[jklubeck]

Just bought an 02 wagon. I was looking at the right front wheel well and noticed:
1)In the front it had worn away and cracked. Looks to me like it cracked and then was maybe wearing against the front wheel at high speeds? But, any other suggestions would be great. Because it is cracked it makes the fender on the right side really wiggly and loose.
2) More importantly there is a trail of oil (or something oily) around the entire well (see pics). I checked behind the wheel and no leaks in the brake line, or any noticeable leaks elsewhere. And the oil is placed right about in the middle of where the wheel sits, but there is nothing on the wheel. Any ideas?

What could it be?
Does anybody know the part name or number for the black plastic wheel well? (I would like to replace it.)

 

[bluefront]

That's called an inner fender splash shield.....or something similar.

The oil/grease.....probably from a split CV boot. It only takes a little split/hole to fling out CV joint grease. It may have been replaced in the past, and nobody cleaned up the mess. Get it checked out......

 

[dirtbrown]

yah I was thining a torn/ripped cv boot also...you can easily see that if you pull your wheel off.

 

[iminhell]

I'M thinking it's residue from a fiberglass patch that fell off. A torn CV boot or leaking brake caliper would be spread out more, turning and all.

And yes the fender liners do add stability to the fenders/bumper. Salvage yard may have one cheap otherwise the dealer should be able to help. Can't imagine they are too out of line price wise.

 

[WD40]

I think you got enough hints on what and where to check for the cause of the oil.

The only other thing I can think of is do they put mag-chloride down on your icy roads?
That'll darken up the plastic pretty good (getting thrown from the tires).
It also stays on there forever till you wash it off with soap, as it never really dries.
But...you should see it on both sides of the car if that's the case.

If you can't find the wheel well liner at one of your local salvage yards,
get a hold of Mike Trendel (b16sir1991 on FF) at Hilbish Motors.
He is a vendor on this site, and has his own forums:
http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=94
NOTE!
Calling him will get much quicker results than posting a thread or sending him a PM.
He'll get the best price you'll find on a new part from the Dealer. []

 

[dirtbrown]

could even possibly be tire wet...LOL or "armor all"....some people just spray the profile and miss and hit everything in its path.....haha..just a thought HAHA

 

[jklubeck]

Thanks for all the advice. Looking behind the wheel, there is nothing torn, wet, oily, etc. CV boot is fine, brake lines are fine. Everything is dry and coated with a fine layer of dust, so it doesn't look like anything was replaced recently. I wiped out the wheel well and will see if it comes back. I just had the coolant flushed, so the only thing I could think was that the spilled it and it made it's way to the well - but this stuff is definitely oily (not water, etc.).

And it is called a fender splash shield - thanks. $9.99 on eBay.