Shocks

Beth

I'm hoping some or at least one can help.

I recently brought my car for the NCT. It failed because the brake hose was fouling against the shock on the drivers side. I was told the bracket was bent.

Myself and a friend went to check it out after the nct and found that the shock looked as if it was on the wrong side - it looked exactly as the passenger side one did. The groove for passing the hose so it wouldnt catch, was on the same side as the hose on the passenger side. The groove for passing the hose was on the opposite side of the hose on the drivers side.

A friend got me new shocks (cheaply) from a Ford garage and told the guy the problem. He asked the guy behind the counter if they were handed because of the problem with the hose/groove/fouling. The answer was no.

We went to fit the shocks only to be left with the same problem (the hose catching due to the groove being on the wrong side compared to the hose), and I would have failed the NCT again.

My question to you is: Are the shocks for the KA handed?
The original shocks were supplied and fitted by a mechanic and i'd nothing to do with them yet both sets would have given me the same problem.

According to the Ford garage, both shocks for the KA are the same. According to the NCT centre, if they were the same I would fail forever no matter how many times the bracket was checked to be straight and the shocks were changed.

Are there specific driver side and passenger side shocks?

mike65

I dont quite understand the "handed" bit...

The top damper is the front one in the pic below



I just went out to check an old pair I still have and they're exactly the same on both sides, if the brake line is fouling a strut then the line needs securing with a bracket which is something that any handy chap/chapess could fix up.

Mike.

Seth Brundle

I have never heard of shocks designed for the right or left hand side. Shocks are usually front or back, the difference usually based on the fact that the front are installed along with a set of springs whereas at the back they are separate.

@Mike - I assume you meant to say "The front damper is the top one in the pic below"

Beth

mike65 wrote:

I just went out to check an old pair I still have and they're exactly the same on both sides, if the brake line is fouling a strut then the line needs securing with a bracket which is something that any handy chap/chapess could fix up.

Mike.

Thanks for checking.
Handed - left or right hand side.
on the passenger side there's a groove cut out at the top so the hose doesnt get caught when the steering wheel is on full lock. on the driver side, the groove is on the opposte side to the hose, so its catching in the shock.

I've checked both brackets and they're exactly the same. The only way to stop the drivers side hose fouling is to forcefully bend the bracket.

If i can get a camera up there, i'll take a pic.

Thanks for the help though. I appreciate it.

Interceptor

Beth - am I reading you right - the hose isn't in the clamp on the drivers side and is getting pulled across the shock on full lock? Some cars have two clamps - one each side and you stick the hose into either - would it make sense to re-route the hose to the side with the clamp or is this not possible? I'd stick my head under a couple of Ka's in car parks and see what they are like. But I'm odd like that....

'ceptr

mike65

kbannon wrote:

@Mike - I assume you meant to say "The front damper is the top one in the pic below"

Yep!

Mike.