UPdate !!Strut problem on 7th gens - revisited
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UPdate !!Strut problem on 7th gens - revisited Strut problem revisited. .
I know this has been mentioned before, but details about the noises, why they are caused and how to fix them were kinda shotty. . So I thought I would post this fresh. . Mods might wanna make a sticky for a week or so, so that everyone can read it. . The original post that mentioned this can be found here .
The problem. .
Took my car back to Honda because of this annoying rattling sound I could hear coming from the front drivers side. . The noise sounds like it's inside, up and behind the front dash somewhere, almost like it's behind the gauges. The sound is there all the time, but you can only hear it under special conditions.
When the rattling is heard.
It's a rattling noise that is different from your typical rattling noise. In fact, the only time you can hear this noise is at low speeds and on a relatively smooth road, which isn't typical of normal rattling. . You have to have the windows rolled up, the AC/heater fan off, stereo off, engine RPMs very low. (very quiet inside the car). It's easiest to hear going 10 - 20 mph, over very small/moderate bumps in the road, nothing too excessive, because you don't want other road noise/rattles to interfere.
The cause of the problem...
Anyways. . I took it to Honda, they couldn't find it by themselves, so I had to come back and take the guy for a drive to point out the sound I was hearing. During the drive he thought it was coming from the back seat, but eventually agreed it was coming from up front. Then quickly associated that sound with a strut problem that is apparantly common in the 7th gens especially in the 2001 and early 2002 models.
The diagnosis...
SO. the final diagnosis is a strut problem, he said that the strut is failing therefore every little bump that I hit is going straight into the spring instead of the strut absorbing the majority of the blow, causing a vibration from the strut location under the hood to travel into the A-pillar and being heard inside. He said that this problem isn't uncommon in the newer vics, but is only fixed on an as needed basis, because it doesn't happen to every car, nor is it a safety issue.
The resolution..
Anyways. I'm going back in a few days they are replacing the drivers side strut under warranty and will check the passanger side strut to make sure it's not messing up. . If the pasenger side is messing up, they'll change that out too. So . . If you are hearing the same thing or something similar, don't hesitate to take your car in and let them know. They should fix it just the same. .
Any questions, or any details I left out, just post them here and I'll do my best to respond. .
I know this has been mentioned before, but details about the noises, why they are caused and how to fix them were kinda shotty. . So I thought I would post this fresh. . Mods might wanna make a sticky for a week or so, so that everyone can read it. . The original post that mentioned this can be found here .
The problem. .
Took my car back to Honda because of this annoying rattling sound I could hear coming from the front drivers side. . The noise sounds like it's inside, up and behind the front dash somewhere, almost like it's behind the gauges. The sound is there all the time, but you can only hear it under special conditions.
When the rattling is heard.
It's a rattling noise that is different from your typical rattling noise. In fact, the only time you can hear this noise is at low speeds and on a relatively smooth road, which isn't typical of normal rattling. . You have to have the windows rolled up, the AC/heater fan off, stereo off, engine RPMs very low. (very quiet inside the car). It's easiest to hear going 10 - 20 mph, over very small/moderate bumps in the road, nothing too excessive, because you don't want other road noise/rattles to interfere.
The cause of the problem...
Anyways. . I took it to Honda, they couldn't find it by themselves, so I had to come back and take the guy for a drive to point out the sound I was hearing. During the drive he thought it was coming from the back seat, but eventually agreed it was coming from up front. Then quickly associated that sound with a strut problem that is apparantly common in the 7th gens especially in the 2001 and early 2002 models.
The diagnosis...
SO. the final diagnosis is a strut problem, he said that the strut is failing therefore every little bump that I hit is going straight into the spring instead of the strut absorbing the majority of the blow, causing a vibration from the strut location under the hood to travel into the A-pillar and being heard inside. He said that this problem isn't uncommon in the newer vics, but is only fixed on an as needed basis, because it doesn't happen to every car, nor is it a safety issue.
The resolution..
Anyways. I'm going back in a few days they are replacing the drivers side strut under warranty and will check the passanger side strut to make sure it's not messing up. . If the pasenger side is messing up, they'll change that out too. So . . If you are hearing the same thing or something similar, don't hesitate to take your car in and let them know. They should fix it just the same. .
Any questions, or any details I left out, just post them here and I'll do my best to respond. .
Last edited by pheaton; Sep 29, 2003 at 02:28 AM.
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Rep Power: 358 Originally posted by Azure
Thanks for the heads up! Hopefully my cousiin doesn't run into that problem when he gets my CIvic.
Thanks for the heads up! Hopefully my cousiin doesn't run into that problem when he gets my CIvic.
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Rep Power: 358 ak: Is your car still under warranty? If it is then they wont give you any beef about fixing it. If it's not under warranty you might have to pull some strings. I'm pretty sure though, since this was a known problem, that they'll still fix it if you aren't too far over your warranty. A lot of times if you are way past warranty, they'll still fix it, but they'll charge you a little. Usually just for labor.
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From: San Diego, California, US
Rep Power: 0 I've had rattles all over my front dashboard area, nearly all of which I fixed myself by stuffing thin padding in between the A-pillar and dash... that's why I'm really surprised that they traced your rattling back to a faulty strut, and that they are actually giving you new struts. That's a pretty generous dealer IMO. Even more so when you consider how our cars tend to "naturally" rattle quite a bit already.
I'm just doubtful that most other people here will get the same result as you if they complain about rattling in the front area.
The rattling may very well be caused by a strut on the verge of failure like you said in your post, but unless there is visible leakage from the struts and bottoming outs and knockings, my guess is that most other dealers will simply try to fix the rattles and not even give the struts a second look.
But you lucked out with a generous dealer, that's for sure.
I'm just doubtful that most other people here will get the same result as you if they complain about rattling in the front area.
The rattling may very well be caused by a strut on the verge of failure like you said in your post, but unless there is visible leakage from the struts and bottoming outs and knockings, my guess is that most other dealers will simply try to fix the rattles and not even give the struts a second look.
But you lucked out with a generous dealer, that's for sure.
Last edited by Ronin; Aug 5, 2003 at 06:33 PM.
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Rep Power: 358 Maybe.. but like I said this isn't like a normal rattle where you can hear it all the time. Nor does it sound like your typical annoying ratttle such as change in your cup holder, or something like that.
If it's completely quiet and you're driving slow down a smooth blacktop road, your car shouldn't rattle. All you should be able to hear is the smooth engine running.
I tried about everything I could before taking it to the dealer, shoving some pad in, on, and around the dash, trying to push the dash while driving to see if it would quit, but no luck .
I too have the everday rattles in the dash that you can hear when you are going down a bumpy road, but this one is different.
If it's completely quiet and you're driving slow down a smooth blacktop road, your car shouldn't rattle. All you should be able to hear is the smooth engine running.
I tried about everything I could before taking it to the dealer, shoving some pad in, on, and around the dash, trying to push the dash while driving to see if it would quit, but no luck .
I too have the everday rattles in the dash that you can hear when you are going down a bumpy road, but this one is different.
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From: San Diego, California, US
Rep Power: 0 If it's not a typical rattle, how distinctive is it? Can you give a better description? And is it from the A-pillar or from behind the guages?
And it's not completely accurate that there should be no rattles over a completely smooth road (even with ac and stereo off) ... this car is full of surprises, especially the '01s.
My rear deck would give a vibration rattle no matter what the conditions were, before I took care of it myself. Man, that was the worst.
And it's not completely accurate that there should be no rattles over a completely smooth road (even with ac and stereo off) ... this car is full of surprises, especially the '01s.
My rear deck would give a vibration rattle no matter what the conditions were, before I took care of it myself. Man, that was the worst.
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Rep Power: 358 It's very hard to describe. Sounds like it's coming from behind the gauges . Almost like from the corner. I had a hard time describing it to the dealer, I had to take him for the drive to point it out. This rattle is very hard to duplicate. Some rattles you can make happen if you hit the dash, or something like that. This one happens with just normal vibrations . When you start the car, the vibration from the motor will cause it, same when you shut off the car. Not while it's at idle. . just that initial jolt. Almost sounds like the plastic is tapping the window, or like a plastic peice came loose and was vibrating on other plastic. which is what I thought it was for a long time, so i tried to shove towels down there, just to see if it would go away and it just wouldn't .
Like I said you can only hear it at low speeds with a quiet cabin and you have to listen closely as you are going over slight road imperfections . If you hear it, you'll know right away that it's an odd sound.
Like I said you can only hear it at low speeds with a quiet cabin and you have to listen closely as you are going over slight road imperfections . If you hear it, you'll know right away that it's an odd sound.
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Rep Power: 0 I don't understand why Honda expects Civic owners to be able to correct their own rattles. I still don't think that a new car should come with rattles. I have a rattle in the sedan B pillar and I have tried all of the remedies that have been suggested on this site, foam rubber, cloth, a sock. None works. In fact the rattle used to show up mostly during the winter but now seems to be in all weather maybe with the parts loosening even more with age. Maybe Civic owners are supposed to enjoy the challenge of correcting rattles but this is one DIY I could do without, and makes it less likely that my next car will be a Honda, reliablity reputation or not.
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From: Georgetown, Penang, Other, ZEBRA
Rep Power: 0 My rear deck would give a vibration rattle no matter what the conditions were, before I took care of it myself. Man, that was the worst.
What was the diagnosis and the treatment?
What was the diagnosis and the treatment?
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Rep Power: 0 Originally posted by CK
My rear deck would give a vibration rattle no matter what the conditions were, before I took care of it myself. Man, that was the worst.
What was the diagnosis and the treatment?
My rear deck would give a vibration rattle no matter what the conditions were, before I took care of it myself. Man, that was the worst.
What was the diagnosis and the treatment?
Treatment was stuffing rags in between the rear deck and the metal support below it (from inside the trunk area) ... just make sure the rag or sock is thick enough to wedge in tightly and is in contact with the rear deck.
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From: Georgetown, Penang, Other, ZEBRA
Rep Power: 0 Mine rear deck rattle was traced to loose wiring in the 3rd. brake light. It was stuffed and the sound is gone.
Instead of rag or sponge, I would like to suggest the usage of asbestos or glass fibres, due to their fire retardant property. There are wires under the deck, and in the event of a short circuit, rag will feed the fire while asbestos won't.
There is a metal hook behind the rear seat backrest. It's supposed to be hooked to a metal frame below the plastic deck to hold the backrest in place. Mine was not hooked on and on the move, the hook hit the frame resulting in a rattle.
I found this out when I realised that the rattle occours when I'm alone and not when the rear seat is occupied. The body weight of rear occupants press the hook against the metal panel and the rattle disappeared.
Instead of rag or sponge, I would like to suggest the usage of asbestos or glass fibres, due to their fire retardant property. There are wires under the deck, and in the event of a short circuit, rag will feed the fire while asbestos won't.
There is a metal hook behind the rear seat backrest. It's supposed to be hooked to a metal frame below the plastic deck to hold the backrest in place. Mine was not hooked on and on the move, the hook hit the frame resulting in a rattle.
I found this out when I realised that the rattle occours when I'm alone and not when the rear seat is occupied. The body weight of rear occupants press the hook against the metal panel and the rattle disappeared.
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From: Markham, Ontario, Canada
Rep Power: 0 I had this problem..... took it to the dealer and they told me they'd cover it under warranty.
I took a day off, took it to the dealer for my appointment and a different service manager told me I was over the warranty (I had 72,000 kms vs. the 60,000 kms for warranty). I argued with the service manager for a while to no avail...... You can be guaranteed I won't ever go to that dealership again.
I am now at 87,000 kms and I am patiently waiting for tokiko to release their struts (I'm going to lower my car with the Eibach pro-kit at the same time). Any word yet on when the release date is? I know it keeps getting pushed back...
I'm not comfortable using the konis because I have to hack apart the OEM struts to use them, plus I've heard other problems associated with them (required welding for instance for the spring perch).
So now I wait and wait for another strut company to release something for our cars...... Any info?
I took a day off, took it to the dealer for my appointment and a different service manager told me I was over the warranty (I had 72,000 kms vs. the 60,000 kms for warranty). I argued with the service manager for a while to no avail...... You can be guaranteed I won't ever go to that dealership again.
I am now at 87,000 kms and I am patiently waiting for tokiko to release their struts (I'm going to lower my car with the Eibach pro-kit at the same time). Any word yet on when the release date is? I know it keeps getting pushed back...
I'm not comfortable using the konis because I have to hack apart the OEM struts to use them, plus I've heard other problems associated with them (required welding for instance for the spring perch).
So now I wait and wait for another strut company to release something for our cars...... Any info?
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Rep Power: 0 On a side note..... the knocking sound is no longer audible.... go figure?
According to the dealer I have a leaking strut (passenger) and a damaged dust boot (driver).
According to the dealer I have a leaking strut (passenger) and a damaged dust boot (driver).
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From: San Jose, California, US
Rep Power: 360 damn i told those idiot honda techs that there was a rattle and they wouldnt believe me.
can u scan the honda reciept for me? like the page that they give u when they fix your car so i can show them? i have about 500 miles left on my warrenty.
can u scan the honda reciept for me? like the page that they give u when they fix your car so i can show them? i have about 500 miles left on my warrenty.
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Rep Power: 358 Originally posted by Lek
pheaton .......................... How are your new struts? Does your car feel much better?
pheaton .......................... How are your new struts? Does your car feel much better?
He said that the '02 and above cars have the schim standard and the '01s were a fix on an "as needed basis" which means if you take it in, it's on their list of things to check for so they should fix it no problem under warranty.
So. . it's all better now. All the rattles that I have are normal rattles or rattles that I've caused from taking my stuff apart. lol . . I'll get to those with some fatmat as soon as I can.
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Rep Power: 358 Originally posted by speedracersong
damn i told those idiot honda techs that there was a rattle and they wouldnt believe me.
can u scan the honda reciept for me? like the page that they give u when they fix your car so i can show them? i have about 500 miles left on my warrenty.
damn i told those idiot honda techs that there was a rattle and they wouldnt believe me.
can u scan the honda reciept for me? like the page that they give u when they fix your car so i can show them? i have about 500 miles left on my warrenty.
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From: VA
Rep Power: 433 Hey I'm getting an oil change next month (next week maybe...) so should I tell them to check for the support shim and to look at my struts also? I have a clicking sound when I brake sometimes...so I'm thinking it's a similar problem.
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From: Auburn WA
Rep Power: 0 I've got a little over 18,000 miles and my 2001 civic EX and I've had the dealer replace both front springs/struts and under warranty! It fixed it for a while, and now it's coming back again!
Also, does anyone get that wierd gurgle sound coming from the dash board, like water/air flowing? It's pretty loud at lower speeds!
Thanks
Dave
Also, does anyone get that wierd gurgle sound coming from the dash board, like water/air flowing? It's pretty loud at lower speeds!
Thanks
Dave
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Rep Power: 0 I've had a similar problem. The rattling noise seemed to be coming from the passenger side dash, even smooth roads. I was afriad it might be a suspension problem. Pasadena Honda suggested it was a strut issue, but they would have to tear apart the car to be sure. I personally think they really took the time to diagnose, and was just giving me a run around.
I took it to Colonial Honda. The first time they didn't hear it. Second time, I rode with the service manager for an extended drive. They traced it to a plastic trim. I can't remember if it was the black plastic that the wipers rest on, or if it was an interior trim piece. But whatever plastic trim they tightened fixed the problem.
I took it to Colonial Honda. The first time they didn't hear it. Second time, I rode with the service manager for an extended drive. They traced it to a plastic trim. I can't remember if it was the black plastic that the wipers rest on, or if it was an interior trim piece. But whatever plastic trim they tightened fixed the problem.
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Rep Power: 358 Ok. . so it's fixed now, been over a month still good.
After I got them fixed the service guy told me that it would come back if I beat up on the car, didn't drive it nicely....
So I'm thinking that means the supports aren't very durable and if you beat your car a lot, the supports will bend and/or break and you will get this noise. . I'm not very rough with my car, be occasionally when I'll get a bad take off and the car will hop and bounce, so I'm pretty sure that would be the cause of breaking those supports. .
But. . it only takes about an hour for the dealer to fix, so it's not that bad. . I don't know how much it would be for someone not under warranty though.
BTW. . I never did scan that like I said I would .. I completely spaced it off. I'll try to remember to get on that. .
After I got them fixed the service guy told me that it would come back if I beat up on the car, didn't drive it nicely....
So I'm thinking that means the supports aren't very durable and if you beat your car a lot, the supports will bend and/or break and you will get this noise. . I'm not very rough with my car, be occasionally when I'll get a bad take off and the car will hop and bounce, so I'm pretty sure that would be the cause of breaking those supports. .
But. . it only takes about an hour for the dealer to fix, so it's not that bad. . I don't know how much it would be for someone not under warranty though.
BTW. . I never did scan that like I said I would .. I completely spaced it off. I'll try to remember to get on that. .
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Rep Power: 0 Originally posted by infinite012
Hey I'm getting an oil change next month (next week maybe...) so should I tell them to check for the support shim and to look at my struts also? I have a clicking sound when I brake sometimes...so I'm thinking it's a similar problem.
Hey I'm getting an oil change next month (next week maybe...) so should I tell them to check for the support shim and to look at my struts also? I have a clicking sound when I brake sometimes...so I'm thinking it's a similar problem.
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Rep Power: 0 rough ride when temp drops below zero?
Hey you guys,
I think I have similar problem with the struts. It starts a few weeks ago, when I was driving back to work in the morning and the temperatures drops below zero, no matter what road condition is, I can feel everything that is along the way. When the car is going over the bump and uneven road surface, it transmit all of the road imperfection through the car cabin without absorbing it. This made the whole dashboard rattle and squeaks a lot, and the it turns out the ride is really rough, sometimes it is hard to bear. But this week, as the temperatures got warmer, seem like everything is back to normal. Although the ride is still on the firm side, but it is not harsh as I experienced when the temperature drops below zero. I have reported to my service guy two weeks ago, they install those shim update on both front and back suspension but it doesn't help, so now they are going to replace the both of the struts this friday. Now I am thinking whether it should still be changed it because it seem like it is getting back to normal as the temperature is getting warmer (above zero). And he mentioned there is no guarntee it will do the trick because the new struts will be firmer than the one that i have now, and also, they need to send my car to a shop to re-do alignment after both struts are replaced. Would those car shop do a good job on those alignment, at least not as good as the original alignment that was done by honda? I don't wanna do something that will make the matter worse? If you can give me some kind of insight of both matters, it would be great!
I think I have similar problem with the struts. It starts a few weeks ago, when I was driving back to work in the morning and the temperatures drops below zero, no matter what road condition is, I can feel everything that is along the way. When the car is going over the bump and uneven road surface, it transmit all of the road imperfection through the car cabin without absorbing it. This made the whole dashboard rattle and squeaks a lot, and the it turns out the ride is really rough, sometimes it is hard to bear. But this week, as the temperatures got warmer, seem like everything is back to normal. Although the ride is still on the firm side, but it is not harsh as I experienced when the temperature drops below zero. I have reported to my service guy two weeks ago, they install those shim update on both front and back suspension but it doesn't help, so now they are going to replace the both of the struts this friday. Now I am thinking whether it should still be changed it because it seem like it is getting back to normal as the temperature is getting warmer (above zero). And he mentioned there is no guarntee it will do the trick because the new struts will be firmer than the one that i have now, and also, they need to send my car to a shop to re-do alignment after both struts are replaced. Would those car shop do a good job on those alignment, at least not as good as the original alignment that was done by honda? I don't wanna do something that will make the matter worse? If you can give me some kind of insight of both matters, it would be great!
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From: PhILLy, Pennsylvania, US
Rep Power: 333 now i know wut that damn rattling is. at first i thought it was becuase i ran a ton of wires inside the dash etc. but my rattle is exactly what u described. however, i hate my dealership they are asses about everything. they had me waiting 6 hours one time just to tell me to come back later. WTF!!
i dont think they will warrent my shocks if they see my progress springs. =(
i dont think they will warrent my shocks if they see my progress springs. =(
question to pheaton .. about the sound. .i think i have it too. . at first i thought the header or something was rattling under the hood but it wasnt it. this sound is very loud and gets louder with the throttle i.e. i can barely hear it at idle but sound is definitely there as i push the gas. is this caused by the strut problem? and also i have an aem sri and a tanabe catback .. will the dealership still fix the problem under warranty?
