Tony Posted December 16, 2016 Report Share Posted December 16, 2016 Does the knock get louder on a harder bump or is it the same regardless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted December 16, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2016 I've only driven the car back from the garage so far and only heard it reversing in to the drive. The drive steps up and it was when it hit the bump I heard a clonk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted December 16, 2016 Report Share Posted December 16, 2016 Sounds like your favourite top mounts.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted December 16, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2016 I'm sure the garage would've checked these though, is there a way I can? They've done 120k miles so maybe at the end of their life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted December 17, 2016 Report Share Posted December 17, 2016 Well you can drop the shock/ coil without compressing it. Once off it's evident if a top mount is worn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted December 17, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2016 Yeah the front is a MacPherson setup so easy enough to remove. Are the bolts like the Mondeo or do they come out ok? I've not read anything about them snapping. If it's the top mount I assume there will be play in it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted December 17, 2016 Report Share Posted December 17, 2016 Three bolts hold the shock onto the turret. The centre bolt releases the damper so don't undo that.... A worn top mount is your case would be the metal core braking away from the rubber bushing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted December 19, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2016 I was referring more to the bolt that holds the bottom of the strut rather than the top nuts. I won't be looking until next year anyway when the weather gets nicer. The car was a joy to start this morning, back to how it used to be! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted December 19, 2016 Report Share Posted December 19, 2016 A partial result then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted December 19, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2016 The car is much better than what it was. Shocks and top mounts aren't that expensive if they last over 100k miles so I'll look in to it over winter and might just replace the lot anyway. The only thing is should I replace the springs as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted March 3, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2017 I did some jobs on the car yesterday, I've not been happy with how it's performing. I've only really used it for work since the garage had it last year so 5 mile trips each way. It's been starting fine but at low speeds it seems to jerk sometimes and the fluctuating rev counter has come back. The best way I can describe it is like when you change gear too soon and the car pulls/lurches then settles. At higher speeds it seems to be ok though. I cleaned the TB yesterday, it seemed to be sticking a little, cleaned the MAF and also removed some slack from the accelerator cable. I took it for a good drive afterwards and it might have made a little difference but I can't really tell. I'm going to run some redex through it and see if that helps. Still got the knocking noise, I jacked the car up and looked at everything. The bushes all seem fine, so do the drop links and I couldn't get anything to knock with a bar. If it is the shocks or the top mounts knocking could that vibrate down so it can be felt underneath your feet? When parking at work, which is flat, I pull away, start turning and it knocks. When I get home and reverse in to the driveway it knocks when I go up the dropped kerb and pavement. Some of the roads also have a lot of dips and bumps, which causes a knock sometimes. In December the garage fitted a new upper wishbone, when I looked at it yesterday I was surprised at the condition. Can a suspension part look old after only 3 months even in the winter weather? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted March 3, 2017 Report Share Posted March 3, 2017 I would say yes but it's cosmetic at the end of the day and no one is going to see it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted March 10, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2017 It just surprised me how worn it now looks but then they are subjected to harsh conditions over the winter. I decided to strip down and clean the rear brakes yesterday, it's been 2 years since I replaced the calipers, pins and hoses. Good job I did cos one of the pins was seized, although the pads have worn even. I could twist the pin around but not pull it in or out, although I eventually got it to move. The pin had rust on it and after cleaning it off is pitted in some places. I soaked a cloth in brake cleaner and cleaned the hole to remove any gunk in there. The trouble is after regreasing the pin and fitting it there is still resistance and it's quite difficult to move compared to the other one. I don't understand how moisture has got in the hole cos the pin and boot was new. There were no holes or splits in it neither and it seems pretty tight around the ends. So what is stopping the pin from moving properly, the pitting on it or is there likely to be corrosion in the hole? How can I clean the hole to remove any corrosion, would fine sandpaper wrapped around a tube be ok? I am assuming the pin will be ok to use with pitting on it or should I change it back to the original which I kept? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted March 10, 2017 Report Share Posted March 10, 2017 How much is a fitting kit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted March 10, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2017 Under £20 a side I think, but I don't think the pin is the problem, it's the hole. I have all the original pins and boots still, there was nothing wrong with them, I just thought replacing them with new ones would be a good idea as I was replacing everything else (bar the carrier). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted March 10, 2017 Report Share Posted March 10, 2017 Are both sides the same? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted March 10, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2017 No it's only this one side. Both pins move freely on the other side so I left them alone and just cleaned the caliper, carrier, shims and regreased the pads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P4UL T Posted March 10, 2017 Report Share Posted March 10, 2017 How big is the hole? Maybe something like this in a dremel type tool or even a drill? https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B0015NSU5S/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1489149173&sr=8-7&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=dremel+wire+brush&dpPl=1&dpID=51u53TsEvrL&ref=plSrch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickT Posted March 10, 2017 Report Share Posted March 10, 2017 I had a similar issue on my vectra. It turned out to be aluminium corrosion where the rubber sliders fit into the brake calipers themselves. I pulled out the sliders from the brake caliper and used a fennel with the rotary drum sander on to clean the hole back to a nice circle shape again. Once refitted and lubricated with silicon grease the caliper slid nice up and down the cleaned up pin. The corrosion effectively narrowed the hole and made the rubber slider feel stiffer to slide on the pin. I hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted March 10, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2017 Taking a guess the hole is 10mm and about 60mm deep. I don't think a wire brush would fit but it might be too abrasive as well. Nick, the Vectra looks to have a different setup to my brakes. The pins slide in to the carrier hole and the boot sits on a lip between the 2, so it's metal on metal. I'll have a look through my dremel attachments and see if anything can be used but I'm concerned about causing damage inside the hole and think it might be safer doing it by hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted March 11, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2017 I knew there was something else I was going to say Tony. We've decided the knocking is most likely the shocks but I've also noticed the steering has become a little heavier even with the tyre pressures being ok. Could that be a symptom of the faulty shock? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted March 17, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2017 Shocks and a few other parts have been ordered, which should be here next week. Going to get them fitted at WIM as I can't be doing with snapped pinch bolts (if it happens) so fingers crossed these will finally put an end to the knocking I've had. I removed that slider pin yesterday, cleaned it up again and the hole. Regreased it and this time it was moving freely so I've not replaced it yet and will keep an eye on it instead. I also stripped down the front brakes to clean those. The slider pins were all dry (these ones slide through rubber boots) so I greased those and cleaned a lot of crap off the caliper and pads. Both sides have even wear so there is nothing to suggest anything had been sticking. I'm not sure if it's the placebo effect but the car doesn't seem to jerk as much now and is a little bit more responsive so maybe there was a slight drag holding it back. I spoke to Honda about the rev counter needle keep dropping when you lift off the throttle, which doesn't seem to affect how the car drives. It's been like it since I bought it. They haven't come across it before and don't think it will be easy to fault find but it's likely to be the wiring, which probably means removing alot of parts and getting an auto electrician to check everything. I think I'll just carry on living with it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted March 31, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2017 Shocks finally arrived yesterday so the car is at WIM this afternoon/tomorrow having them fitted. I've been spraying the pinch bolts all week so hopefully they come undone with no issues. I ordered new bolts anyway. When I ordered those I got a genuine air filter too, it's just a pattern one in there ATM but it only £14 odd so thought I might as well change it. My throttle body doesn't have an IACV, there is just a cover where it's supposed to be. I am removing the TB to clean it so bought a replacement gasket for it and the cover. Just to see if that helps with the rev counter issue. It had actually improved until I got the car back from the garage before Xmas and it started again so I think doing the idle learn procedure again might help. The last couple of months the car has felt a little jerky/pulls when changing gear. It's more noticeable when I brake and I can feel it changing down with a pull. It wasn't that long a go that I changed the fluid and filter, probably 10k miles and it's still pinky/red. Doing some Googling I came across some US forums (Acura over there) where they say this does happen with cars that have high mileage, it's on 120k now. So I'm not too sure what or if I can do anything about it. I could try changing the oil again but it wasn't cheap and it should last 75k miles before it needs doing again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted March 31, 2017 Report Share Posted March 31, 2017 Believe it or not a worn engine mount on a FWD can make the car pull throttle on then the other way throttle off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted March 31, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2017 Believe it or not a worn engine mount on a FWD can make the car pull throttle on then the other way throttle off. That's interesting. Is this something Joe can check if I mention it to him? Edit - Thinking about it I'm sure the engine has become louder as well, I mentioned this last year when I took it to the garage. If a mount is worn could that cause it to vibrate more making it louder? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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