID: 333084

Reply By: Member - Jeff M (WA) - Monday, Aug 16, 2004 at 14:09

Monday, Aug 16, 2004 at 14:09

"Bugger!"
Looks like it must have been ripped out some how... Not real hard core offroad rubber on those wheels, makes the mind wander...

PS> Nice photo's for not getting out of the car!!

AnswerID: 72799

Follow Up By: Utemad - Monday, Aug 16, 2004 at 14:26

Monday, Aug 16, 2004 at 14:26

I took the photos with a 5.1 megapixel Sony digital camera. I just cropped the bit of the picture I wanted and blew it up.

I also adjusted the brightness and contrast of one of them as it was getting a bit dark and I was too far away for the flash to do much good.

Looks ripped out but there did not appear to be any other damage that you would associate with hitting someting REALLY hard. In fact other than this the car looked in mint condition. As you said it has H/T looking tyres on it.

Utemad

FollowupID: 332901

Reply By: GO_OFFROAD - Monday, Aug 16, 2004 at 14:46

Monday, Aug 16, 2004 at 14:46

Ball joints are a maintenance item, and need to be lubed and checked, just like swivel bearings, etc.

would be interested to know what the actual cause was though.

AnswerID: 72809

Follow Up By: Truckster (Vic) - Monday, Aug 16, 2004 at 15:36

Monday, Aug 16, 2004 at 15:36

1) long set of lights to get 2 different photos of areas.
2) good zoom
3) oh what a feeling
4) YMMV

FollowupID: 332917

Follow Up By: Utemad - Monday, Aug 16, 2004 at 16:54

Monday, Aug 16, 2004 at 16:54

Its actually the same photo. Its just that the first link has been cropped and blown up more than the first. I also adjusted its brightness and contrast to make it easier to see.

I have others though but this showed the damage the best.

Utemad

FollowupID: 332926

Reply By: Phil G - Monday, Aug 16, 2004 at 20:11

Monday, Aug 16, 2004 at 20:11

The way I see it the primary problem is a broken lower balljoint. The driveshaft and other damage is secondary.

The lower ball joint was a factory recall item in 2000. The photo shows that the ball joint had the rubber shroud indicating that the recall had been performed (or else it was a 2001/2002 model).

My guess is that the recall was done, ball joint refitted and not tightened.

Unusual problem.

AnswerID: 72848

Follow Up By: Utemad - Monday, Aug 16, 2004 at 20:37

Monday, Aug 16, 2004 at 20:37

I couldn't tell you the year. Never had anything to do with Prados. My original thoughts were that a ball joint had let go first. Then, as the vehicle was probably in motion, the rest of the damage was sustained. As I said there was zero panel damage and no evidence of a solid hit to the mechanicals.

Utemad

FollowupID: 332969