Rep Power: 0

Help! I am about to have my upper strut bearings replaced for the THIRD TIME!! Has anyone else had this problem??? The biggets issue I've had from lowering my car has been that the front hits really hard.... I have eibach pros with konis.. I shouldn't be having this problem... But my front suspension (steering feel) has always been loose.... when I get the bearings replaced, the front suspension tightens up A LOT.... and it is usually more on the driver's side... I'll hear a knock or pop when I turn the wheel to the left... sometimes to the right too.. but more so to the left...If there are any issues, please advise.. it's like 300$ each time! thanks...

 
Rep Power: 380

what wheels/tires do you have, cause I have the pro kit too (minus the Konis) and they have been on the car for 3 years now with no problems... I have an 01 by the way.

 
Rep Power: 0

16" alloys on 205 55 16s.... please don't tell me it's cause of the tires..

 
Rep Power: 380

Na, not with 16s.

Hm.... what setting are the front shocks on?

Have you thought about Updating/backdating the Upper mounts?

 
Rep Power: 0

updating/backdating? please explain.. I'm not really that tech savy

you mean replace the mounts rather than the bearings??

 
Rep Power: 380

Well If your years mounts (Bearings included) are giving you trouble, I know that Honda has changed the design a few times, One of the newer or older designs may work better. Who knows..

What year do you have?

 
Rep Power: 0

02 coupe... only mods are the ones i mentioned.. how much would new mounts cost??

 
Rep Power: 0

oh.. btw.. am I causing damage to the car by driving on perhaps blown strut bearings?? it's been a week or 2 .. but I'm planning on taking it in monday..

 
Rep Power: 380

Well I know the 01s are different the the 02s, but I dont know if they changed things for 03 or 04.... We need more people in on this.

cost, Not sure. Majestic honda lists the front bearings at $18 each for the 01s.

 
Rep Power: 311

Who's doing your work? This is the first time I've read about someone replacing them so many times.

When doing any strut work, the most important thing the installer must remember is to check that the struts are indexed(lined up) correctly before reinstalling. Read my last post here. It describes what I'm talking about. Another important thing to remember is that the upper mounting plate sit flush within the strut tower. The upper plate is angled so it only goes in one way. If this is not installed correctly, the mount wont distribute the pressure around the bearing properly causing it the wear out.

 
Rep Power: 0

the first time i had this problem was when I originally installed the lowering springs... the work was done by 'professionals' .. actually they are certified koni rebuilders.. so you'd think they'd be well versed in suspension tuning... they replaced the bearings.. but as I mentioned.. it didn't last.. the other time was also by professional technicians who have done several spring installs.. but anyways.. I've printed out your post with diagram and will be sure to give it to them the next time they fix this problem....

Am I causing any damage by driving on blown strut tower bearings in the meantime?? Usually, by the time I have it looked out.. bearings are either missing or all squeezed togehter in some kinda bearing mish mash... anyways..I plan to take it in tuesday... but this is making me neurotic!

In any event, I'm glad Zzyzx and Flotsamm are on the case.. thanks guys...

 
Rep Power: 311

Its hard to say if your causing anymore damage then to just the bearings. The bearing is there to make things move easy, so if its not working right it might be causing other parts to have to work harder like the power steering pump, tie rod ends and steering rack. If it moves freely, then you'll probably be okay until you can get it fixed.

 
Rep Power: 0

problem fixed... Flotsamm's spec sheet was all I needed... The plates were infact off a bit and not alligned with the arrows like on the sheet... Feels like a new car... Still.. honda suspension is soooooo tempermental....sheesh...

 
Rep Power: 417

ya i had the same deal happen to me. when i was installing my hayames i noticed the bearings were all fugged... i knew it was cause i misaligned it. need new uppermounts cause its all bent now.

 
Rep Power: 0

yah I have the same problem but the noise I hear is from the driver rear side of my car. I lowered it before and use a goldline springs then it started the noise. I installed my stock springs and still I hear the noise so I went to a honda dealer and they told me that my tires is the one making the noise...oh btw I have a yokohama parada 18's. They said my tires are cupped, I didn't trust them so I went to different mechanic and they said that it's my bearing. Waht do you guys think?

 
Rep Power: 311

Cupped tires will usually make kind of a slapping sound when your driving I think. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. If the front tire isnt cupped, swap the front and rear tires around on the same side and test drive. If the noise comes from the front now, its the tire. If the noise is still coming from the rear, it could be the bearing.. good luck.

sffree, glad to hear its fixed!

 
Rep Power: 0

same problem here...my bearings are falling apart when u jack my car up...and u could also hear something popping out from the front suspension everytime u turn ur steering wheel all the way... can someone tell me how much do the struts go for?

 
Rep Power: 0

this must be a common problem on our model civics.. i got some Skunk2's put on last week and ever since I hear a popping or clicking noise from the drivers side when i turn my wheel. Is there something i need to have them check or recheck?

 
Rep Power: 0

same fukin problem............

 
Rep Power: 0

i actually did that swapping tires but still I can here the sound, when i'm running like 70 mph I here a pitch sound coming from the back driver side and If i'm running 20-30 mph I here the sound around me. I let the dealer swap my wheels to the OEM wheels and I did'nt here the noise so it's probably my tires that are cupped.

 
Rep Power: 417

sl3epy, did you ever get your rim fixed? anyways if its the bearings, all really need to do is probably buy new upper mounts. you might even get away with just the bearings or sometimes just reinstalling them. Who did the install? they probably lined up things wrong.

FractalDreaming, you shouldnt have a problem with this exact issue because you dont really use the upper mounts with skunk2s. who installed them? I think you might have had to take off the bearings from the stock mounts and put them on the skunk2s. any popping noise is basically caused by the springs turning, if the bearings arent functioning right, it'll cause resistance and the springs will turn rather than the bearings. thats how you get the noise... you can also try putting spring isolators, that might do the trick. 3rdcivic or someone wrote a diy on this like a year ago.

maxxam25, eh you do know most performance tires make noise right? whether its cupped or not they make noise, some more than others. ESPECIALLY if they're installed the wrong way. but then the question is, what caused your tires to become cupped?

 
Rep Power: 0

There's no noise when I bought the car with the wheels, I think it was two miles when I got the car and no noise at all.
I lowered it after 3 months and after a couple of weeks i can hear the sound.