Will my shocker suddenly fail?

[oldcardriver]

The gaiters on the rear shockers of my 1998 Corolla have perished and are almost nonexistent, and a piece of the rubber gaiter is sticking out of the shocker body where the piston goes in, I have removed what I can but the bit left is not long enough to grip. The car bounces 1.5 times when the corner of the car is pushed down and the car appears to ride ok.

1. Is the shocker likely to suddenly fail, ie the oil suddenly leak out?

2. Also is the lack of a gaiter, an MOT failure?

 

[Burnerman]

No and no really...you may get an advisory though.
As there are no oil leaks and the supporting bushes are sound, all should be ok. I can't say I've ever seen a bit of the gaiter stuck on the piston though!
Mottie will be the guy to confirm.
John

 

[oldcardriver]

No and no really...you may get an advisory though.
As there are no oil leaks and the supporting bushes are sound, all should be ok. I can't say I've ever seen a bit of the gaiter stuck on the piston though!
Mottie will be the guy to confirm.
John

Thanks, the gaiter is shredded and there were slithers of it all over the shocker and spring. It is definitely a piece of the gaiter and unlikely to be from the innards of the shocker because it was initially about 25 mm long before I pulled on it.

For the last 3 years, I have had an advisory concerning an oil mist coming from the shocker, but they haven’t failed it for that, yet! And I’ve tried looking for this mist and can’t detect it, it mistifies me

I’d like to do a 250 mile each way journey, before the MOT, that’s what worries me about the shocker failing, ie will I get home?

 

[DIYspanner]

This thread interests me, I'm curious to know the rules.

 

[Burnerman]

The condition of shock absorbers - or dampers to be absolutely correct - is very difficult to ascertain. They mustn't leak oil - although misting is acceptable. The bushes top and bottom must be in good order with no movement. During the MOT the vehicle is vibrated on wheel plates to check this out.
If you have gas shocks then naturally enough they won't leak oil in any case!
Shocks don't fail quickly.....if they have completely failed the road wheel alongside will literally bounce on the road and the feeling will be of driving on a flat tyre - sometimes you can see this on knackered cars on the motorway where the wheel is occasionally airborne
So, do your journey and relax about it!
John

 

[oldcardriver]

The condition of shock absorbers - or dampers to be absolutely correct - is very difficult to ascertain. They mustn't leak oil - although misting is acceptable. The bushes top and bottom must be in good order with no movement. During the MOT the vehicle is vibrated on wheel plates to check this out.
If you have gas shocks then naturally enough they won't leak oil in any case!
Shocks don't fail quickly.....if they have completely failed the road wheel alongside will literally bounce on the road and the feeling will be of driving on a flat tyre - sometimes you can see this on knackered cars on the motorway where the wheel is occasionally airborne
So, do your journey and relax about it!
John

Thanks very much for going into detail John, you are a gem.