l2iceman

hey guys,

i have a 2001 acrua EL and recently it started making a funny noise. When going at slow speeds(say, a parking lot), there is a creaking sound coming from the front passenger side under the hood. I parked and popped the hood, pushed down on the front to make it bounce and it sounds like the passenger spring is making the noise. It wasn't there this morning, which may be due to it being damp from the rain. Has anyone had this happen on a spring? Is it safe to spray the spring area with something like WD-40? I will be bringing it to the shop this weekend while getting an oil change but just wanted to see if anyone's experienced this.

On a side note: will 2003 honda civic LX coupe front springs directly replace the front springs on my EL? I know the front suspension is the same for the 2001-2002 EL and civics, but wasn't sure about the 2003 fitting on the 2001 EL

thanks!

chris_v2

balljoint

l2iceman

hmm i thought that as well...but i just read around and found this. When the car is parked, and i move the steering wheel to the left or right, it makes the creaking noise. I've read around that it may be the top strut bearing...

my rear passenger side makes a popping sound when I am at low speeds and press the brakes somewhat aggressively...sounds like a ball joint to me...

Any idea the time it would take someone to replace both? I'm in a new area so I don't have a regular shop I've found...and I've never had to do this before...so gonna also
get a quote from the shop who's doing the oil change but just curious...

thanks alot guys!

MPR

I just replaced two upper strut mounts on my sister in law's cavalier. Not a civic but could be the same problem. Was creaking pretty bad when you turn the wheels side to side.

If you get a friend to turn the wheel for you, you should be able to better pin-point where the sound is coming from. If it's coming from down near the ground, it's the ball joint. If it coming from the top of the strut, it's the strut mount.

l2iceman

Yea you're right, the sound is coming from the top of the wheel, top strut bearing it is. The rear's popping noise only happens when I'm braking suddenly and only at low speeds from what I can tell. I'm guessing this is a bad ball joint. I'll have the shop check it out when I'm getting an oil change done on Saturday.

MPR

There aren't any ball joints in the rear. Just bushings. My guess is you have a worn bushing on one of the rear links.

l2iceman

hey guys, so i got my oil change n had the shop take a look on Saturday. The mechanic there(younger brother of the owner, and only one there at the time) said that the shock needs to be replaced because it is probably leaking(I didn't see any signs of a leak) and that there's probably no liquid inside and so it's making the rusty door sound...

as for the back, he said it looks like the rear passenger endlink and the sway bar bushings need to be replaced, said i should replace both endlinks and bushings since the other side looks worn down.

1) For the front, i asked about the top strut mount, he said it'll cost more in labour to replace the top mount and that I might as well get a used strut and replace the entire thing...this sound right? or is it easy to replace the top strut mount? I can see why he says it would take longer since he has to take out the strut regardless, but to say that the extra labour cost would be the same as replacing the strut(and cost of strut)...

2) for the rear, would the endlink cause a clunking sound if it needs replacing?

The reason why i'm asking this is because the mechanic wasn't 100 percent sure and asked me to go back sometime this week so his brother can take a look as he is more experienced...

MPR

*edit*

See next post.

chris_v2

I gave you your answer in the first reply my friend. Change your shock... that won't fix your squeek.

MPR

Just re-read your original post and saw this.

I agree with Chris_V2. It's your ball joint.

ol Dusty

iTrader: (2)

I tend to agree that is most likely is the ball joint but the EM2 strut mount is a bearing and will make a clunking noise both when you turn or jounce the front end if it is gone. Much like how the lower ball joint can.

OP is sounds a little like the shop you went to may be taking you for a ride, it is possible that strut is bad but not as likely to be the cause of the noise you're hearing. Also for your car if it does need the strut, you should change both left and right, but also you should be able to find a quick strut, basically most part stores now offer spring/strut assembly pre-built including the top mount, meant more or is you wanna change the spring also but are usually cheaper then buying all the parts separately and save you on the labour of having the old assembly taken apart and new parts installed. As for the rear, the sway bar endlinks are fairly common on your car and usually should be replaced in pairs as well, the bushing might just be bad from the worn links but you might be able to change just the link and see if that fixes the noise, if not, go back and change the bushing.