some background:

1993 civic dx coupe
- B16A2 w/ S4C and ITR LSD
- hasport mounts
- del sol VTEC axles
- ITR clutch, 7.5lb flywheel
- OEM manual steering rack
- koni yellows w/ GC sleeves and front tophats, and 600# hypercoil springs (it's been corner balanced)
- poly bushings throughout
- OEM 21MM front swaybar, 22MM ITR rear bar w/ beaks kit
- front wheel bearings replaced ~40K miles ago


the issue:
i'm having oscillation issues above 70mph. sometimes it's bad, and sometimes it's not so bad (but still there)....95% of the sensation is in the steering wheel.

when i say 'vibration', i mean just in the steering wheel.

when i say 'oscillation', i mean there is a vibration in the steering wheel and an oscillation that can me felt throughout the entire car.

so...
last summer it started and i thought i had lost a wheel weight - so i had my wheels re-balanced, twice. that did not help. i put on my snow tires - same issue. so, i've eliminated wheels as the issue.

i don't have any pulsation in the brake pedal, so my brakes are fine.

i did a bunch of research here on h-t and found someone having the exact same issue - it ended up being the intermediate shaft. so i replaced my intermediate shaft - the problem is still there.

so, i think maybe it's my axles. i pulled them and the passenger side inner joint is going. so i installed a new set of axles from RAXLES (nice quality), and not only is the oscillation WORSE, but i have a horrible oscillation during hard semi- to hard-acceleration, in all gears. i pulled the axles and put my original NAPA del sol VTEC axles in and the oscillation on acceleration was gone, and the 70mph+ oscillation was back to 'normal'.

my bushings were not in the best shape, so i replaced all control arm and strut rod bushings with energy suspension poly bushings. this had a positive effect on the handling (naturally), and actually lessened my 70mph+ oscillation to just an annoying steering wheel vibration. ...but still annoying...

i let it be for a few months and just dealt with it.

then my passenger side axle's inner joint (the one that's in not-so-good shape) boot started leaking, and i was not able to patch it successfully. so i bought a new axle from a local shop (just a generic del sol VTEC axle), and installed it. i'm having the same horrible oscillation on acceleration again that i had with the RAXLES axles, and my 70mph+ vibration is now a full-on oscillation again.

AND, to make matters worse, now when i step on the gas, the entire car pulls to the right!! figure that one out. i checked the new axle against my old one and the length is identical.


so...i'm flabbergasted here. new ball joints? i've never had a ball joint go bad, so i don't know what the symptons are. new front wheel bearings? i've had those go bad, and this isn't the same symptom. bad steering rack and/or tie rods? maybe...but how does a new axle create oscillation on acceleration that the old bad axle did not? i don't want to have to put that old, dying axle back in my car (again).

i've gone through my motor mount bolts, and all of the subframe and suspension bolts, and everything is tight. i've looked for cracks in the subframe and i haven't found anything.

if anyone has any insight, my wife (annoyed from my complaining and spending more time/money on the car) and i would very much appreciate it.

..and if you're in the toronto area, and want to drive the car to help diagnose, you will get much beer.

thanks!!

peter

 

I had this problem before. It was the re-man axles I tried 3 sets I hate napa parts, I have had nothing but problems with them. My suggestion is to either get honda axles from a junkyard or new ones if you have that much money. Or take your axles to a good driveshaft shop and have them checked for balance and redone the right way. I have had many cars do this with many re-man axles.

 

my driver's side axle is fine, and the passenger side axle that i just installed is a NEW axle (i would never buy a rebuilt axle).

now i'm wondering if it's a broken motor mount...i have hasport mounts, and i've checked the bolts already and they are tight, but i haven't inspected closely enough and/or removed the mounts to inspect for damage.

peter

 

Jack the car up, grab the tire and see if you can turn it left to right. (instead of using the steering wheel) If there is play and your knuckle isnt moving, then it's a bad wheel bearing. If the knuckle is moving, then it could be your lower ball joint or tie rod end. If you cant turn it, you know your wheel bearing is fine but it could possibly be the tie rod end or lower balljoint. They typically dont go bad unless the boots are ripped.

A broken motor mount wont give you a quick oscillation....too much engine mass.

It sounds like you're confident that your axles are fine, therefore I'd say it's one of the three problems above.

 

sounds like. wheel bearing, tie rod end, ball joint issue, or just needs an alignment

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Burg &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Jack the car up, grab the tire and see if you can turn it left to right. (instead of using the steering wheel) If there is play and your knuckle isnt moving, then it's a bad wheel bearing. If the knuckle is moving, then it could be your lower ball joint or tie rod end. If you cant turn it, you know your wheel bearing is fine but it could possibly be the tie rod end or lower balljoint. They typically dont go bad unless the boots are ripped.

A broken motor mount wont give you a quick oscillation....too much engine mass.

It sounds like you're confident that your axles are fine, therefore I'd say it's one of the three problems above.</TD></TR></TABLE>

i've done that yank on the wheel 'wheel bearing test' (i used that term lightly) - everything is tight as can be. the tie rods have no play when i yank on them, the rack seems tight.

i have no definitive test for a lower ball joint....i mean, yanking on the wheel, i don't hear anything, i don't feel anything...the wheel doesn't budge.

i'm not 100% confident that the new passenger side axle that i just installed is 'fine' - the car now pulls to the right a little when off the gas, and a LOT when on the gas. that tells me the axle is too short. plus, i get terrible oscillation under hard acceleration now, where i didn't with the old (dying) axle...but the SAME thing happened with the RAXLES axles i installed a few months back. it just doesn't add up...

i would think a wheel bearing would not cause that kind of oscillation under hard acceleration, but the 70mph+ oscillation does make sense.

thanks for your help.

peter

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by postman &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">sounds like. wheel bearing, tie rod end, ball joint issue, or just needs an alignment</TD></TR></TABLE>

the alignment is fine - i just had it aligned about 3 months ago and the car tracked straight until i replaced the axle. so that is not the issue.

peter

 

I dunno. When you changed your axle all you affected all the variables. 1. Changed the preload on the wheel bearing 2. Broke loose the lower balljoint 3 Broke loose the tie rod joint

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Burg &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I dunno. When you changed your axle all you affected all the variables. 1. Changed the preload on the wheel bearing 2. Broke loose the lower balljoint 3 Broke loose the tie rod joint</TD></TR></TABLE>

i don't know how much i agree with that. i could take it all apart and put it back together again and it would do the same thing (been there, done that already).

i haven't touched the tie rods... they're fine.

i contact the shop i got the new axle from, and explained my situation and they are giving me another new axle to try. so thursday night that will go in, and i will go from there.

are ball joints supposed to make noise when they fail?

peter

 

if you take apart the ball joint and tie rod, you def. messed with the alignment. i align at least 2 vehicles a day and i can honestly say the car can go straight but all the variables be out of wack/ camber.caster and toe. did you see the print out from when your alignment was done. if not lord knows what the guy did. especially if you took it to like a midas or monroe type deal.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by postman &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">if you take apart the ball joint and tie rod, you def. messed with the alignment. i align at least 2 vehicles a day and i can honestly say the car can go straight but all the variables be out of wack/ camber.caster and toe. did you see the print out from when your alignment was done. if not lord knows what the guy did. especially if you took it to like a midas or monroe type deal. </TD></TR></TABLE>

i've never touched the tie rod, and i have a reputable shop doing the alignments (it took me a while to find them, as i basically won't let anyone touch my car...).

peter

 

SO....an update:

i've managed to eliminate about 75% of the 70mph+ oscillation/vibrations. turns out my 'hood cushions' are toast, and my hood, although securely latched, was getting lifted ever so much by the wind at highway speeds, and vibrating like crazy...i never even saw it because i have del sol seats in my car, and i sit low enough that the windshield wipers block my view of the hood!

the 'hood cushions' (p/n: 74144-SR3-000) screw into the front support section (just to the outside of each headlight bracket on EG's), and basically keep the hood stable when it's down and latched. the threads on mine (keep in mind these are plastic) were 14 years old and broken, and sitting lower than normal, thus keep no resistance on the hood. and they're like $3/each. such a silly little problem, that drove me nuts!

i still have a slight vibration at 70mph+, but it's minor, and i think it's the passenger side wheel bearing. they'll get swapped in may along with new konis.

thanks for everyone's insight...this was a weird one.

peter