I replaced my CVjoints, now my car bounces

This past weekend I replaced my two broken CV Joints.
I have a 1993 Accord w/ Manual Tranny and ABS.

The car was sitting for about a month while I was away on business. I
tackled the repair job (didn't drive the car until after joints were
replaced) and now have a problem with suspension. The car bounces up
and down about 4 or 5 times over small bumps, and over large bumps
there is a painful THUD! I don't know if my car is bottoming-out here
or not.

I heard that one should tighten the ball joints while the wheels are
on the ground and I intend to try that, but generally I don't know what
could cause this problem.
I don't know to suspect my shocks, bushings, or ball joints.
The bushing on my steering arm looked bad (what does bad look like
anyway?) but I don't have a problem with steering. If my bushings
are suspect, how can I tell if they look bad?

Thanks for any advice!!

 

Think back when you replaced - what items had you disconnected to remove the
CV joints - Perhaps loosened the struts!!!!

 

Think back when you replaced - what items had you disconnected to remove the
CV joints - Perhaps loosened the struts!!!!

 

Dissasembly:
1) I loosened the lugs and the large 36mm nut (spindle?) and jacked the
tire off the ground.
2) I removed the tire, the caliper+brake pads and the caliper mount.
3) I loosened the bolt for the wishbone (I actually removed the bolt,
but put it back in to get the LCA ball joint off)
4) I removed the castle nut of the Lower Cotrol Arm off and popped off
the ball joint associated with the LCA.
5) I pulled out the loosened bolt for the wishbone.

This allowed me to move the hub out of the way and pull the CV Axle
from it.

Reassembly After I got the old shaft out and put the new shaft in)
1) Put weight on the LCA and lifted up on the wheel hub to get the ball
joint bolt back into the hole it came from.
2) Applied pressure to the wheel hub (now loosely attached to the LCA
ball joint) and re-inserted the bolt for the wishbone.
3) tightened down both wishbone bolt/nut and LCA castle nut and
re-inserted cotter pin.
4) put tire back on, finger tightened the lugs
5) lowered car and torqued down the 36mm nut and lug nuts.

Maybe I did loosen the struts (those spring/shock things?), but how
could I tighten them back?

Thanks!

 

Dissasembly:
1) I loosened the lugs and the large 36mm nut (spindle?) and jacked the
tire off the ground.
2) I removed the tire, the caliper+brake pads and the caliper mount.
3) I loosened the bolt for the wishbone (I actually removed the bolt,
but put it back in to get the LCA ball joint off)
4) I removed the castle nut of the Lower Cotrol Arm off and popped off
the ball joint associated with the LCA.
5) I pulled out the loosened bolt for the wishbone.

This allowed me to move the hub out of the way and pull the CV Axle
from it.

Reassembly After I got the old shaft out and put the new shaft in)
1) Put weight on the LCA and lifted up on the wheel hub to get the ball
joint bolt back into the hole it came from.
2) Applied pressure to the wheel hub (now loosely attached to the LCA
ball joint) and re-inserted the bolt for the wishbone.
3) tightened down both wishbone bolt/nut and LCA castle nut and
re-inserted cotter pin.
4) put tire back on, finger tightened the lugs
5) lowered car and torqued down the 36mm nut and lug nuts.

Maybe I did loosen the struts (those spring/shock things?), but how
could I tighten them back?

Thanks!

 

Springs hold the car up, and allow it to "bounce" over bumps.
Struts (just big shock absorbers), control and dampen the bounces.
Worn out struts/shocks = bouncebouncebouncebouncebouncebounce.

Probably just a coincidence that they went bad at the same time you were
working on the joints. Maybe they were marginal to start with, and being fully
extended while off the ground finally killed them?

 

Springs hold the car up, and allow it to "bounce" over bumps.
Struts (just big shock absorbers), control and dampen the bounces.
Worn out struts/shocks = bouncebouncebouncebouncebouncebounce.

Probably just a coincidence that they went bad at the same time you were
working on the joints. Maybe they were marginal to start with, and being fully
extended while off the ground finally killed them?

 

From your description it sounds like your shocks are shot. Did you notice
either one of them leaking fluid?

 

From your description it sounds like your shocks are shot. Did you notice
either one of them leaking fluid?

 

Well,
I removed the tire on the passenger side first and did a visual
inspection of the CV Boots. None were torn, so I proceeded to change
out the driverside CV Joint.
Both boots were ripped to hell and completly off the axle
exposing the bearings. Axle was EVERYWHERE, so it's hard to tell if
there is a leak in my strut/shock. I drove the car after this axle
change to see how it sounded/handled and that is when I noticed the
'bounce'.
I have some questions for anyone who can help which could clear up
some misconceptions/misunderstandings I have.

1) When replacing the LCA ball joint I needed to tug up and down on the
knuckle and the LCA, could I have dislodged the strut assembly somehow?
2) where would I want to look to see if I can see oil leaking from the
shock? Top or bottom?
3) I've read that one should tighten the LCA joint while the vehicle
is on the ground, which I did not. Could I have seated the ball joint
improperly when I put the hub assembly back together which would cause
these problems? How would I tell if my shocks were just 'loose'?
4) It is my understanding that the shock and strut is a combo deal,
meaning they are replaced together as a single part that's purchased,
correct?
5) After I replaced the driver side CV Joint I noticed the passenger
side was popping, so I replaced that as well. I did not notice any
difference w/ the shock-absorption after I disassembled the passenger
side hub assembly. Could only my driver side shock be bad? Should I
replace both?


Thank you all for your comments!!

 

Well,
I removed the tire on the passenger side first and did a visual
inspection of the CV Boots. None were torn, so I proceeded to change
out the driverside CV Joint.
Both boots were ripped to hell and completly off the axle
exposing the bearings. Axle was EVERYWHERE, so it's hard to tell if
there is a leak in my strut/shock. I drove the car after this axle
change to see how it sounded/handled and that is when I noticed the
'bounce'.
I have some questions for anyone who can help which could clear up
some misconceptions/misunderstandings I have.

1) When replacing the LCA ball joint I needed to tug up and down on the
knuckle and the LCA, could I have dislodged the strut assembly somehow?
2) where would I want to look to see if I can see oil leaking from the
shock? Top or bottom?
3) I've read that one should tighten the LCA joint while the vehicle
is on the ground, which I did not. Could I have seated the ball joint
improperly when I put the hub assembly back together which would cause
these problems? How would I tell if my shocks were just 'loose'?
4) It is my understanding that the shock and strut is a combo deal,
meaning they are replaced together as a single part that's purchased,
correct?
5) After I replaced the driver side CV Joint I noticed the passenger
side was popping, so I replaced that as well. I did not notice any
difference w/ the shock-absorption after I disassembled the passenger
side hub assembly. Could only my driver side shock be bad? Should I
replace both?


Thank you all for your comments!!

 

If you know so little about the working of a car's suspension, you
really shouldn't be working on it yourself.

Hint: shocks. Nothing else does vertical dampening. How the **** you came
to the conclusion that bushings have anything to do with vertical
dampening is a mystery to me.

 

If you know so little about the working of a car's suspension, you
really shouldn't be working on it yourself.

Hint: shocks. Nothing else does vertical dampening. How the **** you came
to the conclusion that bushings have anything to do with vertical
dampening is a mystery to me.

 

touche'..
though my reasoning is that if the LCA didn't join correctly to the
knuckle, the fork attached to it maybe lower than normal which could
mean an extended shock (now this may be complete nonsense, I am no
mechanic...). I know quite well what suspensions do, but from a
mechanical point of view there are quite a few variations. I am far
from an expert (obviously), but as long as you can get to a part, why
fear replacing it? Plus, the terms shock and strut seem to be so
interchangeable it is causing confusion in my mind. Thanks for the
reply...

 

touche'..
though my reasoning is that if the LCA didn't join correctly to the
knuckle, the fork attached to it maybe lower than normal which could
mean an extended shock (now this may be complete nonsense, I am no
mechanic...). I know quite well what suspensions do, but from a
mechanical point of view there are quite a few variations. I am far
from an expert (obviously), but as long as you can get to a part, why
fear replacing it? Plus, the terms shock and strut seem to be so
interchangeable it is causing confusion in my mind. Thanks for the
reply...

 

from my decades of working on machinery...I used to have a saying: If
you don't know what you're doing, then don't do it.

Mostly my customers would attempt a repair before they would call me
to tell me their machines were broken. So I would have to undo their
damage before I could even begin to work on the original problem.

In this way, I learned about the machines in a hurry. There was no
going home until they were repaired correctly. I would ask them, what
did you do? Some would say the guy on the other shift did something
and they didn't know. Anyhow, you see the point: unintended
consequences.

Keep in mind, there is little that can't be fixed if you have enough
money to throw at it. Then again, there comes a time to wipe the
slate clean and start over, with a different machine. What is this
going to cost to get repaired by a pro, vs. how much for a *new/used
vehicle.

Were I in your situation, I would have only done one side of the car,
and waited a while to be sure it was done correctly, using the other
side of the car as a mirror reflection of the way things should be. I
could go back and forth between what I was doing and the *good side*
to make sure I was doing things right.

You've got 2 options now:
bring it in to have a pro fix it.
buy another car.
I think if you're still asking questions at this point, confused
between a strut and a shock ( a strut is the combo spring/shock in one
unit ), then having another go at it is a waste of time and money.

Everyone can't do everything. Bring it in and let someone with the
proper tools and experience give you an estimate on the repair price.

Lg

 

from my decades of working on machinery...I used to have a saying: If
you don't know what you're doing, then don't do it.

Mostly my customers would attempt a repair before they would call me
to tell me their machines were broken. So I would have to undo their
damage before I could even begin to work on the original problem.

In this way, I learned about the machines in a hurry. There was no
going home until they were repaired correctly. I would ask them, what
did you do? Some would say the guy on the other shift did something
and they didn't know. Anyhow, you see the point: unintended
consequences.

Keep in mind, there is little that can't be fixed if you have enough
money to throw at it. Then again, there comes a time to wipe the
slate clean and start over, with a different machine. What is this
going to cost to get repaired by a pro, vs. how much for a *new/used
vehicle.

Were I in your situation, I would have only done one side of the car,
and waited a while to be sure it was done correctly, using the other
side of the car as a mirror reflection of the way things should be. I
could go back and forth between what I was doing and the *good side*
to make sure I was doing things right.

You've got 2 options now:
bring it in to have a pro fix it.
buy another car.
I think if you're still asking questions at this point, confused
between a strut and a shock ( a strut is the combo spring/shock in one
unit ), then having another go at it is a waste of time and money.

Everyone can't do everything. Bring it in and let someone with the
proper tools and experience give you an estimate on the repair price.

Lg

 

The ball joint is usually tightened after using a floor jack underneath the
lower control arm to compress the suspension to its normal ride height.

Eric

 

The ball joint is usually tightened after using a floor jack underneath the
lower control arm to compress the suspension to its normal ride height.

Eric

 

Well, bad bushings can certainly cause the "thud"