Nice update.

How did the old stabilizer links look? Just curious, since
it seems like all the other old parts you replaced could
easily have been behind the original problems.


<jqoutlaw@gmail.com> wrote
> We did the work this weekend and what a difference it
> made. We're lucky
> we made the 2 hour drive b/c when we got there we took off
> the right
> fron't tire and it had a huge knot in it with steel belts
> coming out.
> It wouldn't have made the trip home.
>
> We had a couple of cases of seized bolts, but nothing a
> torch couldn't
> take care of.
>
> We replaced the following:
>
> Upper ball joints - easy since it came as the whole
> control arm and two
> bolts held it in
> Lower ball joints - pretty difficult b/c the
> remover/installer had a
> hard time getting into the relatively small spot in the
> knuckle
> Inner tie rod - very difficult b/c of the cramped working
> conditions
> and the snap bolt/ locking washer that holds it in. It was
> hard to get
> to with the boot pulled back.
> Outer tie rod - easy to install, just screws in then has a
> bolt to lock
> in place
> Stabalizer bar/bashing - easy compared to the other work.
> Front rotors and pads - the hub was seized pretty good to
> the knuckle,
> but this was an easy job and made a huge difference in
> braking . The
> original rotors had 235K miles on them and were never
> turned. They were
> severely pitted though.
> Right front tire - her cousin did that at his shop.
>
> In all this was a tough job, but well worth the money and
> effort. It
> took us about 8 hours to do the work. We got everything
> back together
> and I took it for a ride. We had measured the old tie rods
> and
> everything was straight steering wise. We're still going
> to get an
> alignment and the tires balanced.
>
> The ride is dramatically changed. The outer tie rod ball
> joints had
> significant wear upon inspection. It made the steering
> pretty sloppy
> before, but now its like new. No vibration and no steering
> wheel wobble
> is great too. The brakes used to take a lot of effort and
> go almost all
> the way to the ground, but now it grabs well.
>
> I would say almost anyone with mechanical knowledge could
> do this job.
> We got the special tools we needed from autozone and got
> our deposit
> back. Other than that it was basic metric tools. An impact
> wrench
> really saved some time and effort, but it could be done
> without. Make
> sure you have a big socket for the spindle nut.
>
> hondahookup.com has the manual for the 94 accord, and
> although we
> didn't use it that much ... it helped when we got stuck on
> something.
>
> Thanks for the input everyone.
>
> joutlaw wrote:
>> I took the plunge and ordered the parts. We're hoping to
>> get the work done
>> this weekend. I printed 40 pages of information on the
>> front suspension from
>> the 1994 Accord workshop manual.
>>
>> Her dad has replaced the axles on that car before, so I
>> believe the tear
>> down will be similar. He also has a ball joint seperator
>> tool already. We're
>> going to do the loaner program from Autozone for the ball
>> joint
>> remover/installer.
>>
>> Up next is going to be new tires all around and an
>> alignment. Hopefully it
>> will drive a lot better after this work. I'll update this
>> thread after the
>> work.
>>
>>
>> "Butternut Squash" <rxrx@yamama.com> wrote in message
>> news:7Y4ig.152630$Fs1.29853@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
>> > jqoutlaw@gmail.com wrote:
>> >
>> >> I posted last week about a 1994 Accord EX with 235K+
>> >> miles that needed
>> >> suspension/alignment/steering work. It is tugging and
>> >> jerking the wheel
>> >> up to around 40Mph, then a had vibration around 50-55,
>> >> then a constant
>> >> vibration to about 80Mph. Any transition in speed will
>> >> cause a
>> >> vibrationa as well. Oddly, if you go into a corner the
>> >> vibration stops
>> >> while turning at speed, but resumes when you get
>> >> straight. The
>> >> condition is getting worse, and I'm afraid it is
>> >> getting pretty
>> >> dangerous to drive.
>> >>
>> >> With the mileage, I'm guessing its the ball joints.
>> >> The car is showing
>> >> its in alignment, but its wearing the inside of both
>> >> front tires.
>> >>
>> >> I figure a lot of bushings are worn out up front as
>> >> well, and found
>> >> this auction on ebay:
>> >>
>> > http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/94-97...QQcmdZViewItem
>> >>
>> >> For around 160$ shipped this looks like a steal, but
>> >> wanted to see if
>> >> anyone had any input on it. Wouldn't it be easier to
>> >> just replace all
>> >> these parts at one time while the front end is apart?
>> >>
>> >> Do you think it would be a tough job for a DIY'er. I
>> >> have access to a
>> >> lot of tools, impact wrenchs, etc... , but not a lift.
>> >
>> > With that many miles if may be worth it to replace the
>> > whole front end if
>> > you plan to drive the car another year. You won't reget
>> > it.
>> >
>> > I replace the suspension on my 87 accord and it drove
>> > and handled like new
>> > until I sold it. If I can do the work, then anyone
>> > can. Order the parts
>> > online, take the control arms to a machine shop to push
>> > out the bushings.
>> > replace all the rubber and upper and lower ball joints.
>> >
>> > The lower ball joints are pressed into the knuckle. You
>> > can either get a
>> > ball joint press or take the knuckle to the shop as
>> > well. That's what I
>> > did.
>> >
>> > Make sure you check the bushings on the radius arm as
>> > well
>> >
>> > Reassemble and enjoy. I never regretted the work I did
>> > once. The only
>> > thing
>> > I wish I did differently is that I did all the work in
>> > one shot.
>