Honda Car Forum

I just replaced the passenger side lower control arm bushings. I had them
pressed in by a shop but all other work was done by me. I did this same job
about 2.5 years ago with aftermarket bushings and I noticed they were failing
about 6 months ago - get OEM!! Anyway, I digress. Just after I got things back
together I drove about 10 miles into town to a shop to get my alternator fixed
(It's been an expensive summer with these and other repairs.). My steering
wheel was straight again and everything seemed fine. Then at about 6 miles I
heard this strange noise (kind of a clunking) as I let off the gas to stop. Then
when accelerating it went away.
As I continued on the noise got much worse (and louder) and I could feel it
in the steering wheel. It seemed to be coming from the driver's side (?) and it
was correlated to wheel speed. The further I went the harder I had to
accelerate to get it to go away. The same thing with braking - it stopped the
noise but the further I went it took harder braking to get it to go away. I
left my car at a shop and rode my bike home. Tomorrow I guess I'll be leaving
it somewhere else. (This should be something I could partially do on my own if
it's a bearing but a shop would be quicker but I need my car Now!)
Does this sound like a bearing? Can they go really bad that quick? If so,
I suspect that the realignment from the bushings may have played a role. Any
thoughts?

Oh, and I distinctly remember torquing the lug nuts and all tools are accounted
for.

Thanks,

John M.

--

John M.

On Fri, 15 Sep 2006 20:04:56 -0400, John M. <jcm1139trash@bellsouth.net> wrote:

> I just replaced the passenger side lower control arm bushings.

I forgot to mention that the car has about 260,000 miles on it and the current
bearings are original so I don't really know what a bad one sounds like.

--

John M.

"John M." wrote:
>
> I just replaced the passenger side lower control arm bushings. I had them
> pressed in by a shop but all other work was done by me. I did this same job
> about 2.5 years ago with aftermarket bushings and I noticed they were failing
> about 6 months ago - get OEM!! Anyway, I digress. Just after I got things back
> together I drove about 10 miles into town to a shop to get my alternator fixed
> (It's been an expensive summer with these and other repairs.). My steering
> wheel was straight again and everything seemed fine. Then at about 6 miles I
> heard this strange noise (kind of a clunking) as I let off the gas to stop. Then
> when accelerating it went away.
> As I continued on the noise got much worse (and louder) and I could feel it
> in the steering wheel. It seemed to be coming from the driver's side (?) and it
> was correlated to wheel speed. The further I went the harder I had to
> accelerate to get it to go away.

-----------------------------------------

I did that once. The lug nuts on one wheel were loose.

Very red face. :-(

'Curly'

On Fri, 15 Sep 2006 20:44:49 -0600, "'Curly Q. Links'" <motsco__@interbaun.com>
wrote:

>"John M." wrote:
>>
>> I just replaced the passenger side lower control arm bushings. I had them
>> pressed in by a shop but all other work was done by me. I did this same job
>> about 2.5 years ago with aftermarket bushings and I noticed they were failing
>> about 6 months ago - get OEM!! Anyway, I digress. Just after I got things back
>> together I drove about 10 miles into town to a shop to get my alternator fixed
>> (It's been an expensive summer with these and other repairs.). My steering
>> wheel was straight again and everything seemed fine. Then at about 6 miles I
>> heard this strange noise (kind of a clunking) as I let off the gas to stop. Then
>> when accelerating it went away.
>> As I continued on the noise got much worse (and louder) and I could feel it
>> in the steering wheel. It seemed to be coming from the driver's side (?) and it
>> was correlated to wheel speed. The further I went the harder I had to
>> accelerate to get it to go away.
>
>-----------------------------------------
>
>I did that once. The lug nuts on one wheel were loose.
>
>Very red face. :-(

Ya know, (Said with a face redder than yours.) I've done that too and, dammit, I
may have done it again but I can't really remember. I did torque down the bolts
on the passenger side but I may have loosened the driver's side also before I
put the car up on jacks in preparation for some other stuff I was gonna do but
didn't because of rain. Damn!!!!! The car's in the shop so I guess I gotta
wait 'til tomorrow

As a poster said to me in here a coupla years ago: I could get a job at NASA.

Damn again.

--

John M.

On Fri, 15 Sep 2006 20:44:49 -0600, "'Curly Q. Links'" <motsco__@interbaun.com>
wrote:

>"John M." wrote:
>>
>> I just replaced the passenger side lower control arm bushings. I had them
>> pressed in by a shop but all other work was done by me. I did this same job
>> about 2.5 years ago with aftermarket bushings and I noticed they were failing
>> about 6 months ago - get OEM!! Anyway, I digress. Just after I got things back
>> together I drove about 10 miles into town to a shop to get my alternator fixed
>> (It's been an expensive summer with these and other repairs.). My steering
>> wheel was straight again and everything seemed fine. Then at about 6 miles I
>> heard this strange noise (kind of a clunking) as I let off the gas to stop. Then
>> when accelerating it went away.
>> As I continued on the noise got much worse (and louder) and I could feel it
>> in the steering wheel. It seemed to be coming from the driver's side (?) and it
>> was correlated to wheel speed. The further I went the harder I had to
>> accelerate to get it to go away.
>
>-----------------------------------------
>
>I did that once. The lug nuts on one wheel were loose.
>
>Very red face. :-(
>
>'Curly'

Thanks for the memory jog. That's what it was. I didn't check the studs for
damage but they tightened with no problem.

--

John M.