Hi! I just bought a 1995 Accord Wagon EX w/about 160k miles on it, and though I love the car it needs a lot of work it seems. I plan on replacing:

Front upper control arms both sides
Front lower control arms/ball joints both sides
Front inner and outer tie rods both sides
Stabilizer bar links
Front Struts
Right front knuckle

I also have ABS codes 1 and 4-2, so apparently there's something going on with the LF ABS sensor as well as the motor overrun. The ABS fluid tank is empty - brakes work fine though the pedal slowly sinks to the floor if I keep my foot on the brake.

I'm wondering if I should keep some order of operations in mind when replacing all the suspension stuff - especially with the knuckle on the passengers side.
How hard will it be to put the hub/wheel bearing into the new knuckle? Will I likely have to buy these new or can I use the ones on my car if they're in good shape?

Also have SRS code 5-1. Is this one I can likely send the unit in to myairbags.com or whatever to have fixed?

Lastly, apparently someone put an aftermarket Rack & Pinion in at some point.. I went to get it inspected and one of the things they mentioned was that the "mounting bushing" needed to be replaced... Took it to another shop they said that it was missing the top mounting bracket and that whoever installed it had instead just put two bushings in or something - do I have to remove the whole thing to put that mounting bracket in on top? It's part 4 in this diagram that I think is missing - figured I'd replace #s 4, 5, 6, and the #24 bolts.



Lots of work to do. I really would love to get this car in good shape and drive it for a few years. I've priced out all the suspension stuff to just under $600 using all Moog problem solver stuff except for the lower control arms (they apparently only make the cheaper r-series of these) which I think i'd use Mevotech? If I have to get a new abs modulator/sensor and send in the srs unit that's another $300ish. All presupposing I can do the work on my own.. I have the chilton and haynes manuals as well as the factory service manual for a 94 accord coupe (should be mostly the same?), have done minor repairs before (oil change, brakes/rotors, exhaust work, ignition cylinder etc) but nothing this in-depth.

Thanks for reading!! Any advice would be much appreciated - even if it's just "drive it off a cliff!"

 

You don't need ABS.

-make sure your moog conntrol arm ball joints/tie rod ends have grease.
-If you do the work yourself it will save you lots $.
-Personally I would only buy honda ball joints since they are cheap. I'd get honda upper control arms as well but IIRC they are $150 a pop.

 

I don't care about ABS except that in Virginia I don't think you can pass your yearly inspection with the light on... maybe I'm wrong about that though, they failed my inspection mostly for the suspension parts. If I could get away with just ripping out the whole ABS system I'd be happy!

 

I guess I wrote too much for anyone to feel like trying to answer!

Here's my main questions:

If I have an SRS code 5-1 (95 accord ex wagon), can I send in my unit to myairbags.com for example or do I definitely need to get a new unit?

For anyone who has replaced the steering gear: Would it be possible for me to put in that bracket that is missing (#4 on above diagram) without taking the whole gear out? What about the 2x #19 and #20 bushings?

If the ABS fluid tank is empty and i'm getting a code 1 does that likely mean I have a leak in the modulator or something and need an all new one?

Thanks!

 

Hey, I’m not sure if you found a solution or not yet but this video shows the operation of removing the clamps and replacing the rubber bushing from underneath
… also you should be able to install the clamp without taking everything out, of course you may need to remove some of the components but that shouldn’t be too difficult. For the rest of the suspension I would suggest Mevotech.. I;ve used them often and have always been happy with it, I would also definitely suggest springing for their supreme brand… it’s got a good warranty and the parts are built better than the regular oe stuff