*rant*

[MrBen]

Alright, I dunno what the hell is wrong with my car. You all know about the steering wheel wobble at high speeds, the steering wheel shimmy when I lay on the gas, in between shifts, the clicking when I turn left, and the general loose feeling in the steering wheel.

So what the hell is wrong? I've taken it three places, they all say something different.

If you don't have an educated guess, or know the answer, don't bother replying. I just want this taken care of so I can get on with my life! :mad:

[NXRacer]

the clicking noise is due to a warn out CV joint. Your wobble is due to either tires unbalance, uneven wear or bad ball joints. I"d also look at your stearing arms and see if anything is warn out.

[MrBen]

The tires are balanced, forgot to say that. When they get balanced, it helps a little, but gradually returns to normal shaking.

Anyway, the run down is this:

Honda says it it the lower ball joints
Walt's says it is the upper passenger side control arm
Mike's says it is the CV joints (but is unsure until he looks at it on Thursday)

[NOAHS88accord]

I had the same problem on my 89 cavalier, bad CV joints, everytime i would turn left you would hear really loud click click click, and the wheel would shake, had those replaced, and the problems went away, now i have another problem with it but ill post in off topic about that since its not an accord.

[MrBen]

Well this is not by any means really loud. It basically sounds like a creak. I haven't noticed the steering wheel doing anything while it makes that noise either.

[bboipinoy112]

is this the " RANT " thread? if so .. can i rant? .. my auto tranny is f0cked .. 1st gear doesnt shift till read line*even when driving slow* .. and 2nd gear doesnt shift at all .. i cant keep it redlined forever .. tell me whats wrong please.. my tranny blown? means 5sp swap right?

[shepherd79]

check your tie rods. mine was worn out and my steering shaked a lot.
clicking is due to worn out CV joint.

[MrBen]

Are you guys sure it couldn't be a ball joint rattling around, making it creak?

I also just recalled that when I lay on the gas, or slam on the brakes, it will sometimes pop.

['89AccordLX(Rus)]

Jack each front corner up and test each upper balljoint for wear by trying to move the upper arm and knuckle in different directions. If you can feel any slack, replace the BJ/control arm. The bottom ball joints are tested by again raising the car and using a large screw driver to pry between the lower control arm and the knuckle near the BJ. Be careful not to damage the rubber boot in the process. While the wheel is off, check the tie rod end for any slack as well.

I hope this helps.

[NXRacer]

do the accord auto trannies have a vacuum actuater thingy? i know my g/f's old escort wouldnt shift for shit and it was because the vacuum actuator thing went out. Its like a $15 part and 5 minutes to replace.

[dosh8er]

hrm, that was slightly off topic?

I'd check those LOWER BALL JOINTS!

That's a common problem, after 2 cars, i can tell that vibration at high speeds thing is definately suspension related. (last car, replaced cv, upper bj, tires, aligment) But the only parts i never repaced were those blasted lower ball joints, and i think after i do those on this new car, it will solve most of my problem (tie rods are steering issue... don't wanna go there yet)

A friend of mine, who's father worked for an import dealer, told me that the lower ball joints on our cars were crap... so i don't know... look into those. i don't think they are very difficult to remove.

BTW, i'm pretty sure that creaking noise is from the UPPER ball joints... had the same thing happen, until i replaced them.

[MrBen]

Thanks a lot.

I'm sure the upper passenger side balljoint is somewhat loose... it has some play in it. Not very much though.

I noticed today it creaks sometimes when turning both directions. Hrrrmmm.

I'm taking it in on Thursday for another look at, and we'll see how it goes from there.

[MrBen]

Well it is both lower balljoints and the drivers side outer CV joint and the passenger side inner joint. The balljoints were BAD. He showed them to me, the had tons of play in them.

It's going to be 640 bucks. Guess I'll keep my car after all.

[4sillypwr]

Good plan. The shaking under acceleration is usually the inner cv joints. The lower ball joints are pressed in so they are not that easy to remove.

['89AccordLX(Rus)]

Glad you found the problem :) It is best to replace the ball joints since you really do not want to have them separate at speed. And 640 seems like a fair price with labor. When I replaced my rear upper balljoint at a shop they charged close to 200 bucks. Front suspension parts are more expensive and more involved in replacements.

:pimp:

[MrBen]

Thanks for your help! I didn't know how to check the lower ones, and when I had him check, I saw the slop in them, and knew right away that what you said was true. Now I just hope my uppers do not go bad soon!

['89AccordLX(Rus)]

Have a look at the rubber boots on the front upper balljoints, if they are torn (run your finger around the circumference), they will cause wear on the BJ by letting all the grease out and dirt in. If the boot look alright, you can proceed to raise that corner of the car and wiggle the upper control arm independently of the steering knuckle. If there is slack, the ball joint is on its way out. Also, while the car is on the jack, grab the upper control arm at the ball joint end and try to move it forward and back, if it has any forward/backward movement, the bushings at the chassis mounts are worn.

:D I hope this helps.

[MrBen]

Well I just got my car back. On my way home, the whole car was vibrating. I took it back, and he says one or both of the axles are defective. So now I have to take it back on Tuesday.

['89AccordLX(Rus)]

Well, since you say the vibration continued (or is even more evident now), it may not be the axles but some other component in the front suspension. This is a theory of mine, but it may be that once your lower joints were replaced, the vibration got more pronounced since now the worn components' slack doesn't absorb or lessen the vibration. Also, check suspension bushings for play, if they are worn, you will have a lot of freeplay and overall suspension freedom (which shouldn't be there). If the axles that were installed are new/remaned, I doubt they would have vibration. Just doesn't seem likely for a new axle(s) to do that. Also, you may want to check tire balance (although you already may have). Next time you are at the shop, have the mechanic wiggle, pull, push, and harass (in a reasonable manner :D) every suspension part with a ball joint or bushing linkage. Also, try to wiggle the front wheels as if turning while the car is off the ground. If you can move the wheel around the knuckle vertical axis at all, there is something wrong in the steering department.

My $.02 :pimp:

[MrBen]

Well, it does it only when in gear, and doesn't do it any other time. I really noticed it in 2nd gear; the car vibrates, but you can't really feel it in the steering wheel. When I took it back to him, he was puzzled, but says that both axles are remaned and he thinks one of them, or both, is defective.

It is easier to steer, now, however than before the balljoints were replaced. I also get much better steering response and less play in the steering. It is nice.

I had him check the upper balljoints, and specifically showed him etc, and he said they are perfectly fine and nothing is wrong with them.

The thing that bothers me is I brought my car to him a long time ago with the same problem as I was having and he said everything was fine. Maybe he was feeling lazy that day?

[MrBen]

Also, the vibration occuring now is not the same as before. Before, it was just the steering wheel, and now it is the entire car and not the steering wheel.

['89AccordLX(Rus)]

If the vibration is not in the steering, it may not be coming from the front end. I think that any vibration upfront would cause you to feel it in the steering. Although, if you have a manual tranny, you could try to throw the car into neutral and see if the vibration goes away (you also said the whole car shakes so that could eb engine related). It might be an engine mount or something else of that nature that isn't doing its job once you start applying power through the drivetrain. Does the car track straight? With proper alignment and on a level road the car should stay in line perfectly. This is best tried at 45-60 mph since any pull would be noticeable immediately.

All I can think of for now. I hope it helps. :D

[MrBen]

Oh. You know, I forgot to say one important thing. It only vibrates under acceleration, in gear.

[dosh8er]

well, you could check your wheel bearings up front there.. but i think those would cause vibration under load/not under load (accel).

driveshafts is the most logical item to cause vibration under load...

i hear ya man, i got similar problems right now. and i'm racking my brain on them...

[MrBen]

Yeah my mechanic is convinced it is a bad axle. Although I don't think he did an alignment either. I'll have to ask.

Either way, the axles are under warranty, so I don't have to pay a thing.

They were 111.00 apiece. Ouch.