Rep Power: 0

Hey folks,

After reading this post, I am curious if this might be my problem.

Car is an '02 Acura 1.7EL with about 230,000km on the original shocks. I don't drive it that hard (kinda spirited but not aggressive). Even my mechanic commented (a few years ago) that he was surprised the shocks hadn't blown since that was a common problem on the '02s.

Anyway, I am noticing a knocking coming from the right front when hitting a bump (such as going over the curb when leaving a laneway and entering the road). I don't hear any squealing, etc, but did notice my tires (BFG Traction T/A) are worn on the inside edge (alignment checks have been good though - only minor variances found - so I've always suspected it was just that the tires are a softer compound).

At home, I did the bounce test on all four corners and notice the right-front is much bouncier than the rest (I can easily bounce the whole car from this corner).

I suspect the shock/strut is the culprit and am ready to replace them, however, after reading many other posts and helpful DIYs here, I'm interested in confirming what is going on before spending the dough.

If it is the strut, why would it cause the knocking over bumps (even when taken very slowly)?

I'd also like to rule in (or out, as the case may be) as potential culprits: sway bar links, ball joints or anything else. How would I check these components for wear requiring replacement?

Many thanks for reading this far and for any suggestions!

 
Rep Power: 812

most likely a bad strut mount bearing. it could be shocks, i know they say replace em every 50k miles, but they wont make noise when they blow. so if youre gonna replace the shocks anyway, have them make sure and replace the top mounts and bearings. i believe theyre plastic so over time it just cracks. if you dont wanna do the shocks yet, just wait and do everything together later. its not a big issue. you can rule out sway bar links by looking at them, unless theyre snapped chances are no problem. i dont think ball joints would do that either but you can jack up the front of the car and wiggle the wheels to see if theres any play. also check the tie rod ends and make sure they are tight. i had one wiggle loose on me and it would make a clunk sound when turning the wheel side to side.

 
Rep Power: 0

Hey gearbox,

Thanks for the helpful thoughts! It's nice to know how to check some of these components.

Is the strut mount and bearing normally one of the reusable parts to transfer to a new strut assembly (or do new assemblies come with them)?

I'll probably be doing the job myself (seems straight-forward enough) so if I were looking at a potential bad bearing, what should I look for (aside from obvious damage like cracks or missing pieces)?

Cheers!

 
Rep Power: 812

its normally something that transfers, so you would have to get new bearings and possibly top mounts. you can compare sides to see what they look like, but you should replace everything if you can. on most older cars shops will replace the top mounts (which usually include bearings too) when changing the shocks.

 
Rep Power: 0

Hey!

So I just swapped the winter for (what's left of) my summer tires and had a look at the shocks. The front struts are leaking bad now but the rears appear okay. A bit of rust on the right rear tube but no leaks. Everything else seemed nice and tight - thanks again for the tips on what to check! I am pricing out replacement struts now.

Cheers!

 
Rep Power: 812

the rears may not leak but usually wear out much faster due to their design. i would definately replace those if its been more than 50k miles.

 
Rep Power: 0

Hey gearbox,

If the car (rear end) stops bouncing (ie: push it down, it rebounds up then down and stops) quickly, would you still consider them candidates for replacement?

Probably unrelated: I noticed that all of my winter tires are wearing faster on the inside edge too (all four corners, it seems). Fits in as well, with the wear I see on my summers (I had thought they were just softer). Car tracks true on the highway but I suppose I can still have alignment issues causing the uneven wear?

Cheers!

 
Rep Power: 812

i think it should still be okay then as long as it doesnt bounce more than once. you also may have alignment issue that is not apparent but still a problem for the tires. alignment is recommended once a year even if you dont change any suspension parts. if you do change any parts, you must realign.

 
Rep Power: 0

Thanks again for the advice and confirmations, gearbox! I figured I'd need an alignment after swapping out the struts.. I'll see if they can adjust things to even out the tire wear (camber?) I know they've said the car falls "within spec" when doing previous alignments, but I find it hard to believe that spec would include a position that introduces abnormal tire wear.