Suspension Maintenance

[89AccordLX89]

Hello to the few still here lol
Recently had an axle break on my 1989 accord lx, stock
I already have a new axle, poly front end links, poly front swaybar bushings(greaseable), poly strut rod bushings and brand new falken sincera tires waiting to be put on.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to more more bushing or common parts I can just replace while I am in there?
Looking to tighten up the suspension/handling a bit as well as the regular maintenance
Haven't really had a good look at the car on the lift but would rather gather some new parts to replace all in one shot
Any comments or help would be appreciated, trying to keep this old girl on the road for many more years to come
Have a good one!

[HLW]

You could replace the front shock mount bushing (Prothane 8-907) and the front LCA bushing (Prothane 8-210) with poly.

[89AccordLX89]

Thank you for the suggestion HLW, will have to look at those
While replacing my front passenger axle today, I noticed what I believe is some sort of trailing arm (not sure on exact name) that could use replacing
The bushing was completely worn and from what my mechanic friend tells me you have to replace the whole arm not just the bushing
Need to double check what the exact name of the part was but seemed to be a pretty cheap fix

[89AccordLX89]

Also on another note, I ordered the wrong size sway bar bushing for my LX
From the limited info I could find I thought it was a 22mm bushing but after measuring (which I should have just done in the first place) it turned out to need a 19mm bushing
I have contacted energy suspension about replacing the 22mm for the 19mm seeing as they are the same price.
Stay tuned


Edit: I just spoke with my mechanic and it is the outer tie rod ends that are due for replacing. I just placed an order for MOOG brand tie rod ends part #ES2095R
Going to replace both sides, so for $25 shipped to the door so I can't complain. Any other suggestions are more than welcome, feel free to post away

[firefighterwhite89]

You can replace literally every ball joint and bushing for just under $200 from rockauto.com.

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[Oldblueaccord]

Besides whats you listed and what was suggested.....

The rear upper control arm the ball joint,non greaseable,wears in about 2 years and can fail if totally worn out. Checking the tire at the 12 and 6 position will show it.

The first things you list in order are your best bang for the buck.

[89AccordLX89]

Looking at replacing the rear upper control arms, any suggestions on a brand?
MOOG and MEVOTECH both look pretty good, just wanted to know if there were any better options out there

[firefighterwhite89]

Mevotech is cheaper. Moog lasts longer

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[gyates93]

Mevotech is cheaper. Moog lasts longer

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I have MEVOTECH rear upper arms on my Accord, I only bought them because they were the only thing available locally (Newfoundland) and I needed them ASAP. They didn't fit properly and I had to enlarge one of the holes in the control arm. They've been on for a year and a half and the boots are already cracked/split. I expect to have to replace them again soon. Also, those black caps that covered the nuts wouldn't fit on with the new control arms. The next ones I buy will either be Moog or Honda OEM.

[Dr_Snooz]

I agree with OldBlue, the only suspension part you should replace just because is the rear upper ball joint. It can fail catastrophically causing tremendous damage to the car (and you). Aside from that, there is no need to replace long lists of random stuff unless you are upgrading or modding. Instead, learn to do your own inspections and replace only the parts that are bad. There are a variety of inspection How-To's on YouTube and other websites to teach you.

For myself, I rely heavily on visual inspections. Any cracked or broken rubber or leaking oil/grease means that something is bad, or will be soon. Oil dripping down a shock casing means that you'll be hearing clunking soon or having bounciness. Grease slung all over the wheel well indicates an approaching CV joint replacement. Beyond the visual inspection, I like to grab each suspension component separately and try to twist, shake and move the joint by hand. Where there's sloppiness, there's a problem. This has always worked well for me with Hondas. Other cars with heavier suspensions require crowbars to do the wiggling and other tricks. In the main though, this is how I determine what suspension repairs to make. I'm presently at 220k miles and still have quite a bit of the factory rubber under the car. It still handles like a dream and holds the road with insatiable tenacity.