icefisherman Posted September 5, 2011 Report Posted September 5, 2011 Well, As I was driving in the dark last night I was lucky enough to drive on a street that someone has decided to put 4 large rocks (over 50kg each) in each direction...road was 4 lanes (2 in each direction) all had large rocks on them....by the time I saw it and was able to react I hit one of them with my right wheel...this destroyed the aluminum wheel and cut the tire in pieces./...it was serious hit...had to put the spare tire on...removed all remaining rocks from the road (another guy helped cleaning the opposite direction). Problem is after checking it all today it seems I have caused some major damage.....car pulls very hard to the right...and when brake is pressed even harder...the brand new donut spare tire I put on last night was completely worn out by the time I got home (about 80km)...you can now see the wires on it....it is because the front end is screwed up royally...car makes high pitch metal to metal squeaking noises and is really not in a driveable condition...I am all p....ed...off as it'll probably now cost me lots of money and who knows how well it can be fixed....the big round bar that connects the right wheel to the transmission is moving in and out about 1/4"....the bolt that holds the wheel down bellow also have some movement...when turning the wheel forward and backward it makes clicking noises, etc. etc.... I hope on some good advice on how to proceed as this is a new subject to me....used vs. rebuilt transmission...need to do it inexpensive as I am not in a very good financial situation right now....anyhow...if someone needs to ask questions fire away will try to answer the best I can even though I am not sure of all the terminology... Cheers, Ice Fisherman
John Bacon Posted September 5, 2011 Report Posted September 5, 2011 Have you filed a police report? Do you have collision insurance? This sounds like a major repair, you may want to consider going through insurance.
Raf Posted September 5, 2011 Report Posted September 5, 2011 (edited) the good news is its not your tran$mi$$ion the bad news is you did some damage to your $u$pen$ion and/or $teering components. take it into a shop. nobody will be able to guess what is actually damaged over the internet. Edited September 5, 2011 by Raf
icefisherman Posted September 5, 2011 Author Report Posted September 5, 2011 I waved on a cop after changing my tire and clearing the road...he stopped talked to me and ask me about the report I told him I don't care about a report as I only have liability insurance and in any case I am a firm believer insurance will get it through your nose what ever (if any) they give you....so it'll be all paid out of my pocket. Cheers, Ice Fisherman
SlowPoke Posted September 5, 2011 Report Posted September 5, 2011 Don't panic... yet. The car pulling could be due to the smaller spare tire. The clicking, squealing and grinding may be as simple as a bent driveshaft/cv joint. It wont't be a cheap fix but I don't think it will be as bad as you fear.
Fisherman Posted September 5, 2011 Report Posted September 5, 2011 I "ran into" a similar fate about 2 years ago, going east on the 401 just past the DVP, see a transport pulled over about 1/2 a km ahead, next thing, what the hell is that in the middle of my lane, ka..whump, get some air with the car, pull over, look back. It's the damm univeral joint off the transport truck tractor and the jackshaft is laying over a bit further. Steering is kinda off center, no bad noises or otherwise. Talk to the driver of Hindu TPT, pretty much the Mississauga junkpile transport companies, most of the stuff or the drivers shouldn't be licenced. Anyway, long story short, if you hit something already on the roadway, it's deemed your fault. Cost me $2200 to have the transmission mounts replaced, most of the steering components and a few other small things. The insurance would cover it under collision, but, they have long reaching screwdrivers..hint.
misfish Posted September 5, 2011 Report Posted September 5, 2011 To bad Bull like this happens. .so it'll be all paid out of my pocket. Is the car worth the cash IFM? Talk to the driver of Hindu TPT, pretty much the Mississauga junkpile transport companies, most of the stuff or the drivers shouldn't be licenced. Anyway, long story short, Theres a long story to this?
Fisherman Posted September 5, 2011 Report Posted September 5, 2011 To bad Bull like this happens. Is the car worth the cash IFM? Theres a long story to this? I left out the plethora of vulgar expletives from my son and myself, non of course directed at the other driver who was jibbering on his cell phone on the side of the road. A Golf has about 6 or 7 inches of road clearance, the damm universal of the truck was about 9 inches in diameter..and pretty solid.
Lokka Posted September 6, 2011 Report Posted September 6, 2011 As a mechanic i strongly suggest you take it to a shop and get an estimate done.. Most things you can get from a wreaker for cheap. Sounds like you may have bent your control arm and that causes the tire to Drag more instead of roll. This could be why you wreaked your spare tire. But I can't tell you exactly what is wrong.. your best bet it to get it looked at.
icefisherman Posted September 6, 2011 Author Report Posted September 6, 2011 I was actually hoping some auto mechanics reply... After all day checking things and taking photos and videos and talking to few people remotely who know more about this stuff than me....I am thinking maybe the tie rod got bent and that pulled back everything...so much so that the CV joint when rotating and wheel is in full left position is touching the torsion rod end....the right hand tie rod does look much more curved and is 1.5 cm shorter than the left one… My (maybe naive) idea is to have someone independent (not a big shop) look at it and tell me their honest opinion on what needs to be done or replaced....I have never done any such job before but will try to do as much as I can myself on the driveway (changing the tie rod bottom and top ball joints) and then take it for alignment hoping it will align... Cheers, Ice Fisherman
woodenboater Posted September 6, 2011 Report Posted September 6, 2011 Glad you're ok after that incident. I encourage you to file a report with local enforcement, esp if someone is ballsy enough to put those sized rocks on a 4 laner. That was a dangerous situation which could have lead to serious injuries or worse. Wonder if it's a local who's po'ed with traffic on this stretch ? Regardless, what they did was dangerous and if found, should face criminal charges. This also may not be the first time this has happened so a report will help the police figure this out. Fingers crossed that your insurance company does the right thing.
cuzza Posted September 6, 2011 Report Posted September 6, 2011 Post up where you are and perhaps someone will know a good shop in the area or may even be able to help you. Most shops will use non genuine parts which will keep the cost down. TBH It doesn't sound like you have the knowledge to do it yourself and if you put your suspension back together wrong you'll do even more damage to the vehicle and possibly yourself. Hopefully you're not still driving it?
BillM Posted September 6, 2011 Report Posted September 6, 2011 Most likely a tierod if the spare tire is shredded only after 80kms.. You definitely need to park it until it's fixed. Tierods are fairly simple to swap out.. Although if you aren't comfortable doing it yourself, definitely get a mechanic to give it a once over to see what else might be messed up under there.
icefisherman Posted September 7, 2011 Author Report Posted September 7, 2011 (edited) OK spent the day investigating further...took it to a steering specialty shop here in town....the guy says I need to replace on the right side (where the hit was) the knuckle, the control arm and the outer tie rod end....I found the whole assembly at a junk yard for $225 with 60 days warranty....found used aluminum rim same as my OEM ones for $75....and the tire guy agreed to mount, balance a new tire same as the one I've had before and as the other 3 for just his cost of the tire ($100) ....the steering expert also examined the car and told me I need to replace the left side outer tie rod end and the upper and lower ball joints just because of normal wear nothing to do with the hit(better if I find them again as part of the knuckle and the control arm as that way I will not need to press the ball joint in)....the guy quoted some outrageous prices though...he told me $1500 for everything....of $800 for just the install if I bring my own parts....both numbers are hugely inflated as I know it will not take him 8-9 hours to do it...and the parts cost half than what he quoted me when I checked myself...same used parts from junk yard.... He also tried telling me it will probably be between $100 - $200 to the alignment at the end....most places I've seen charger around $100 or less.... He sais no body damage but then claimed it might take longer to do the alignment...anyhow...he did lose my trust when trying to overprize me... So even though I have never done something like that I'll attempt to do it myself on the driveway with just the standard tools I have....saving the $800 labor...and also buying the parts myself from the junk yard and saving there too...then will take it somewhere for the alignment....and hope it rolls as before.... Can probably use some advice on how to do all the parts removing and installing the new ones...but asking, reading and watching video on the web should help ....will not be the first thing I do for first time so I am sure it is not a brain surgery....therefore definitely not worth the over $1000 he tried getting from me. Still havent decide should I do the left side or not but will cross that bridge after I see how well I manage to do the right side. Cheers, Ice Fisherman Edited September 7, 2011 by icefisherman
irishfield Posted September 7, 2011 Report Posted September 7, 2011 (edited) Don't forget to use quality axle stands or some other solid means of holding the car up. I've had too many friends killed by falling vehicles to add another one to the list Emil ! Edited September 7, 2011 by irishfield
greenfshrmn Posted September 7, 2011 Report Posted September 7, 2011 Don't forget to use quality axle stands or some other solid means of holding the car up. I've had too many friends killed by falling vehicles to add another one to the list Emil !
icefisherman Posted September 7, 2011 Author Report Posted September 7, 2011 I did talk about that with Brian earlier today Wayne,...good point....don't have the stands but will design some sortt of support....wood...maybe the old wheel...will see.... Cheers, Ice Fisherman
greenfshrmn Posted September 7, 2011 Report Posted September 7, 2011 I did the same job on a Civic a few months back and removing the damaged parts should not be too difficult on your Accord. Be sure to take a close look at the wheel bearing on the spindle that you are getting from the auto wreckers, you don't want to change this, it requires a special puller and hydraulic press. Hopefully, yours will be in good shape. There are many good videos on 'You Tube' that will help you out. As already mentioned, be sure you have the car on a decent pair of axle stands...and don't forget to torque the bolts when finished, especially the hub nut.
Uncle Buck Posted September 7, 2011 Report Posted September 7, 2011 I feel your pain Emil... Blew my Head gasket last october... stealership told me $1800 to change it... I told them i already owned the car!! Good luck... I did it myself and saved large amount of cash... front end alignment is $70 at stealership...
Lokka Posted September 7, 2011 Report Posted September 7, 2011 That's why i do all my own work. Only thing i paid for in the 3 years was my exhaust because i had it fitted and went from 2" to 2 1/4" with the high flow cat. Wow 1800 for a head gasket, i know it's 80% labour and 20% part on that thing but still. I would still pay more for a good alignment then go with a cheap toe and go alignment after a hit like this, your caster and cambers could be shot as well and that would be nice to know.
cuzza Posted September 7, 2011 Report Posted September 7, 2011 At least take the advice about the axle stands - "designing something out of wood" really won't cut especially as you're going to have to pull pretty hard to get the old bits off. I know you're on a budget but propping the car on the scissor jack and a pile of wood is asking for it - $25 a pair at Canadian Tire. Secondly buy a Haynes manual (another $25 at CT) - it'll cover how to remove and re-fit everything as well as give you the torque values you need and you can have it sat next to you on your driveway - not free like YouTube but it'll be a good reference if you need to do other work later or remove anything else unexpected to get the mangled parts off. Putting used suspension components on can be false economy, if they're worn (check the mileage of the car they're coming from if you can) you'll never get it aligned. Consider putting new bushings in before you re-fit, they're not expensive - most shops will press them in for you for a few $ and you'll have a solid setup. Assuming you get everything off and replace it, get everything tightened up but torque it all with the car on the ground at normal ride height.
icefisherman Posted September 8, 2011 Author Report Posted September 8, 2011 Update……….started today in the afternoon after getting all the parts in left and right side including the wheel and new tire...tie rods are new, the rest is used ...from 69 000 km 2005 Accord for the left side and another one at 170 000 km for the right side...they look OK but will know better when all is in place and do the alignment.... Now aside of couple bolts spilling and not coming out (will cut them tomorrow) the big problem is the spindle nut on the right side does not move at all....5' pipe two men on it - nothing...another neighbour brought some very powerful air tools and compressor - again not a move....he was puzzled and will be bringing yet bigger tool tomorrow afternoon to try....short of that we will probably have to cut the damn nut and try not to mess up the thread....what a pain in.... Had to remove the strut as the two bolts holding the upper control arm couldn't come out after unscrewing them...kept getting into the spring.... Everything else is loose and keeping it in place only until we can remove the spindle nut....want to see what happens with the left side before opening the right...will need to get bunch of fasteners as many come out worn or broken... Not terribly difficult so far...just physical as it is so hard removing bolts or nuts that are all seized... Will ask the guy who does the alignment to torque everything to specks at the shop. Cheers, Ice Fisherman
Kerry Posted September 8, 2011 Report Posted September 8, 2011 Update……….started today in the afternoon after getting all the parts in left and right side including the wheel and new tire...tie rods are new, the rest is used ...from 69 000 km 2005 Accord for the left side and another one at 170 000 km for the right side...they look OK but will know better when all is in place and do the alignment.... Now aside of couple bolts spilling and not coming out (will cut them tomorrow) the big problem is the spindle nut on the right side does not move at all....5' pipe two men on it - nothing...another neighbour brought some very powerful air tools and compressor - again not a move....he was puzzled and will be bringing yet bigger tool tomorrow afternoon to try....short of that we will probably have to cut the damn nut and try not to mess up the thread....what a pain in.... Had to remove the strut as the two bolts holding the upper control arm couldn't come out after unscrewing them...kept getting into the spring.... Everything else is loose and keeping it in place only until we can remove the spindle nut....want to see what happens with the left side before opening the right...will need to get bunch of fasteners as many come out worn or broken... Not terribly difficult so far...just physical as it is so hard removing bolts or nuts that are all seized... Will ask the guy who does the alignment to torque everything to specks at the shop. Cheers, Ice Fisherman Just throwing one out there but if it has locktight red on it you will have to heat it with a torch and spin it off.Probably ruin any bushings though. Kerry
icefisherman Posted September 8, 2011 Author Report Posted September 8, 2011 Got the spindle nut out....took lot of heating and even more muscle power ...but as it came out it stripped the thread.......so now need new drive shaft....ordered one from a local junk yard...guy asked for my credit card and told me to go pick it up couple hours later and I can pay cash and he'll reverse the credit card charge....well got there...no part...waited 1.5 hrs...finally it came but is the wrong one...refused to buy it, the guy got very angry started threatening to damage my car to put a lean on it etc. crap...got a big steel chunk wanted to throw it at my car...got in the car and left before things escalated further, got home called the bank and on their advice cancelled my credit card ...learned my lesson...stay away from shady places as junk yards...not worth the minimal savings...anyhow got to find a drive shaft tomorrow....got some of the steering components back on but have to wait for the drive shaft before continuing...not that difficult a job so far at all…makes a big difference to have the right tools though…good thing I have resourceful neighbours ;-) Cheers, Ice Fisherman
Lokka Posted September 9, 2011 Report Posted September 9, 2011 Got the spindle nut out....took lot of heating and even more muscle power ...but as it came out it stripped the thread.......so now need new drive shaft....ordered one from a local junk yard...guy asked for my credit card and told me to go pick it up couple hours later and I can pay cash and he'll reverse the credit card charge....well got there...no part...waited 1.5 hrs...finally it came but is the wrong one...refused to buy it, the guy got very angry started threatening to damage my car to put a lean on it etc. crap...got a big steel chunk wanted to throw it at my car...got in the car and left before things escalated further, got home called the bank and on their advice cancelled my credit card ...learned my lesson...stay away from shady places as junk yards...not worth the minimal savings...anyhow got to find a drive shaft tomorrow....got some of the steering components back on but have to wait for the drive shaft before continuing...not that difficult a job so far at all…makes a big difference to have the right tools though…good thing I have resourceful neighbours ;-) Cheers, Ice Fisherman You can try B&D wreakers in oakville or mikes auto parts.. they are who we deal with an have never had a problem... Oh and NEVER pay credit on a part before you see it. There is no reason for it. Milton auto wreakers is another good one to try!
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