furiousbob

long story short, i got t-boned by an 02 rsx (and i fishtailed and reversed about 50 ft). amazingly enough, the only damage (other than paint damage) was the little piece of plastic below the gas tank falling off. the rsx's front end was destroyed. however, when i started riding around in the car, my rearend would shift left and right whenever i went over any bumps on the road. it felt like my axle had widened and my car was shifting around. my car used to torque drive to the right a bit and now it just drives to the left by a few degrees. is my axle shot? how much would repairs cost? if it costs anymore than 300 bucks i'm buying a new car, cuz the crx i have right now cost me 400.

mahatma

I guess you have an '87 or older Civic/CRX with a solid rear axle? Otherwise the axle would have nothing to do with the rear of the car.....

Have you even gotten under there and looked around. I bet the problem is obvious, like bent suspension or broken bolt somewhere.

Stop driving it and check it out ASAP!!

furiousbob

i'd probably have to take it to a mech then huh? it is in fact an 87 hf btw.

furiousbob

also, with the piece of plastic missing and the metal exposed, will it rust really fast?

mahatma

That sucks, I loved my '87 HF.....

Screw the mechanic. You'll spend $100 just for them to tell you what's wrong usually.....

Suspension is easy to work on if you have access to a jack & stands. Get under there and check things out. Look for anything obviously bent or broken (if you're not sure then compare the left side to the right side.....they should look the same, but in reverse LOL). Grab stuff and try to move it around. Nothing should be loose. Replace whatever if fucked up.

The only thing that would signal the end of the car: If the unibody itself is bent. Like where suspension actually bolts to the car. Then you should give up. But at least give it a try. Go save that HF

furiousbob

ugh, and if i dont have a jack and stands? well i have the jack from my spare tire compartment but i dont think thats a great idea.

has anybody had this problem with their car where the car shifts?

furiousbob

okay so i found out it was my frame, not my axle. when the guy broadsided me, i fishtailed and backed up into a curb/lawn and i guess the curb + the car bent my underside/frame where the gas tank sits. my friend says i can take it to a bodyshop and they'll fix it for around a hundred bucks. BUT i think i'm going to give up on this car, buy an EM-1 for now and one day, i'll go back to the crx's (2nd gen si, of course).

this car has given me a lot to worry about and has taken a lot out of my pocket for a 400 dollar car.