What happens when you botton out?
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Joined: Apr 2003
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From: Western North Carolina
What happens when you botton out?
Yesterday I was making a left turn into a parking lot, traffic from the right was moving pretty fast so I gunned it (but only a little bit
). Too late, I noticed a crown where the sidewalk ended, and I heard (and felt) my chin panel scrape, then that horrible noise as you car bottoms out.
I made sure there were no oil leaks, or anything outwardly out of whack, but I haven't take a real close look under the car.
However, something has to give, and it won't be concrete. Exactly what whacks the pavement when you bottom out like this?
John
). Too late, I noticed a crown where the sidewalk ended, and I heard (and felt) my chin panel scrape, then that horrible noise as you car bottoms out.I made sure there were no oil leaks, or anything outwardly out of whack, but I haven't take a real close look under the car.
However, something has to give, and it won't be concrete. Exactly what whacks the pavement when you bottom out like this?
John
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From: Boca Raton, Florida
Loud scraping sound I think? Couldn't resist. I was in demo derby w/ a '77 Grand Marquis, pushed up on a median. Side of car crinkled. but not a sightly scrape below. And still drove straight as an arrow. Feel i got lucky, but maybe the skids underneath are stronger than the sheet metal?
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From: Inland Empire-So. California
Just a suggestion, but at next 'sevice call' (or schedule one soon), you may want them to 'hoist the vehicle' and ask if you can check the area with the 'service tech'.
Knowing helps you to sleep at night, right?
Knowing helps you to sleep at night, right?
there is a skid pad in the front. Im having trouble vissualizing what you mean. the skidpad wont stop much but might be the scrape you heard, and above that is the oil pan.
when I bottom out over a speed bump it definitly feels like the tranny hitting cause the shifter feels the impact.
other than that theres a cross brace, all of that will hit before anything else I think.
when I bottom out over a speed bump it definitly feels like the tranny hitting cause the shifter feels the impact.
other than that theres a cross brace, all of that will hit before anything else I think.
Thread Starter
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Joined: Apr 2003
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From: Western North Carolina
I don't have a hoist, and I didn't feel like jacking up the car, so I took a flashlight and got under the car as best as possible. Turns out to be no big deal.
The exhaust pipe has a flange about 2/3 from the front of the car, right where the single center pipe spreads out again. This flange protrudes below the rest of the chasis by about 3/4", and it is the only part that showed any concrete scrapes.
I don't think that the transmission would get hit, although I believe you could feel an impact through the exhaust and into the shifter. If the tranny did get hit you pretty well would rip out the exhaust system, way I see it.
So I guess the sound is bad but the actual damage not to worry. Whew....
The exhaust pipe has a flange about 2/3 from the front of the car, right where the single center pipe spreads out again. This flange protrudes below the rest of the chasis by about 3/4", and it is the only part that showed any concrete scrapes.
I don't think that the transmission would get hit, although I believe you could feel an impact through the exhaust and into the shifter. If the tranny did get hit you pretty well would rip out the exhaust system, way I see it.
So I guess the sound is bad but the actual damage not to worry. Whew....
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