FX-3 Gurus Welcome

[XfireZ51]

Today I finished taking down the D44 from the Aqua car. I'm getting ready to ship it to NY. While back there I decided to drop the shocks as well since several have asked about them. The majority of the damage done to the car was on the passenger side where it climbed the guardrail before coming back down. The lower trailing arm was bent forward on that side with the tie rod snapped at the adjusting threads. I pulled that Bilstein and removed the actuator. Everything was in good order.
I went to the driver's side and removed shock. This side showed little if any damage. However, when I pulled shock, the actuator was not attached. The plastic insert which locates the actuator over the valving gear was separated. In addition, I had to pull the actuator mechanism through a small opening inside the frame rail. IOW, it wasn't just flopping around over the shock. It had either worked its way into the frame rail opening OR it had been put there. There was only one position the actuator could be in in order for it to be possible to remove the actuator assembly from this frame rail opening. It had to be maneuvered in a specific way. I have never done any work to this part of the vehicle. I have never removed this shock. So the question(s) I have are:

1. How could the actuator insert have cracked causing the actuator mechanism to separate from the shock?

2. How could the actuator mechanism have found its way into this frame rail opening? I have no idea when this would have happened. Its possible that over 3 years of ownership the actuator may have separated from the shock and jiggled its way into the opening. Sounds like a stretch BUT...

3. If the actuator was separated from the shock, should a selective ride code have set? How does CCM check for proper operation of FX-3 system?

4. Not knowing what was the last setting this right rear shock was at before actuator separation, is it possible that it was compressing and rebounding at a different rate than the other shocks? And if it was, what would you speculate are the handling characteristics of the vehicle particularly under WOT acceleration and gear shift?

Discuss amongst yourselves.

[gbmidyear66]

Re Point 3)...

If the actuator and shock are seperated you should definitley get a code. The FX3 systrem runs through a test sequence on power up. It rotates the gears on top of each shock - which controls the valving - and synchronizes the position of each valve/gear.

In my case I had a gear disinitgrate (which would act the same as the seperation of the actuator and shock) and the system activated a code.

[GOLDCYLON]

Dom this all has to be post accident on the car. The FX-3 syste, would have set a time out during its function check upon startup. The slamming down of the car after hitting the rail easily could have done what you have described. Remember the actuators only ride ontop of the shocks and are retained with a single metal clip. A Viloent sudden downforce easily could have done this.

[tomtom72]

Interesting what you found Dom. I do have to side with Daryl. The impact energy must have caused the wire clip to pop out?

The only supporting evidence I can offer is what happened to my car. My first yr of ownership I was at a show in Atlantic City. Ron K, then our VP, was there and in true BOB spirit came over to welcome the NooB!

He found that my left front actuator clip had engaged only one of the locking slots on the cup.... "you gotta check this stuff as these clips doesn't have all that much locking tension." God knows how long it was like that. The system worked, no DTC's, but the clip was only engaged in one slot. I would have to think your clip might have had a similar condition, and the impact energy knocked it off?

[XfireZ51]

Tom,

The clip was still in the slots. The actuator came off of the shock because the actuator insert(the plastic collar that maintains the position of the actuator to the valving piston gear) was broken. So somehow it broke off the top of the shock without any removal of the shock and then was tucked into a slot in the frame rail.

[Paul Workman]

Originally Posted by XfireZ51

Tom,

The clip was still in the slots. The actuator came off of the shock because the actuator insert(the plastic collar that maintains the position of the actuator to the valving piston gear) was broken. So somehow it broke off the top of the shock without any removal of the shock and then was tucked into a slot in the frame rail.

I recall picking up some pieces from the track, between the concrete wall and the guard rail. Among them was some small plastic parts - about the size of the shock caps, but could be just about anything, I suppose.

P.

PS: OT: Your "FBI" jacket is on order. Burgundy XL, as I recall. Should have it (and some others) mid next week!

[tomtom72]

Originally Posted by XfireZ51

Tom,

The clip was still in the slots. The actuator came off of the shock because the actuator insert(the plastic collar that maintains the position of the actuator to the valving piston gear) was broken. So somehow it broke off the top of the shock without any removal of the shock and then was tucked into a slot in the frame rail.

I should learn to read! That is a strange one.

[GOLDCYLON]

Originally Posted by XfireZ51

Tom,

The clip was still in the slots. The actuator came off of the shock because the actuator insert(the plastic collar that maintains the position of the actuator to the valving piston gear) was broken. So somehow it broke off the top of the shock without any removal of the shock and then was tucked into a slot in the frame rail.

The downforce must of broke the housing internally post accident. Reguardless if this was pre accident a timeout wouuld have occured setting an FX-3 warning light

[GOLDCYLON]

Originally Posted by tomtom72

I should learn to read! That is a strange one.

Tom you read fine