condor22

Dear Experts,

I have a 1996 Honda Accord EX
4 door Sedan, 2.2 VTEC engine
243K miles

The past year, I've noticed a lot of noise
from the undercarriage, when going over bumps.


I went to a few retail mechanics, and they recommended to replace many things.

On both front wheels, both upper and lower ball joints
On both rear wheels, ball joints
Left outer tie rod
Power steering boots
Entire Right side axle because the CVJ boot was cracked

---

Then, I went to a mechanic who works out of his home garage
He thought much did not need to be replaced.
ie. the boot was cracked, but not through


We did replace:

Right front upper and lower ball joints
Left outer tie rod
Rear Rubber sway bar bushings
Power steering boot

---

The car handles better than it did.
There are fewer knocks.

But there is still a big knock when I go over some bumps.

A parts guy told me that sound can travel.
It might actually come from the rear, but
sound like it's coming from the front.


So I'm wondering what it the cause of the sound might be

Could it be

- Left front ball joints
- Front Stablizer Sway Bar Links, rubber bushings

- Rear Upper Control Arm(s) with Ball Joint

- bad shocks or associated parts (what the home mechanic thought)

- something else
??

(I don't think it's anything loose in the trunk)


Any ideas?

If it is the shocks, how do you test the shocks or associated parts?


Thanks a lot

condor22

Forgot to mention. It's a manual, 5 speed, if anyone thinks it makes a difference.

condor22

Does anyone have any ideas? Thanks

Raul Cipriano

My brothers CRV does same, his rack and pinion went bad, according to firestone. Haven't had the money to replace it but hopefully within the next month and it fixes the problem.

19Accord97

front or rear?

Rear upper strut bearings could be worn allowing it to bang against the rear support. Happened to me. Its a cheap easy fix.

condor22

Hello,

Thanks for responding.

You mention: Rear upper strut bearings

Do you mean
Rear Lower Strut Mount Bushings
referred to here?
SUSP: Rear Lower Strut Mount Bushing removal - CB7Tuner Forums

Similar to this (but different year)?
https://www.moog-suspension-parts.com/moog-k200240

---

Or, struts:
Unity 2-15141-15142-001 Rear 2 Wheel Complete Strut Assembly Kit

---

Or, Rear Upper Control Arm with Ball Joint
https://tinyurl.com/y9lhch3c

---

Or, something else?



Thanks a lot!

This is really mysterious.

condor22

Regarding front or rear, it's hard to tell.

With the mechanic in the car,
I think the sound comes from the rear.
He thinks it come from the front.

Other times, I think it's coming from under the passenger seat.

Mysterious

condor22

Is 19Accord97 there?

Does anyone else have any ideas or answers?

Thanks

19Accord97

If the mechanic doesn't know where the sound is coming from I would go to a different mechanic.

Bushings should be pretty obvious when they need replacing. You could spray one bushing at a time with a silicon spray and test drive each time. Once the noise is gone or quiets you'll know which bushing is bad assuming that you can't tell by looking at it. Ball joints and tie rods can easily be tested with the corresponding tire/wheel off the ground. A quick YouTube search will show you how to do this.

I am referring to the rear upper strut busing (access it by following step 2 https://honda-tech.com/how-tos/a/hon...-shocks-375828 the actual part is the ribbed portion still on the strut in this picture https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/cimg/www.hon...eces-45067.jpg). Fold down the backseat and remove the remaining portion of the bolsters. You'll see the top of the strut tower and the associated bushing. Check for damage and even check the metal cross brace to see if there is any missing paint.

Slow&Steady

I replaced my rack and pinion when I had about 5 inches of travel in the steering wheel before the front wheels began to turn.

I think I had the tie rods replaced then too....

Reading this thread makes me wonder just what all I need to replace under there! I just had some rust repair done and just now I found a big rust hole hidden by the rocker panel trim.

condor22

Hello,

Thanks everyone for all your help.

I haven't really done anything with the suspension, because
now, the clutch is giving me a lot of grief. Sigh.

https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-.../#post51810878

If I can't drive the car, problems with the suspension are irrelevant.

Thanks again

condor22

Ok, I'm back to this thread.

Most all the ball joints have been changed now.

The clutch is also fixed.
After the December fix, the master only
lasted one day! And had to be fixed
on warranty again. Sigh.

I'm convinced that Honda's design of the
master and slave cylinders is faulty.
Mine have been changed at least 4
times now (only 250K miles)


Here is an updated description of the symptom.

Normal driving. No noise.

Big bumps. Noise.

There is a highway I drive down at the
speed limit of 50 MPH.
When there is a dip in the road, there
is a big knock.

Really cold weather, colder than -25 C (-13 F)
No noise.


Most people are telling me that the
struts need replacing.

That cold weather affects the oil in the struts.
And so, less noise than when warm.


Does this make sense?


Thanks a lot!