MDVillars Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 I am looking for help isolating a vibration that just appeared in the front of the car. Vibration starts at 40 mph as a low freqeuency vibration more than a noise. It can only be heard inside the car with the windows up. The frequency of the vibration goes up as speed goes up. Slowing down, the frequency goes down until it disappears at about 25 mph. To me, it sounds like the noise my driveshaft u joints made on my 2001 Jeep when they went bad. Turning sharp to load the tires differently does not change the vibration at all. It is a vibration and not: grinding, noise, rumble, clatter, rattle, hum. Engine speed does not affect vibration at all, only wheel speed. Acceleration or deceleration doe not change it either. Vibration also does not change when moving at same speed and shifting to 2nd, 3rd or 4th gears. I looked for loose body panel that could be vibrating in the airstream, but found none and seems odd that this would occur at 25 mph. Tires and wheels are good, but have not been balanced or aligned in awhile. This however, seems unlikely to be culprit due to the vibration not changing under vigerous cornering. Also, wet/dry road does not change things either. It does not sound like a bearing "whine" either. No sounds of metal on metal. My only guess is that there are u joints that are going bad on oue of the axle shafts? Anyone have ideas where I should start?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDVillars Posted August 4, 2011 Author Share Posted August 4, 2011 Okay. At this point I understand that there is an inner and outer CV on the Accord axles. All 4 boots are intact, but both outers were replaced and it is possible that it was not done in time as the old boots had opened. I also recently had a shop instal new lug studs that were longer due to my aftermarket wheels. I understand that the hub must be disassebled to due this which is why I had a shop do it as I don't have air tools or pullers. Since the hub had to be disassebled, I wonder if they didn't damage my wheel bearing? They did questionable work when they replaced my radiator, I ended up fixing their job myself. Since I think it is coming from the driver side, I ran the car to 20 mph with the drivers wheel raised and I could hear the vibration inside the car but nowhere outside the car. Not even right next to the spinning wheel. I think the vibration noise is either the wheel bearing or the CV joint. I don't know how to test or distinguish which it is. I think I will be replacing the axle on the drivers side this weekend unless someone has an idea of how to distinguish between these 2 possibilities before I open it up. Anyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDVillars Posted August 6, 2011 Author Share Posted August 6, 2011 Well... I replaced the driver side CV axle today. Went well. No problems at all. Unfortunately, the vibration is still there... At this point my options as I see them are the passenger side axle, the wheel bearings, the wheels imbalanced or the transmision output bearings. Would wheel balance create a vibration at only 20 mph?? The noise is kind of a harmonic vibration that is inaudable as you hang your head out the window, but turn off the stereo and roll the windows up and it is loud. The pitch raises as speed increases from 20 mph on up. I guess I will try rebalancing the wheels tomorrow and if that does not do it, maybe wheel bearings. I dont hear any noise or grinding when spinning the wheels. They don't turn easily or hard. There is no grinding or popping or even rough rolling sound. Help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raley Posted August 6, 2011 Share Posted August 6, 2011 Get your tires balanced, its like 10 bucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TLontheDL Posted August 7, 2011 Share Posted August 7, 2011 Maybe a bent wheel also? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDVillars Posted August 10, 2011 Author Share Posted August 10, 2011 Here is the latest... Had the tires balanced and I rotated them to see if the problem would move to the back. No improvement. Replaced the passenger side CV axle. ABS light went on and this also did not fix the problem. Turns out replacement axle did not have the ABS ring. Removed this new axle and brought back to exchange. At this point I am assuming the wheel bearings. Removed knuckle on both sides of car. Could not get 1 of the hubs out of the bearing. Slide hammer did not work, broke the head off 2 hammers and destroyed 2 sockets using them to try to pound out the hub from the top alternating with the slide hammer from the bottom. Didn't budge. I also now have to replace the plywood on the top of my bench as my vice started to pull out of it! Also could not get the bearing to release from the knuckle on either side. I did get the other hub out after relentless effort. Spent an entire day off work and got nowhere. I finally gave up and took the knuckles into a Minneapolis machine shop. They pushed out the hubs, bearings, inner races, pushed on the new bearings, checked the hubs to be sure I didnt destroy them, and replaced the rotors. $180 for labor and rotors. I supplied the bearings. Picking up tomorrow morning and then everything goes back together. This has got to be the worst front drive hub axle system ever. Just sux to work on. We'll see if this finally ends my misery! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xeryon Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 Agreed. Mid 90's accord front hubs were a horrific design. Which would be why that generation of car was the only one to ever use that arrangement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDVillars Posted August 11, 2011 Author Share Posted August 11, 2011 Here is another update for anyone following this thread or having the same problem... I reinstalled the steering knuckles today after getting them back from the machine shop. This shop has heavy duty presses and equiptment to work on big rigs, etc. WOW! They also had a hell of a time getting things apart. The ended up snapping off several of the bolts holding the bearing to the knuckle, so these had to be replaced. They got the other hub out intact and the bearing races off of the hubs, but... believe it or not, they SHATTERED a rotor trying to get this thing apart. I've never seen anything like it. They shop guy grumbled to me that he had a hell of a time with it. Everything reinstalled just great. Care now drives like it is brand new again. Turns out the noise WAS one of the front bearings. Not like any bearing noise I've ever heard before! Well, my CV joint were doomed to fail soon anyway and new lifetime rotors should mean I won't have to do this again in my lifetime. Damn. I guess I'll be keeping it for another 100,000 miles now! A few more years and I can get collector plates for it! Take a look at these pics: https://www.dropbox.com/gallery/34872709/1/Honda?h=8a215e Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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