Ford Ka bent wheel and something leaking.

[Josh]

My girlfriend managed to bash her front passenger side wheel into the kerb when parking the other day. Her wheel trim is bent and broken and the steel wheel is slightly bent (pretty much flat rather than rounded for about 3 inches). The tyre looks ok but we're going to take it to a garage to check.

 

I moved the car backwards and forwards a bit and something's leaking from underneath. Having a look under the bonnet I checked the brake fluid (just in case the brakes had been damaged which I know is very doubtful) and the pipe coming from the reservoir is wet all underneath for as long as I can see/feel.

 

I've looked under the car and the suspension arm is wet and there's liquid dripping from quite a large area underneath the car.

 

Anyone any idea as to what this could be as the car was completely fine beforehand?

 

Oh and also I noticed today that after the car had some bodywork repaired, the seal at the back of the bonnet (under the windscreen) wasn't attached properly. I don't think it's rain dripping as it's not rained for a bit and it was still dripping when I was looking at it.

 

The liquid is odourless.

Edited April 4, 2011 by Josh (see edit history)

[BazzaAlpine]

Liquid from the suspension? That would be my guess if it's definately not brake fluid.

[L18msy]

Post pics up and i will try to help.

[ronttuk]

my mrs had a knock in her KA it knocked the drive shaft out the gearbox

[Swampy442]

Power steering fluid?

[KamaSupra]

Yeah put up pics, we like pics!!

[Josh]

Cheers guys, I'll get some pics up tomorrow evening.

[Graham S]

There are power steering pipes running along the rail by the passenger wheel mate, so check you level. As for the trim, it may be up as the cabin filter is under that panel.

[stevie_b]

Women!

[Josh]

Thanks for the help so far guys

 

I was having a think tonight. My girlfriend's Mum moved the car backwards and forwards earlier today and there was no liquid underneath it and and it was dry underneath.

 

As the seal between the back of the bonnet and the bottom of the windscreen wasn't fixed in place, and the car had sat still since it last rained, I was thinking that maybe water had got into the engine bay and had been sitting somewhere until I moved the car yesterday and it all sloshed about onto the places I could see and onto the road.

 

Found a wheel and tyre from a Ka for £15 from a scrap yard so we're going to buy that (as the one on there is fooked) so I'm going to check all fluids Thursday because as there's nothing leaking/wet anymore, if it was PAS or brake fluid, the resevoir should be empty when I check next.

 

I'll report back Thursday night.

 

Cheers fellas!

[Josh]

Found out from the missus that she didn't actually bash the wheel against the kerb. She pulled up too close to the kerb and rather than reversing, she just drove forward forcing the wheel against the kerb, causing the damage.

 

I now don't think anything is broken as all fluids are at the right levels and there was water collected at the back of the bay under the wire (shown in picture) due to the bonnet seal not being in place.

 

 

 

I got the spare wheel out (after unscrewing the bolt with my fingers for 10 minutes, longest. bolt. ever.) and it's knackered, the inside of the wheel is bent and rusted to sh!t, so we're just going to get a wheel and tyre from a scrap yard (£15).

 

The water that was collected in the place in the first picture looks like it must have just dripped down onto the suspension components and throughout the engine bay when I moved the car the other day.

 

Thanks for the help guys but all seems to be sorted now. If you think there's something I could have missed, let me know.

 

Cheers