I was driving home tonight after a day of helping Ian with his continuing electrical issues. Buzzing along nicely at 75 mph, admiring how well the car is running and how peppy it now is. Center lane on 249 in Houston, a major artery......start feeling a "clanking" metallic feeling in the steering wheel for a mile or so. Definitely felt like something banging in the steering column or under the plastic cover. Then, without warning a giant THUD on the passenger side front. I instantly thought I had a blow out but the steering went all squirrely on me and starting drifting left and right. Amazing how that left front fender defensive instinct kicks in! I immediately started wrestling it to the right shoulder (started at 75 mph remember) and was lucky that there was sufficient gap in the traffic that I didn't have a problem. I can hear things grinding at this point and control of the car is marginal at best. Started smelling rubber too. Got stopped on the shoulder, hazards on, popped door and went for a look. Wheel is at an odd angle and not at all healthy looking. Looking under car, I can see the lower control arm is totally disconnected from the wheel and is riding inside the bottom of the wheel. No nut on top. I know with 100% certainty that it had a cotter pin locked castle nut on it last week when I was under there checking my A/C drain.
I called AAA (first time I've needed it for any car in 9 years) and half an hour later a flat bed picked me up and took me home, just a couple of miles away. He backed it into my driveway and the two of us got it in the garage where tomorrow I will get it up on the lift and fully assess the damage. Rolling on/off the flatbed, the wheel is now at a 45* angle and certainly not pointed in the right direction.
I so very, very easily could have put that thing into another car or the barriers on either side of the road. I was extremely lucky. Moral of the story is if something doesn't sound or feel right, STOP and check it right away!!!
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yeah, it'll be interesting to read more about it! I hope it's nothing too serious!
