Civic SO4 undercarriage - what to check?

[rolandhoo]

when I pass thru uneven (lubang) road surface, the undercarriage of my SO4 produces some sounds/noises and feel like kind of "loose" instead of "fit and solid".

i heard that Civic SO4's undercarriage is always got problems and i wonder which part should be checked. lower/upper arms? absorbers/suspension? bushes? etc...

which part of the undercarriage should i pay attention to in order to eliminate those noises and feel "solid" when go thru the "malaysian roads"?

any thought? thanks!

 

[camp]

Bro what type of suspension setup on your ride? and what yr is your civic? normally u need to change all the bushes for optimum ride, just an idea, :)

 

[rolandhoo]

mine is EJ7 year 97. the suspension setup is standard. did you mean only need to check or change all the bushes? I have no idea how many bushes there are under the car :)

how about those upper/lower arms thingy? do they play an important part for comfort and smooth ride?

 

[camp]

The upper/lower arms bushes maybe need to change, maybe not all, this my two cents opinion, my fren did change the front lower arm, as for mine when i change my drum brakes to disk brake i did change one of the bushes but not sure what to call that bushes, try asking honda's sifus here in zth, or search trend on pu bushes, good luck

 

[danielljy]

yo there,from my experience, the only problem with EJ7 is the undercarriage, the steering rack, and all the bushes underneath, they are always a pain in the ass. i faced the same problem recently, and i thought it was the absorber, after i changed it, and fixed the steering rack(the arm connecting to the wheel), there was still noise from the back, after checking, it was the rear bushes connecting the arm the the wheel, sometimes it can also be the bush on top of the rear absorber. chill n cheers

 

[rolandhoo]

camp,

thanks for the reply.

i just wonder how long is the lifespan for those bushes....

any honda sifu can advise or add comment. just want to know more before going to the workshop. afraid to be "chopped" :) or the problem still exist even after changing some parts. that's why want to discuss it here first. :regular_smile:

 

[danielljy]

mine is EJ7 year 97. the suspension setup is standard. did you mean only need to check or change all the bushes? I have no idea how many bushes there are under the car :)

how about those upper/lower arms thingy? do they play an important part for comfort and smooth ride?

if i'm not mistaken, there are three bushes at the rear, one connecting the arm, one beneath the absorber and another rite on top of the absorber.

 

[danielljy]

camp,

thanks for the reply.

i just wonder how long is the lifespan for those bushes....

any honda sifu can advise or add comment. just want to know more before going to the workshop. afraid to be "chopped" :) or the problem still exist even after changing some parts. that's why want to discuss it here first. :regular_smile:

they should last at least 5 to 7 years, depending on the material and condition. the rear bush should cost roughly about 100rm, around there la, more or less.

 

[rolandhoo]

yo there,from my experience, the only problem with EJ7 is the undercarriage, the steering rack, and all the bushes underneath, they are always a pain in the ass. i faced the same problem recently, and i thought it was the absorber, after i changed it, and fixed the steering rack(the arm connecting to the wheel), there was still noise from the back, after checking, it was the rear bushes connecting the arm the the wheel, sometimes it can also be the bush on top of the rear absorber. chill n cheers

danielljy,

thanks for the comment. yes, the undercarriage is always the problem. you know what, i noticed that when it is a raining day (wet), my ride is better and smooth and less noise. but if it's a sunny day (dry), the experience is not good and smooth and of course, those noises............ :angry_smile:

so would it be those bushes as you mentioned? guess i will pay attention to bushes and make it a priority since it cost less than those upper/lower arms, suspension, etc...

 

[rolandhoo]

they should last at least 5 to 7 years, depending on the material and condition. the rear bush should cost roughly about 100rm, around there la, more or less.

RM100 (more or less) is for all the bushes at the rear or only for 1 bush???

sorry, no experience and knowledge in those bushes thingy. pls enlighten me.

 

[avantasia]

if the sound (kluk kluk) comes from below engine bay try to change anti roll bar link!!!! for Ori parts it cost RM120 per pcs, and u need 2 of it!!!!

 

[camp]

Price for the bushes i'm not really sure, but last time , in zth there a trend on pu bush from aust if not mistaken, to change all the bushes undercarriage maybe more than 1k, cost a boom,

 

[rolandhoo]

yeah, my front wheels go thru the uneven roads, there are "kluk kluk" sounds. so i should also pay attention to the anti roll bar link. Thanks avantasia for the comment.

 

[avantasia]

aftermarket bushing for whole car it cost nearly 2k!!!!

 

[avantasia]

buy original 1 okie!!!!!

 

[rolandhoo]

Price for the bushes i'm not really sure, but last time , in zth there a trend on pu bush from aust if not mistaken, to change all the bushes undercarriage maybe more than 1k, cost a boom,

more than 1K is not a small amount. hmm.... i think just have to pin point which bushes got problem and change it accordingly instead of ALL.

thanks for the comment. cheers!

 

[avantasia]

rolandhoo .... change the arb link first!!!! the cheapest i think rm50 for japan mari parts

 

[budin99]

If kluk kluk sound most probably came from your tie rod part...a bit easy to check if you had car jack. Jack up your car and then try to shake your rim. If there is a small movement(read not fit) almost sure cause by that tie rod part..

If the sound ngek ngek..maybe that from bush..

My previous problem came from brake caliper..suppose to be a plate at the pad..but the plate was missing..cannot get replacement..so, my mech put greese..problem solve :D but make sure don't put the greese onto your pad or disk...

 

[rolandhoo]

rolandhoo .... change the arb link first!!!! the cheapest i think rm50 for japan mari parts

anti roll bar link and absorber link are different thing right? i remember i just changed the absorber link not long ago so i don't think it is giving me the problem and those noises. yes, before i changed that arb link, there were sounds when the car went thru bumpy road surface especially cornering.

so now to check the anti roll bar link huh........

 

[rolandhoo]

If kluk kluk sound most probably came from your tie rod part...a bit easy to check if you had car jack. Jack up your car and then try to shake your rim. If there is a small movement(read not fit) almost sure cause by that tie rod part..

If the sound ngek ngek..maybe that from bush..

My previous problem came from brake caliper..suppose to be a plate at the pad..but the plate was missing..cannot get replacement..so, my mech put greese..problem solve :D but make sure don't put the greese onto your pad or disk...

thanks budin99 for your input. now another thing to be checked: the tie rod part....haha, sounds like there are a few things that i need to pay attention to. i had changed the front bushes last year so it shouldn't give me the problem too. will get the mechanic to check the tie rod though.

sometimes it is really hard to solve this kind of problem especially if the mech has not much experience in Honda car (or to be exact, Civic).

by the way, you mentioned about the brake pad, what is the original or OEM for Civic's brake pad and it's price? I heard something like Nissin??? not too sure. time to change the pad as it always produce a kind of metal grinding sound when the car "nearly" stops. :(