axle problem--stupid questions!

littlebug

sorry for my complete ignorance (mutters excuses... something to do with being a girl).
Say you were told that there was an axle problem, something to do with ballbearings and it can't be fixed, it's just wearing away or something This is an old citroen xantia which is in otherwise good working order.
First stupid question: is this a big problem (I acknowldege I really need to find out more about the problem for answers to this one)
2. Does it make the car dangerous to drive?
3. Could the car hypothetically be used in a situation where it was only going to be used occasionally in a location where it would be driving no more than 4 miles at a time, chuggging along at 30mph.
4. What are the risks? i.e will it just gring to a halt gradually over time or could the whole thing break suddenly with the risk of killing pedestrians or driving me over a cliff or something?

Overall I'm just wondering if it's worth considering using this car (getting it for nothing) or is it too dangerous?

Del2005

All problems on cars can be fixed, the only issue is will it cost more then the car is worth (or how much money are you willing to spend fixing it up).

In answer to your question if the bearings are gone, then there is a chance of catastrophic fail while driving. It's not worth the risk. Get a mechanic to have a look at the car and tell you roughly how much it'll cost to fix and then make you choice. But don't drive it till it's fixed.

littlebug

Thanks Del,

the words "catastrophic fail":eek: jump out at me there! What you're saying makes sense. I probably will have to decide whether to spend the money fixing this car (where I know what the problem is) or buying a different old car where I don't know it's history....hmmmmm.

richardsheil

Being a Xantia and a problem on the axle with the bearings most likely means that the bearings that the rear suspension moves on are worn.

If you stand behind the car and look at the rear wheels do they look to be at a funny angle? i.e do the wheels sort of lean in at the top?

What are the symptoms that made you talk to the mechanic in the first place, does the suspension creak or grind going over bumps?

This problem ( if I have diagnosed correctly) can be fixed for a few hundred euro and should be pretty familiar to most mechanics.

hope this helps.

there are citroen specialists around the country who can give you a price fairly easily.

If my diagnosis is correct we are not in the "catastrophic failure" territory. But that is only if my diagnosis is correct

richard

Rovi

As a small aside, in mechanical/engineering terminology, 'catastrophic failure' describes when a component or assembly breaks or fails suddenly as opposed to wearing away gradually over time, getting less and less efficient to the point where it no longer works as intended.
The term 'catastrophic' refers to the sudden nature of the failure, not to the consequences of the failure.
ie. catastrophic failure of a bonnet release cable or a window winder won't be much more than an annoyance, whereas catastrophic failure of the brakes or suspension would be much more serious.

It looks like you're dealing with suspension components or wheel bearings here, so I'd err on the side of caution and have it investigated at the very least.