On 12 Apr 2004 11:15:46 -0700, adrew@frontiernet.net (Adam Drew) wrote:

>George Macdonald <fammacd=!SPAM^nothanks@tellurian.com> wrote in message news:<4nkj7058np53kojrfc0i64mdl34f61avh4@4ax.com>. ..
>> On 11 Apr 2004 14:45:06 -0700, adrew@frontiernet.net (Adam Drew) wrote:
<<snip>>
>> Hmmm, I didn't think there'd be that much grease in a ball joint. Are you
>> sure it isn't the C/V joint boots that are torn?
>>
>
>Thanks for the input, y'all. I thought it sounded a bit weird, too,
>so I took it to the dealer I bought it from--Grainger Honda in
>Savannah--and they said it was the CV joint boot. I thought it looked
>like a bit too much grease to be the ball joint. The ball joint did
>look all deformed, but I guess it just looked weird from all the
>grease on it.
>
>I didn't notice that the CV joint was leaking because it apparently
>had a little one-inch slit in it and there was no grease on it. They
>said it looked like someone had cut it, but I told them that I hadn't
>taken it to Pep Boys or anywhere like that. It's only been serviced
>by them and the other Honda dealer.

So it's only the one side then - the other dealer having said it was both
sides? It's possible it was damage due to road debris - we have so much of
it around here in NJ. The convicts who are supposed to clean it up don't
give a shit and it's not often they do a clean up. This is also road-gator
season.:-(

>Right now, they're just replacing the boot. I wanted them to replace
>the whole axle in case water or crud got in there but they said that
>it looked okay. I'm gonna make them write me a letter in case the CV
>joint goes at 40,000 miles or so.

If it's just a single slit as opposed to a whole pleat separation, it's
possible that no dirt got in, so it could be OK.... as long as they cleaned
and repacked with grease.

>On a side note--thankfully--they gave me a loaner car since they
>didn't have the parts in stock. It's a brand new, automatic '04 Civic
>LX sedan. I don't know how people can stand driving these
>things---it's so boring! The engine is rough and noisy and barely has
>any pickup. The Si--especially its K20 engine--is just so much
>better. It's hard to believe they're the basically the same
>car...really illustrates how crappy American-market cars are compared
>to their Euro counterparts.

IMO Honda is making a blunder by persisting with the old SOHC engine in the
Civic. Surely they could have come out with a 1.8L K Series engine for the
Civic if they wanted to keep the market layering.

Rgds, George Macdonald

"Just because they're paranoid doesn't mean you're not psychotic" - Who, me??