Hey guys kind of a noob question.

Car: 88 Civic wagon stock except coilovers

I got it aligned a year or so when I got it. The guy that did it said it was really hard to align because it was lowered ?

I hit a pretty harsh bump the other day and now it pulls really hard to one side.

I don't want to set up a time and then be told I can't get an alignment.

All bushings look original (i.e. destroyed) except front lower ball joints which might just have the boots replaced.


I don't know if my question even makes sense but if nothing is bent/damaged I should be able to get it aligned right?

Thanks in advance.

 

Get the energy suspension master bushing kit. Everyone has there oppinions but I was happy with mine. Install that beast and you'll feel like you just drove a new car of the lot. Seriously, best investment I've made.

Worn or "destroyed" bushings can definatley effect a lot. From steering play, to in my case, hardly keeping the car on the road due to my rear trailing arm bushings dissapearing. So yes, they may be able to align it as best they can but old bushings have more play or give to them so it's less likely to hold true to what it could be.

 

i work at a shop and we do a sh*tload of alignments ....if your bushings are bad dont waste your time and money trying to align it bad bushings allow the suspension to move around so much that you wont be able to get an accurate reading to align the vehicle properly...find a shop that will do a suspension inspection for you and have them list the parts that are worn and will affect your alignment ....also the energy suspension master kit is definitely a must if you want to maintain good long term drivability and ride quality.... from you hitting a bump and getting a hard pull to one side sounds like you bent something ...you can give a rough caster check by measuring your gap between the tire and fender at the front and rear of each tire in front ...more than likely youll find that the side thats pulling is closer to the rear of the wheel arch...caster is what causes pulls and it always pulls to the side with the shortest caster...

 

any refutable shop is not going to align it. they may get it on the rack, note the parts which need replacing, and offer to replace them before setting up an alignment. you can't align a vehicle with damaged bushings, as they will cause the geometry to change with movement of the vehicle.
you should probably get it in there, ask them to do you up an estimate of what needs to be changed and if you can't afford it/don't feel it's a fair estimate, replace the parts yourself and return for the alignment
the easiest way that i've found to replace the bushings is to just go to the wreckers and find a chassis in decent shape with good looking bushings and pull the parts you need. probably front and rear lca's, rear uca's. whatever the estimate says. you can buy the trailing arm bushings from honda for pretty cheap, and there's a tool that allows you to press out the bushing in-car. or take it as an opportunity to upgrade and swap to crx rear disc. if you can find a 90-91 crx si at the wreckers with all good bushings and rear disc in tact, i'd do that.
you can sell your old parts with the bad bushings to someone who wants to swap in energy bushings. that way they can have them ready and straight swap in.
or you can pick up the energy master kit and swap them in yourself. although, on older vehicles they can be a pain if the bushing sleeves are seized and the press won't do. then you gotta break out the torches.
i dunno, i'd just hit the wreckers for a nice shape 90-91 crx si. if you have a dx, you'll get the rear ant-sway bar too

 

Just park your car some were nice and flat. Then Get a friend to slowly rock the steering left to right. Then examine all the steering system for slack or and broken parts.If everything looks good take to the shop.(most shops will replace the dust covers for a fee)

 

Thanks for all the helpful replys.

My next upgrade was actually to try to find some used DX knuckles and try to start all fresh with new wheel bearings, lower ball joints, and the ES master set.

From my limited experience I could not see anything bent when I jacked it up but I'll do the DIY caster check.


As far as just swapping to the CRX rear trailing arms the wagon is actually unique in that aspect as only 88-00 Civic/Integra that doesn't interchange on the rear trailing arms.
I will look for some rear camber arms and upper control arms in better shape than mine though.

I wonder if auto parts stores rent the specialty tool for changing rear trailing arm bushing on the car?

 

Tool may be hard to find, as it is a Honda specialty tool
It doesn't take much to throw the caster off. Just a slight abnormality in the Uca is enough, yet won't be seen easily with the naked eye

 

Thanks for the advice, I should replace the original UCA's anyway they are looks pretty haggard.

I was looking at the PIC hard bushing set as it comes with rear trailing arm bushings but it looks to be on back order for now.

The hardrace set seems to look like a nice choice as well.

 

just because you hit a bump and youre alignment went bad, doesnt mean your bushings are "shot". you bent something. you may be able to adjust the toe back and everything will be just like before tho. but an alignment shop can also take a good look for you and see if anything is bent, or you could take the time and do it yourself.

however, it doesnt mean your bushings are in good shape after all this time and abuse. did you lower the car yourself? do you know about zeroing out the bushings, or tightening them under load? if not, then yes your bushings are toast for sure.

i dont think energy suspension poly bushings are any bit of a good solution. they suck. they bind, and simply do not work well with honda suspension. yes, im sure theyll "tighten" things up. i really cant say how thats a good thing, when its restricting the natural movement of the suspension as its designed.

use OEM bushings. or if you REALLY want a "kit", get all those expensive hard rubber alternatives. but OEM is the best for nearly all people and applications except racing, in my opinion.

 

Thank you for all the advice. I used the term "shot" because the bushings all look original with 325k miles on them. Everything was tightened under load when I put the coilovers on, but not zeroed out, I will look that up thanks.

I guess where I feel "stuck" is not wanting to pay someone to tell me what is bent/broken. I have jacked the car up but with my limited experience I haven't found what is malfunctioning yet.

I don't know if this question makes sense but if I find what is bent and replace it, will that stop the pulling when driving? Or will it have to be replaced and get aligned before I know it is fixed?
I do understand I will still need an alignment no matter what I would just like to attempt to fix the problem myself.

 

You will still need an alignment. Get a lifetime one from firestone. Its worth it.

Even if you get these new energy suspension bushings on, you need an alignment.

Your alignment being off, and the age of your car and its bushings are separate issues at this point. Go ahead and maintain ur car, check the balljoints too and replace as necessary. But you will still need an alignment.

Do it quick before you shred ur tires.

 

so did you check caster?

 

Wasn't planning on going with energy suspension, I appreciate all your advice.

Going to get it looked at on my day off and see if a place like Firestone can tell me what's bent and if they can align it.

I haven't had a day off, hopefully I only work in the evening Monday, hope to do it then.

 

i greatly enjoy my ES buchings all around on my car. i have two remaining to be changed and those would be my RTA bushings. one of the best investments ive ever made, car feels new again!!!!

 

I'm looking to replace all my bushings as well, and so far I've heard different opinions about these energy bushing kits.

Is there a difference between the red and black? I noticed a price difference is all.

Anyone tried this kit for example? Worth it?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ENERG...ht_1144wt_1166