Rubbin' (not affectionately)

alupso1alupso1 Wagonist
in Suspension, Braking & Wheels
A couple of months ago I notice when I stop suddenly I could hear the tire rubbing on the inner fender, it didn't do it very often so I didn't think much of it.

For the past month it has gotten a lot worse and almost to the point where any kind of stopping makes the tire rub and squeal.

This past weekend I had an old known good stock shock that I replaced the old one with and thought that would take care of it, it didn't so now I'm confused. So would it be the replacement shock I put on there that was bad or would it be something with the spring. The shocks are Tokico Blues shock/spring combo on my '88 wagon.

Comments

  • NZ-DB8RNZ-DB8R Moderator
    When you stop suddenly the weight transfers to the front. This could cause your front tyres to rub as the shocks/springs are to soft?
  • alupso1alupso1 Wagonist
    NZ-DB8R wrote:
    When you stop suddenly the weight transfers to the front. This could cause your front tyres to rub as the shocks/springs are to soft?

    I've had the shock/spring combo on the car for about 2 1/2 year and it just started within the past couple months, just started getting really bad within the past month. Tonight on my way home from work everytime I pressed the brake it squealed and I started smelling burning rubber.
  • StockStock Wagonist
    Maybe one of your bushings is so bad that it isn't the weight transfer that's causing the noise, but your toe?? I pulled that out of my ass but if you've already taken care of the obvious.... :oops:
  • JakerJaker familEE
    Sounds like the wheel is moving forward and backwards in the wheel well. Can you not see in the wheel well where the tire is rubbing? There's should be a black shiny area where the tire has polished the inside of the fender.

    Either the bushings in your front sub frame where the radius rod attaches are toast, or the bolts that hold the radius rod onto the lower control arm are gone.
  • alupso1alupso1 Wagonist
    Jaker wrote:
    Sounds like the wheel is moving forward and backwards in the wheel well. Can you not see in the wheel well where the tire is rubbing? There's should be a black shiny area where the tire has polished the inside of the fender.

    Either the bushings in your front sub frame where the radius rod attaches are toast, or the bolts that hold the radius rod onto the lower control arm are gone.

    When I swapped the shocks I did notice a nicely shined area towards the rear of the fender (splash guards are long gone so it's just rubbing on the metal).

    I'll probably have to take it back apart this weekend to look at the other parts to see whats going on down there. I didn't take it to work today after smelling all the burning rubber last night, thank goodness for backup cars.
  • Eagle BeagleEagle Beagle familEE
    gotta have rubbers
    :mrgreen:
  • alupso1alupso1 Wagonist
    Jaker wrote:
    Sounds like the wheel is moving forward and backwards in the wheel well. Can you not see in the wheel well where the tire is rubbing? There's should be a black shiny area where the tire has polished the inside of the fender.

    Either the bushings in your front sub frame where the radius rod attaches are toast, or the bolts that hold the radius rod onto the lower control arm are gone.

    I don't suppose you could supply me with some pics of the parts your talking about, I'm clueless when it comes to suspension.
  • alupso1alupso1 Wagonist
    Your talking about part # 9 in the pic right?

    512672.png
  • alupso1alupso1 Wagonist
    Ok, I went outside and looked at the radius rod part that sticks out the front of the car, I was able to actually move it around so it's pretty loose. I'll have to take it out tomorrow to see what part failed but I'm guessing it's the #9 bushing from the pic above?
  • bam-bambam-bam Council Member
    yep.
  • White&NerdyWhite&Nerdy Senior Wagonist
    Aaaaah, I had one of those go out on my 87 MR2. Car would start pulling to one side when I hit the brakes. Actually, it was the radius rod itself - it had rusted half of its diameter away, and it was so weak it would allow the suspension to move forward and back enough to affect the steering under weight transfer. :shock:
  • alupso1alupso1 Wagonist
    I had to "fix" it yesterday and used the bushing off a tophat, washer and spare bolt.

    I was looking at www.hondapartsdeals.com for the parts and it says you need an awful lot of parts.

    If you look at the pic and then the link below it says you need 4 of the bushings, 2 collars, 4 washers and 2 nuts? Is this right, does it need all these parts for one side or is this for both the right and left sides and would I only need half this amount?

    http://www.hondapartsdeals.com/hpa_part ... vin=&Label[ProductID]=CIVIC&Label[YearID]=1988&Label[DoorID]=5&Label[GradeID]=4WD+(1600)&Label[AreaID]=KA&Label[TransmissionID]=5MT&Label[SectionID]=CHASSIS&Label[IllustrationGroupID]=FRONT+LOWER+ARM&ProductID=4&YearID=27&DoorID=3&GradeID=79&AreaID=2&TransmissionID=3&SectionID=6&IllustrationGroupID=6497
  • JakerJaker familEE
    That's enough parts for both sides. However, unless the washers, collars and nuts are messed up, all you really need is the bushings (4 pieces). Maybe you should look at Energy Suspensions polyurethane replacements.
  • alupso1alupso1 Wagonist
    Jaker wrote:
    That's enough parts for both sides. However, unless the washers, collars and nuts are messed up, all you really need is the bushings (4 pieces). Maybe you should look at Energy Suspensions polyurethane replacements.

    Ha, yeah I lost all the washers, collar, nut and bushings. I guess the nut at the end came off somehow and everything slid off.

    So if I'm only doing one side I'd just need two bushings right?
  • JakerJaker familEE
    Yup!

    2 bushings
    2 washers
    1 collar
    1 nut

    per side
  • alupso1alupso1 Wagonist
    Jaker wrote:
    Yup!

    2 bushings
    2 washers
    1 collar
    1 nut

    per side


    YAAAAY Thanks, I need to put that order in tomorrow so they'll be here Thursday so I can put them on this weekend.
  • alupso1alupso1 Wagonist
    Aaah I love the smell of OEM Honda parts in the morning, got everything fixed up and ready to go. Been driving the CRX and the wagon will feel slow after that, I need to moving on putting my other DOHC ZC in the wagon.

    RadiusRodParts.jpg

    RubbinDamage.jpg
  • JakerJaker familEE
    Glad to see it's back together. It's always comforting knowing the fix was pretty cheap and easy. I once had this exact same thing happen, except, it was the bolts that hold the radius arm to the lower control arm that let go. I had paid someone else to work on my car (1st mistake), and I had given them the wrong bolts for the radius arm (too short, 2nd mistake), and they failed to recognise that the bolts were way too short (Shop that works on Hondas every single day of the week, and are intimitely familiar with EFs, 3rd mistake).

    I discovered that there was a problem as I was pounding down the on-ramp onto the highway doing something close to 1G at about 65-70 mph. It was a somewhat uncomfortable feeling when the front end started wandering around at the limit. When I got home, I found that both bolts on the passenger side had pulled out and were gone, and the driver's side bolts were "quite" loose. Lesson learned!
  • alupso1alupso1 Wagonist
    Thanks for the help Jaker, I too lost my radius rod nut and after you mentioned it I checked it and it was gone and so was the outer bushing. The total cost was only $26 so it was worth it and I need to check the other side now and possibly replace it after seeing how worn the right side was.
  • alupso1alupso1 Wagonist
    HOLY SH*T!

    I was at my parents house today checking on the house since they are away and as I was going up the hill leaving the car starts pulling severely to the right and the wheel scraping. I turned around and parked in the grass in front my parents house and check under the car, the tie rod snapped in half.

    Anyone know if the tie rod is universal for all EE/EF's? I checked Honda Parts Deals and they are only $32.
  • wagodizzlewagodizzle Council Member and EDM expert
    yeah they are universal! ;)
  • alupso1alupso1 Wagonist
    Thanks, good thing they like Honda's, I took their Civic home and left the wagon at the house.
  • alupso1alupso1 Wagonist
    YAAAY All better, fixed and only cost $37,

    I'm never leaving my car at my parents house for a week and a half, it was yellow when I picked it up.

    08737588.jpg

    32a1a9bd.jpg

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