Technical Do I need to replace my rusty rear axle ☹️
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Technical Do I need to replace my rusty rear axle ☹️
That clamp, the first one you can see on the pipe, should be bolted to a bracket which is fixed to the bottom of the bellhousing. It looks like some of the bracket is still there but the clamp doesn't look like it's bolted to it? maybe just I can't see it in the picture though? this clamp is very important to stop the pipe fracturing. Other than that your pipe seems to be hanging slightly lower than Becky's does.Thank you all for your replies. I really appreciate the help as someone who knows jack about this. While you are all here, I also scraped the bottom of this car in a rocky car park and seemed to have damaged or dislodged some kind of exhaust clamp? I think theres also a crack in the exhaust in this photo
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Any help with what is happening here too? Thanks again everyone
Yes it's the bottom of the catalytic converter
Probably better to have it welded up
You can get cheap 3rd party ones but there not as good
Bracket is always corroded away
Just replace plenty of thread on it already
The latter 69hp use different clamps as the exhaust is a different diameter
Probably better to have it welded up
You can get cheap 3rd party ones but there not as good
Bracket is always corroded away
Just replace plenty of thread on it already
The latter 69hp use different clamps as the exhaust is a different diameter
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If I leave it as is, how bad can that be? I cant lie at this rate I might just squeeze out as much as I can from this car before its MOT next year then scrap it. I am not sure if its been like this the whole time since I got the car.
Looking again at that picture of under the car, I think the front part of the pipe has been sleeved - seems to be a seam running in line with the pipe? I bet the pipe fractured and someone welded it up? I'm sure that bracket is missing also and this is what happens if the pipe isn't supported. The unfortunate thing is that the fracture happens to the downpipe which is part of the expensive "manicat" not just a cheap exhaust replacement pipe. Good news is it looks like a robust repair so just get the bracket sorted to support the pipe - it's nothing technical, you could make one yourself out of some stout steel strapping.
The one that has the scrape on it. needs a strap going up to the bell housing to steady against engine movement when you accelerate and go on overrun. without the strap the pipe tries to flex and eventually snaps.
No money
Start with the most urgent
Assess the state of the axle
Knock off the rust and wire brush
They often look worse than they actually are, it's 50/50 as to whether a new axle is needed
If it salvageable it's going to less than £50 to keep it going another year
If it's unsafe, we need to know if you will be repairing into yourself or paying a garage
£75 second hand £175 new plus £20 postage
Maybe another £50 by the time you add all your bits and bobs up
To pay someone to change it, someone had a new on fitted 5 months ago and was charged £800
By comparison everything at the front is cheap, if you do the work yourself
Start with the most urgent
Assess the state of the axle
Knock off the rust and wire brush
They often look worse than they actually are, it's 50/50 as to whether a new axle is needed
If it salvageable it's going to less than £50 to keep it going another year
If it's unsafe, we need to know if you will be repairing into yourself or paying a garage
£75 second hand £175 new plus £20 postage
Maybe another £50 by the time you add all your bits and bobs up
To pay someone to change it, someone had a new on fitted 5 months ago and was charged £800
By comparison everything at the front is cheap, if you do the work yourself
Thank you,
unfortunately I do not have the tools or know-how to do any of this myself. I suppose if the axle is needed I can ask around for quotes but if its no good the car cost 900 so I most likely wont be paying for a repair. Tomorrow ill clean it up (and pray lol) and send photos.
Either way I would be personally looking at replacing it at the next MOT, it's the opinion of the Tester that counts and most important yours and other safety.
If you can do it yourself, or even have a friend who can give you "mates rates" on the job then it's worth doing. If you're getting a garage to do it then the big problem is that most won't be tied to a price because there can be lengthy problems, like rusty nuts and bolts which can break and other stuff like brake pipes and flexihoses which will have to be replaced. Because of limitations placed on me by my aging body and lack of stamina I've been asking around the local wee garages as to realistically what I might expect to pay if I got them to do it. My favourite wee Fiat specialist very honestly said it's just so difficult to price up that he was reluctant to give me a firm price, He'd charge it on a materials plus time basis but, because he knows me so well, thought it would likely come out at not less than £700 to £800. The only other one, who is not a Fiat specialist, who mentioned an actual price said he'd done a couple of them over the last few years and was very happy to take the job on but couldn't see it coming in at anything under £600 and that I should be aware it could be more. Because of the age of the vehicle he suggested, as he knows I'm a retired mechanic, that I go away, jack the car up and do a very careful check over for rust in any structural parts as he'd hate to get half way through the job and then realise I'd have been better off not to have bothered. It probably makes no sense to think of spending that sort of money on a very average vehicle of this age which is barely now worth the cost of the repair if I were to try to sell it. Trouble is it's very much a part of the family so I have emotional connections - which is fatal!
That rear beam does look a bit suspect. The dark line where the spring cup normally cracks may well be coincidence, but I don't think so.
If the sills are good and the car still looks good, then its a great DIY option, but the numbers probably won't add up if paying for the work.
I fully understand why mechanics won't commit to a fixed price. I've done quite a few now, and they have ranged from completely straightforward to evil bloodsucking demon from hell. No way of telling until you start dismantling- some of the really gnarly ones have been easy, some have been a mess of snapped studs, rounded nuts and stripped threads.
I did a rear beam on a 1.2 Panda a few years ago, it was one of the first ones I did and I probably replaced more parts than was strictly necessary, and I know I spent more time on it than any I have done since.
Fast forward to now, and the car itself was looking very used, with lots of dents and scrapes, ruined interior and very little of visible value on it.
So, I bought it as a cheap breaker and... the rear beam is like new, the rear brakes look unused, springs look like new, (apart from surface rust on the drums), handbrake cables look dusty but untouched and the (cupro-nickel) brake pipes are still shiny. And I used anti-sieze in various strategic places when assembling.
Its all going onto a 1.1 Active Eco which has a rear beam in about the same state as the OP's one. The rest of the car is about as good as I have seen, and it has low mileage.
8 bolts, 2 brake pipes, 2 handbrake cables and 2 ABS sensor cables and its off.
Other than brake pipes on the 1.1 which may put up a fight, it should be a rinse-and-repeat job to fit it.
Reeeeeesult!
If the sills are good and the car still looks good, then its a great DIY option, but the numbers probably won't add up if paying for the work.
I fully understand why mechanics won't commit to a fixed price. I've done quite a few now, and they have ranged from completely straightforward to evil bloodsucking demon from hell. No way of telling until you start dismantling- some of the really gnarly ones have been easy, some have been a mess of snapped studs, rounded nuts and stripped threads.
I did a rear beam on a 1.2 Panda a few years ago, it was one of the first ones I did and I probably replaced more parts than was strictly necessary, and I know I spent more time on it than any I have done since.
Fast forward to now, and the car itself was looking very used, with lots of dents and scrapes, ruined interior and very little of visible value on it.
So, I bought it as a cheap breaker and... the rear beam is like new, the rear brakes look unused, springs look like new, (apart from surface rust on the drums), handbrake cables look dusty but untouched and the (cupro-nickel) brake pipes are still shiny. And I used anti-sieze in various strategic places when assembling.
Its all going onto a 1.1 Active Eco which has a rear beam in about the same state as the OP's one. The rest of the car is about as good as I have seen, and it has low mileage.
8 bolts, 2 brake pipes, 2 handbrake cables and 2 ABS sensor cables and its off.
Other than brake pipes on the 1.1 which may put up a fight, it should be a rinse-and-repeat job to fit it.
Reeeeeesult!
Unfortunately Yes
Not worth spending £800 on a cheap car on my opinion
Along with the other problems on top with the catalytic converter and exhaust
With no tools
No experience
It's probably not a good job to start your learning process
Most jobs on the panda we can talk people through
That's pretty much what I expected from the photo.
What state is the rest of the car in? (Apart from the exhaust, obviously!)
If its otherwise tidy, as a 2011 car with presumably £35/year tax, there's probably still some value in it for someone who can do the work themselves, and scrap prices are pretty low at the moment - maybe advertise it on here and see if you get any takers?
What state is the rest of the car in? (Apart from the exhaust, obviously!)
If its otherwise tidy, as a 2011 car with presumably £35/year tax, there's probably still some value in it for someone who can do the work themselves, and scrap prices are pretty low at the moment - maybe advertise it on here and see if you get any takers?
That was my thought, suspension didn't develop rust like that from nowhere since last Mot.
I would expect advisories over the last couple of years at least.
I'm coming to this thread rather late, but I'd agree with those that are saying this is dangerously corroded and unroadworthy; you're certainly
not going to get another MOT without replacing the beam.
Unless you're going to be doing all the work yourself, repairing this car will cost way more than it's realistically worth, and even then, it's marginal.
Personally I'd stop using it now. That beam could fail at any time, and if it caused an accident, your problems could multiply fast.
not going to get another MOT without replacing the beam.
Unless you're going to be doing all the work yourself, repairing this car will cost way more than it's realistically worth, and even then, it's marginal.
Personally I'd stop using it now. That beam could fail at any time, and if it caused an accident, your problems could multiply fast.
