And i was wanting snow.....

[Deadhead]

I was on my way to work, and the roads were covered in snow.

I went around the last corner at about 5 mph, hit some ice, and slid into a curb.

So i go out and look at it, I can't tell what's wrong. So i start to move towards work and hear this popping sound and some grinding.

I get into work and put the car on a lift.....

we found that the sub frame has been bent and the lower control arm is bent.

So i call my parents for a ride home because it would be stupid to drive the car when one wheel is pointing straight and the other is pointing to the right.

My step dad comes to get me and guess what, he makes me drive the car home.

I drive at under 20 mph the entire time, and i have absolutely no traction. School buses were passing me by like i was standing still.....
I had my hazard lights on and my step dad was following me. I start to hear the popping getting more and more apparent.... then i hear some scraping/sqealing sound coming from my right wheel.

I had to have my steering wheel about 1/4 to the left to stay going straight, so the right wheel was dragging like a mofo, something tells me that the wheel bearings are now shot.... not to mention the CV joint is probably going to break assuming this car ever drives again.

I'm fucking crying right now and i feel like i'm about to puke over all of this, this car was my hobby/toy/education/transportation.

So now i have to figure out how i'm going to be able to travel the 50+ miles to and from school and work from now on.....

Anyone have a good body 3gee they are willing to let go for cheap? If we have to drive, i'm sure we can arrange that if it's in good enough shape.

[Acid X]

Sorry to hear that! Hope you can fix it or get a new 3g :(

[speedpenguin]

i know the feeling i got when i thought i was going to lose my car
post in the marketplace
someone will have one, i'm sure.
good luck, man, keep us posted

[memery261]

Yeah Colorado Sucks right now. I hate the cold But love the Rockies.
I hope it all works out for you. Try a JunkYard for the control arm it will save ya some.

[Oldblueaccord]

Man I hate to say it but our cars suck in snow.

Anyway sounds like if the frame is bent that bad your gonna need it pulled.

You can try the DIY way with a chain and a strong post like at the 7 -11 in the middle of the night. My friend used to do his race car with his 10 ton dump truck. Try pulling it out and then setting the toe yourself to get the tires pointing straight.

If that works invest in some good snowtires for the rest of the season or do what I do buy a winter beater.

I doubt the wheel bearing are toasted just from the ride home. The tire maybe shot from scrubbing down the road.

:bowrofl:


wp

[racerx]

oh man that sucks. sorry to hear about that...

hopefully it's still repairable. you can always replace the LCA, get the frame bent back into shape, and inspect any other damage.

LCA's and wheel bearings are cheap from the junkyard.

[Hash_man_Se_i]

I know exactly how you feel man, last winter I bent the frame on my old Accord it was brutal... I cried lol. But yea, it sucked losing that car.


Man I hate to say it but our cars suck in snow.

They do... I don't know what it is, but these cars are horrible in the snow.. even worse when theyre lowered.

[SteveDX89]

If your cars suck in the snow, sounds you got some shitty tires or something. Never had any problem on paved roads with mine. Anyway, sucks to hear about your car. Hopefully, you can fix it. Sounds like your stepdad is a tool. You should find a way to make him pay for it.

[lostforawhile]

most of that damage sounds like the lower control arm,you can easy get one of those at the junkyard,i saw several peope on here parting out cars too. how bad is the frame bent? you might have just bent where the frame attaches to the arm,that can be hammered back in shape,also it can be straightened pretty easy by a body shop. ask the guys who race them this would be a common problem on the race cars,they might have a ghetto solution that works pretty good. if you hit the curb at low speed it probably didn't do that much damage.

[Deadhead]

well, all the force of the car went into the curb on that one wheel.

I went to the body shop today, and they said that the secondary sub-frame peice that got bent can actually be replaced....

But that was just from me describing it, he needs to have it towed in and take a look at it.

He gave me a rough estimate for the repair.... it's going to be about 200 bucks for the parts, and probably 300-400 bucks for the labor :/

I don't know if it's worth it, I think i'd rather pick up a cheap 3g body and swap my engine into it....

[racerx]

well you could always do that... do you prefer the coupe or sedan over the hatch? now would be a good time to get it

[2drSE-i]

hey man i have good news, i did the same thing with the right wheel, just not in snow....avoiding a damn dog, spun it around

cost me 700 bucks, but i got ripped off on parts for sure

i bet you anything, its a lower control arm, the piece of subframe is your rear crossmember, and most likely your power steering rack. its not the end of the world (or your 3g), i cried too

[Shadowkat]

Man I hate to say it but our cars suck in snow.
-It depends what you mean when you say good in the snow. I do agree that our car's traction in the snow is poor, especially if your tires are a little worn. But i've driven heavier cars in the snow and I actually feel more safe in my 3g. I drove my sister's 1990 olds cutlass in the snow and it kept it's traction better because of its weight, but as soon as I hit a little ice buildup I felt like a bowling ball because the car's momentum just keeps you going. I find that the 3g, although at a loss of traction most of the time, is much more responsive once traction is lost. But that's just my personal experience, and of course everyone has different opinions.
-But I do feel your pain Deadhead, I remember when my transmission went fubar, i was devistated. I even asked a friend of mine to let me drive her 4th gen accord just so I could vent my frustration(driving relaxes me). I hope you get it fixed, best of luck!

[lostforawhile]

you must be talking about the point where the lower control arm attaches to the frame,my suggestion is call a junkyard,find out how much it would cost to get that section cut out from a wrecked car, and then call some bodyshops,if they won't use a salvage part,go somewhere else. it's common practice to use a frame section from a wreck to repair a car. especially an older car. you should be able to get that piece easy. if it's a front frame piece it doesn't have to be from a hatch,the front sections are the same on all of the models. think of all the costs assocated with swapping your motor,then getting another body registered,and all the effort. insuarance changed over,etc. that labor charge is a bargain. plus it's your car. you'll probably come out cheaper by fixing it. plus you'll keep another hatch on the road,as they are getting more and more rare.

[Deadhead]

Well, I would definately prefer a coupe over the hatch, but probably not a 4door.

The thing about the hatch, is that the body is already messed up from previous accidents.... The one that i had where some old people cut me off, and one from before i owned the car (got rear ended REALLY REALLY hard).

So i believe there is already some frame damage. The part is not going to cost very much, at least the subframe part.... he said it ranges from 55- over 100 bucks to get that part... just condition is a factor. The labor is going to hurt bad though.... he said probably 6 hours to do it.

I would love to keep driving my 3gee.... the thing runs like a charm even at 251k miles. Been extremely reliable car also...... once i fixed it up that is ( the last owner didn't take very good care of it, running on 3 cylinders, timing 15 degrees advanced, dist was fucked, exhaust was rusted to crap, fuel injectors were leaking fuel everywhere..... it's been through hell and back for sure)

But even with all of that, there is only one recurring rattle..... and i have a loud exhaust and have my subs pumping hard all the time.

Bottom line.... is how much work and money do i want to put into this car. If i could find a clean coupe body, i would jump all over that car.... maybe a clean sedan that has a moonroof with all the goodies too...

besides, I'm persuing a career in automotive repair, and I figure it would be a good thing for me to do a complete engine swap, and take the other motor apart to see for myself what's inside.

If anyone has any more ideas for me... please let me know, we're currently running 1/3 tank of gas out of my stepdad's taurus every day.

[lostforawhile]

well if you do get rid of it,let me know,i might buy some hatch specific parts from you,they are almost impossible to find here i have been looking through junkyards here for years. I hate to see it die,with mine if something happened to it i would fix it no matter what. i don't care if i had to straighten the entire body back out.

[Deadhead]

what kind of parts are you in need of?

[lamontlamont]

assuming you damaged everything you will need a lower control arm, probably a ball joint, maybe a radius rod wheel bearings and whole steering knuckle. i went to the bronx and the guy gave me the whole knuckle with rotor, caliper wheel bearing and lowercontrol arm for 50bucks, the place is called alex wreckers in the bronx. only thing is you probably will need to get new wheel bearings cause every one he brought to me was bad in that department. those parts are cheap around here, the only thing you need to worry about is the frame. the job is not hard you just need a tie rod/joint puller for $13.99 from staruss discount auto. i did it my self.
what state are you in?

[lostforawhile]

hmm I need to do an inventory of my shop and see what i need, you said it was hit in the back what condition are the taillights in? if just the outer plastic cover is broken thats al right,I am going to make another set of custom ones,and it's much eaisier to do them while i have an extra set to work on. is the piece that bolts under them any good? the metal trim strip? I would like to have a spare of that they are impossible to find. i'll let you know,mostly the plastic trim around the windows and stuff like that. if you have to junk it just remember to part it out to the hatch guys on the site,a lot of parts like the quarter glass are vanishing.

[Deadhead]

haha, i didn't mention it was repaired lol

I found the reciept in the glove box when i bought the car. You couldn't tell from just looking at it. The tail lights get a bit of condensation in then when it rains and such.... otherwise they are perfect....

but let's not get too far ahead here lol.... I don't want to promise parts or get your hopes up here.

[jlros75]

Hi Deadhead, If you want I can take a look of the parts that you need from a junk yard that sell very cheap, just let me know if I could be of any help. Or I could get the courage to start the SE-i brake conversion on my car and let you have the entire knuckle with well bearing and hub for cheap.(after the conversion those wont be any good for me)

[2drSE-i]

man i promise its repairable, dont give up on your 3g so easily :D

[speedpenguin]

yeah, $600 is not a big deal, i paid over $1500 this fall just for inane shit, if your car's worth it to you, then go for it. if you wanna switch, though,i guess now would be a good time to do it

[gp02a0083]

i feel ur pain deadhead, same thing happened tomy hatchie (but not in snow , this happened just after it rained) i was making a left turn in a 4 way stoplight car slid while i was going about 10-15 mph and hit the curb in the right front , bent the subframe tore the front engine mount among other stuff , i would check the main frame (where the battery is) it seems that thats the weakest spot for that type of hit

[Deadhead]

If it's fixable, we will fix it, I don't know where the money is going to come from since my parents credit is all used up, but we can't afford to drive the Taurus which has over 150k on it, over 100 miles per day at 20 mpg. And that's just to get everyone to work and to school.

We have to make 3 trips to ft. collins everyday (I live in Loveland), and i have to take my mom to work and pick her up from work and get to 3 different schools in 2 cities....

I have to have a car.... there's no doubt about that. I alone drive over 350 miles per week on that Honda.

But as of now, it's sitting outside covered in snow.... I should probably get the sound system out of it today and put it inside my room.... that would just suck to get that stolen on top of my car being fubared...

Gp02a0083, I hit the left side of my car.... but how do i check to see if anything is bent other than the subframe? Do I take off the fenders and bumper?

jlros75, Thanks for the offer, but the part is cheap, just labor is what is going to kill me.... I'd do it myself, but i don't have the resources to do it. Maybe my front range instructor will let me do all the work at the school over the christmas break.

[logic]

Hi,
First of all, if you add about 50 lbs to the trunk(my tools) they do great in the snow. Traction is all about grip, not weight, it's simple physics. if you add weight you get more traction force but you have more mass to move so they cancel each other, if you have less weight you get less friction so less force but less mass to move, it's all the same. The real issue to worry about is weight distribution, if you hit a sheet of ice you want to slide straight and not start spinning. My 88 LXi spun until I added my tools in the trunk and now it behaves perfectly!
Deadhead: Sounds like you need a lower control arm and a sub frame (could also need a outer tie rod end). They are pretty easy to replace (at least for someone going to school for automotive) and should be pretty cheap from a junkyard (a lot less than another car). Seems to me what you need to do is put it back on the rack and see if anything else is bent/broken...Also don't get tie rod ends or ball joints or wheel berings from junk yards, they are wear and tear items so you are most always much better off springing for a new one and not having to worry about it for another 1-2 hundred thousand miles...

[Deadhead]

Yeah, i understand the wieght in the rear issue, But i had my backpack (proabbly 15 lbs) and my infinity subs back there (my guess is 50 or so.... ).

How easy are they to replace? i mean, has anyone ever done this before here and what kind of tools am I going to need?

I am pretty decent when it comes to working on my car, however, I am an amature. I'm thinking that i'm just going to buy the part and see if my instructor will let me replace it over the christmas break. They have an alignment rack there as well as almost every tool you can imagine.

[jlros75]

The knuckle and control arm are not that hard to replace, you just need the correct tools. First to remove the knucle you will need a Pitman Arm puller to remove upper and lower ball joints and to remove the outer tie rod end, Second a 32mm Socket to remove the hub nut. The rest are regular 15mm to 10mm sockets. You can rent the big socket and the pitman arm from autozone or I might be able to give you a hand and bring my tools(I have almost evething to work with) If you need it let me know when and where and will be good to have a garage to work inside because its so cold outside. Just keep in mind that I will be out from next wednesday to monday 19th, so must be this weekend or after the 19th.

[racerx]

I've used the same pickel fork to remove ball joints on lower control arms and tie rod ends. Works every time, albeit with a 10lb sledge sometimes...

You'll need new ball joint boots, though, I can almost guarantee. The 2 and 3-jaw pullers are a waste of money IMO. They only work on certain jobs, and almost never on cars that have more than 100,000 miles on 'em.

A pickle fork will do you right.

I know it sounds like hard work, but you'd be surprised how simple it is to remove the hubs, LCAs, tie rod ends, etc. I've done this kind of work a lot lately. It's usually the easiest part of the jobs I'm doing.

and I think jlros75 meant to say the rest is 14, 12, and 10mm bolts, with the occasional 17mm odd-ball. :)

[lostforawhile]

I got the pitman arm puller at advance for under 10 bucks years ago,it wll remove any ball joint on the car easy,they just fit the ball joints on these cars and won't damage the boots,i've even taken offf ball joints on cars at junkyards where the entire arm was sitting in mud and water. if you put it on there and tighten the center bolt,then you can hit the arm itself with a hammer to help jar it looose while you keep tightening the center bolt. it will just pop loose.

[lostforawhile]

I got the pitman arm puller at advance for under 10 bucks years ago,it wll remove any ball joint on the car easy,they just fit the ball joints on these cars and won't damage the boots,i've even taken offf ball joints on cars at junkyards where the entire arm was sitting in mud and water. if you put it on there and tighten the center bolt,then you can hit the arm itself with a hammer to help jar it looose while you keep tightening the center bolt. it will just pop loose.

[logic]

I got the pitman arm puller at advance for under 10 bucks years ago,it wll remove any ball joint on the car easy,they just fit the ball joints on these cars and won't damage the boots,i've even taken offf ball joints on cars at junkyards where the entire arm was sitting in mud and water. if you put it on there and tighten the center bolt,then you can hit the arm itself with a hammer to help jar it looose while you keep tightening the center bolt. it will just pop loose.

Yep, definately the way to go...

Deadhead: I could probably find time to help you too, if you need it...

[Deadhead]

ok, problem is, you guys are all the way in Denver and south of there. How are you going to get up here to help me, and how are we going to be able to fix it?

If we can do this for really cheap, that would probably work.... but if not, My parents have decided to go for another car. One with less miles and post 90's.

We're looking at some 5th gen accords, and they seem pretty nice and not too expensive, however, that means that I dont' have a car anymore, i just drive "their" car.... and i'll more than likely get stuck with the POS saturn that i dont' fit in, seeing as the accord is nicer (the one i found has every option, and near perfect leather)

I'd like to save my car, but i dont' have the money and my parents dont' see it as a good idea to fix the car. Not after how it sounded when i started it yesterday.... it made a horrible knocking noise.... and also, the engine bay was completely frosted.... thought that was wierd.

[jlros75]

Well for me, I been driving to salt lake city utah every month for the last year so I dont see like a big deal to drive to loveland, the only thing that you may need to find is who could fix the subframe,the rest I could give you a hand, but if you decide not to fix it will you sell me your muffler?:deal:

[jlros75]

Hey Logic, where do you live? I live at Monaco Parkway and 6th Avenue. We could drive togeter in case dead head decided to fix his ride.

[logic]

Hey Logic, where do you live? I live at Monaco Parkway and 6th Avenue. We could drive togeter in case dead head decided to fix his ride.

I live in Evergreen so I could meet you around I-70 & 76...

[Deadhead]

hey guys, thanks for the willingness to help

And jlros, i'm planning on getting a better muffler asap, so i'll GIVE you that muffler.

I probably won't be able to get the car into the school shop until late next week. What days are you guys available?

[jlros75]

Just keep in mind that I will be out from next wednesday to monday 19th, so must be this weekend or after the 19th.
After the 19th I can be open any day/time of the week. and thanks about the muffler. and I may start doing the 89 SE-i brake upgrade and let you have the complete knuckle with hub, You might only need a lower control arm,balljoints and probably the strut rod to frame in case is bent.

[jlros75]

I live in Evergreen so I could meet you around I-70 & 76
Sounds good to me. :)

[lostforawhile]

you know if I didn't live halfway across the country,I would pack up my rollaround and come help. At least I'm there in spirit. :)

[logic]

What days are you guys available? I'm open this weekend, tues the 13th, fri & sat the 23rd & 24th, and thurs the 29th...

[Deadhead]

Where do you live lostforawhile?

[lostforawhile]

moultrie GA

[Deadhead]

haha, yeah, your a ways away.... thanks for the support.

[FyreDaug]

I love my 3g in the snow, pulls/drifts/assdrags whatever, very well and it handles nice on the road.

sorry to hear the loss, but I dont think its as bd as you are thinking.

What do you plan to do to the car? Sell it as a junk title and take your losses and buy a new car? Or fix this for significantly less than you can lose. Shit happens man, we all deal with it. Good luck fixing it

[Deadhead]

Pics are up in a new thread in the pics subforum.... take a gander and tell me what you think.