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Heya folks.
Is there any way to know if a strut is bad without removing it?
My 07 coupe has a weird sound when I decelerate and/or hit bumps.
I don't know if the struts are original, but I would guess likely so because the PO would only fix something that failed / minimally maintained. (At least he did keep the oil changed, so there's that.)

I'm supposing the struts need changing anyways, but is there any way to check them without removal?
It's stupid cold here in Kansas and I'm trying to minimize my outdoor wrenching time.
I can almost hear the Minnesotans scoffing at me being such a wus, but I'm an East Coast kinda guy stuck in Middle America. Brrrr!
Thanks for any thoughts!
Grego

 
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If a strut has blown you will usually see the shock's oil running down from the bottom of the spring area. You can test by rocking each corner of the car up and down, monitoring how much the car bounces. If that corner does quite a bit of bouncing after you stop rocking it indicates a possible blown strut.

 
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^this
also try jacking the car up and wiggling the suspension to see if you can recreate the noise. Could also be a loose/broken engine or trans mount

 
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Good info. Thanks.
Car rocks up and down equally on both sides. (I'm thinking if one is bad, the other has got to be shot.)
I saw no oil, but found the flex boot isn't attached right.
When I lifted up on the boot, I saw a dust line on the side of the strut that is telling me it was likely oil at one time.

I'm going to change both sides out.
If nothing else it will buy me peace of mind knowing Civi is good to go for a while.
Plus it will give me a real good close up look at areas I hadn't seen very well.
Thanks muchly Bro!
Grego

 
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Hey Colin, I keep reading here and there about loose/broken engine or trans mount. Is this a common occurrence with Civics?
I haven't gotten a chance to get her up in the air so I have yet to make a visual inspection of the mounts.
But I had my son (who owns Civics) watch the engine while I set the parking brake and slowly started to let out the clutch in forward and then in reverse to see how much the block traveled and to listen for any wrong sounds.

He said the motor moved within it's allowance and admitted he also suspected struts. I have faith in his judgement because Shadow has swapped out his own R series motor. You could say he's fairly Civi Savvy, he's just so busy I try not to bother him about my car stuff.

I priced struts today and I'm estimating about $300.00 before I return the spring compressor. Of course then I'm looking at a front wheel alignment. (Big O Tires is right next door, but the last alignment I had done there, they somehow managed to pinch a small hole in my CV boot on my Chevy Cavalier which spun a circle of grease from then after! GRRR!)

So seriously, do these Civics inherently have a tendency to twist/vibrate loose their mount bolts??
Thanks Colin!!
G

 
Rep Power: 221

I know the 7th gens had a problem with the front mount that goes to the bottom of the rad support failing.
The 8th gens have a fluid filled driver's side mount that will fail and collapse

 
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Crap!
Ok, thanks for the heads up on my 8th gen.
Hmmm, I'm going to give that a close look.
One thing I do when I get a new car is something I have yet to do with the Civi.
I like to get the car up on jack stands fairly high and then just roam around on a creeper taking it all in.
Getting oriented with the undersides I've inadvertently found all manner of things. Loose connectors dangling,
shoddily spliced/taped/bypassed wires, leaks, worn hoses and once a petrified squirrel. Go figger.

I'm anxious to get under it, but DANG it's cold!
I hope the struts don't give me much grief.
Any tips or "Hey, you might wanna also..." thoughts are appreciated!
You rock Colin!

 
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*I said "petrified".
Not terrified...mummified...
:P

 
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AND there you have it folks!
Sorry, haven't been around!!I quit driving the Civic a while back when I finished getting my 2000 Mustang restored.
That is, until I hit a 12 point white tail buck 1:00 am. Thanksgiving morning and totaled the front clip, so I'm back in the Civic.
Getting reacquainted with the Civic, the awful sound was MUCHO louder than I remembered. That's when I reflected back on your post here about the mount!
The inspection I initiated was brief as the problem was obvious.
Sure enough, the passenger motor mount had collapsed to the point metal was resting on metal!
No wonder it sounds so terrible, the chassis is now effectively an acoustic amplifier for the powerhouse.

My youngest son Shadow said he's driven Civics formatted for racing that sound and feel like mine does and says their motor mounts are almost solid. I've always enjoyed the noise and vibration of my Mustang, but the Civic used to ride like a whisper, I kinda miss that.
When it gets warmer, I'm going to replace it.

But until then, do you guys think it might harm something? All the extra vibration?
I wouldn't think it would be exactly healthy for it, I've see vibrations loosen all manner of stuff.
Like maybe I shouldn't wait until spring?
Colin, anybody?

Cheers, Grego~

 
Rep Power: 511

the fluid filled passenger side one? From what I've read (researching for my friend's 08 sedan and problems she's having), odd *** vibration during cold starts, and vibration only in reverse. From what I've read, that motor mount failing is the cause of her weird cold reverse vibration.

Other than that, maybe some increase in NVH, but that's to be expected from a failed motor mount

 
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When you replace it don't buy a cheap aftermarket mount. Either buy OEM or a really good aftermarket. Could probably have it changed in like an hour

 
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I'd bet good money that's exactly what's going on. Cold temps always exacerbated the symptoms early on when it first started failing on mine. I would suppose it has something to do with the inherent characteristics of the hydraulic fluid within the mount. Or it could be simply the rubber surrounding the fluid acting as a tire would, having less pressure in colder temps because the air is denser. (More dense? My grammar is less than stellar.)
Something about the way the engine tilts when in reverse and under load (especially in really cold weather) was the combination it took to actually bottom mine out. It was very unsettling not knowing what it was at the time, because it felt like I had a vibrating seat cushion and sounded like a rabid Sawzall loose under the hood!

 
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Holy crap, yeah that so much. Literally hit the nail on the head for what it felt like. She told me about the vibrating, and when I hopped in her car and it did it, I was like, "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!"
her: "Um.. that's the vibration I told you about..."

 
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Will do.

Yeah, it will obviously be the easiest motor mount change I will ever perform. I mean, it's right there.
I think that sucker probably snickered at me over a dozen times as my eyes glazed riiiight over it, searching in vain for the culprit.
*doh*

 
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@Colin42 since you mentioned really good aftermarket.. any suggestions of good aftermarket mount brands? Trying not to spend $300 $200+ shipping on this one mount for her. lol

edit: if anyone's used the Beck/Arnley 1041999 mount (like.. $60 at rockauto), feel free to chime in. So far, reading good things about it, but wanna see if anyone has firsthand experience with it

 
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"...THE HELL WAS THAT!?!..."
"Um..."
Dude I can so hear that conversation in my head! LOL


By the way my friend, I loved your reference to "Vera"...
...no ruttin Browncoat in the 'Verse is complete without one!

Here's a thought for the day.
YOU CAN'T ALWAYS CONTROL WHO COMES INTO YUR LIFE, BUT YOU CAN CONTROL WHICH AIR LOCK YOU THROW THEM OUT OF.

Cheers Josh!
Grego~

 
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hahahahaha. One thing I always quote is, "honestly.. there could be tears!" and no one gets it. They just kinda look at me and scoff and call me a smartass not knowing why.

 
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That wasn't a quote from Jane, but I tried to sound like him.
My fav Jane quip was
"...eating people, where does THAT get fun?"
My wife Pammer would say,
"I like smacking 'em!" (moo)

Ok, maybe Colin has a line on a good parts site that wont cost an appendage.

Until we hit atmo, I'm out.
G

 
Rep Power: 221

I've used Beck arnley for balljoints and I was happy with them. I had bought a mount but the car got written off before I could install it.