Rep Power: 318

ok guys, I finally figured out why we were getting the clanging noises with the steering. and, I FIXED IT.

Mex

ok, here we go. take out the front springs.



one of these days, I will get those replaced.



here we have the front suspension taken apart.



this looks pretty nasty.



bah. still dunno why i'm getting all this corrosion



you can see where the rubber ring used to be on the top metal cup. it was actually supposed to be in the spring seperator cup, with the helper spring. unfortunately, my set didn't come with instructions, and the ring got totally messed up



what I forgot to do when I installed the B+Gs was use the stock bearing ring. this is practically glued onto the top mount of the stock springs. in the picture, i already removed it. you gotta be careful not to pry the bearing ring open when trying to remove it. and if you do, don't let dirt get in it! using a flathead screwdriver is the best way. (note, this part looks different in the 2001 models.. it's just a piece of plastic with grease on it.)



here we have the bearing ring. if you lost yours, it runs about $20 at any honda parts dept.



it mounts flush with the stock upper mount



remember when putting everything back together, keep the metal cup centered on the bearing ring. it's ok if it's off center by just a little bit. you'll also have to lower the front a little, since you just added about a half inch to the ride height.

when i drove around afterward my ride seemed pretty bouncy, but not blown shock bouncy. maybe i was just paying too much attention to it.

now I just have to figure out what to do about my rear bumpstops being underneath the rear dust boot. also, i have noticed sometimes when my car is at a slight angle, one side of the rear sits a lot lower than the other. is this the problem you were having DonJuan?

 
Rep Power: 318

Do you have an 01 or 02? I think that part was added in 02...

BTW, good job locating the missing link! I was wondering for the longest time if I was missing something or not.

 
Rep Power: 318

mine is a 2002, but i'm pretty sure it's also on the 2001 model.. if not then i guess you could call up B+G and ask what the deal is. or order it from Majestic Honda (part #9) for $15

 
Rep Power: 0

Mex, the suspension king. lol

 
Rep Power: 318

I think I'll just order up a new one. I bought new strut mounts, so I would have to disassemble my OEM struts to get that little piece. Too much of a PITA if you ask me. I'll have to do this sometime after I get my AT fixed.

 
Rep Power: 318

ok, Mex. I dragged out my OEM struts and they are different for sure. Here's a pic:

Big Pic

It looks like I'm missing an extra metal cup or something (01-02 difference?), but the bearing looks the same. I'll order up some bearings and report when the rebuild is complete.

 
Rep Power: 318

nah, you're not missing anything, it's the way the 2001s were designed. B+Gs were never redesigned to fit the 2002+ model. at least not that i've heard.

I have a question for you though.. can you tell me if your rear bumpstop is above or underneath the rear dust boot cover?

 
Rep Power: 318

From looking at my pix, it looks like my bumpstop is above the dust boot. I'm pretty sure I didn't assemble it in a different order than when I took the picture.

 
Rep Power: 318

Thanks, Mex.
I added the bearings today and wow what a difference! The steering wheel is much easier to turn now and the sproinging noises are gone. Here's some pics of my rebuild.


Icky....


Parts w/ where the bearing should have been.


Some of the powdercoating flaking off....


Cleaned up strut body


All parts there and accounted for.


Reassembled strut


Closeup pic of the bearing in its rightful place.


I boogered up my tie rod bolt pretty bad when I removed it the first time. This time I got the puller that fits.


Puller in place. NOTE: the nut is still one the end. The last time, I didn't have the nut and the dumb thing kept slipping off. That and the puller I had was a weee bit too big. The threads on the end were distorted. No probs this time.
Everybody take heed: USE THE RIGHT [SIZE] TOOL


Reinstalled strut. Over the winter, I put heavy plastic bags over the threads to keep most of the salt off them. That's why mine still look decent.

 
Rep Power: 318

BTW, why is your dust boot so short, Mex?

 
Rep Power: 318

my dustboot just got torn over time because the spring kept on turning against it. it was annoying me, so i just cut it down. the rears are also touching the spring.. might be an installation issue though. congrats on your fix.. it really bugs me how well the 2001 bearing ring fits so perfectly in that mounting cup.. i dunno if you can tell from the pics i provided at the top, but on the 2002 bearing ring, only the very inner part of it sits on the cup. looks very unstable.. but so far it's working. maybe i should call about an updated part for the 2002+ models.

 
Rep Power: 0

So the noise in finally gone??

 
Rep Power: 318

The noises are completly gone. No hint of it whatsoever.