Wednesday, November 24, 2010

I hear a clunky kind of rattle on the front passenger wheel of my 95 Accord, what is it?

When I go over even small bumps I hear like a rattling on the front passenger side of my car, but it's a deep clunky sounding rattle. My thinking is it may be because the strut is shot - would that be possible?



It's a 1995 Accord w/ 180K miles and I never got the struts replaced since i've owned it. Are they definitely shot? The car rides OK, it's not bouncy at all, it's very stiff, in fact if anything it's too stiff, but isn't that how it's supposed to be?



If I need new struts, how hard is that to do myself? I can buy a spring compressor for around 40 bucks and it seems easy enough to do, I looked at the manual and read some forums online, but I'm afraid of the %26quot;danger%26quot; that they say can happen, where if you change your own struts it could result in death. Is this true, even if I use a spring compressor? Seems it would result in death only if I didn't use a spring compressor.



Any advice?I hear a clunky kind of rattle on the front passenger wheel of my 95 Accord, what is it?
It is your strut and/or your strut mount.When you get a clunking in a strut the majority of the time it is your strut mount NOT your strut but with a car that has 180000 miles on it and if its never been changed most likely your strut is bad too.If you take it in to a shop make sure you have the strut mount changed also because if you leave the repair shop and your cars still clunking you will be very unhappy with yourself when you have to take it in again and pay the labor twice.As for doing it yourself i wouldn't recommend it just because of the simple fact that it is an older car and who knows what you might run into like rusted bolts that may be rusted so bad they need to be heated up or even worse if one broke off inside the car and if this happens then you have another expense.A tow bill.GOOD LUCK!I hear a clunky kind of rattle on the front passenger wheel of my 95 Accord, what is it?
sounds like the strut mount is bad,probably needs struts too.hope this helps.I hear a clunky kind of rattle on the front passenger wheel of my 95 Accord, what is it?
Before you go jumping to your death, check the wheel bearings %26amp; A-arms. Could be that simple. Struts take a REALLY long time to wear out, but if that is the case, a spring compressor will save you some money. It's not as dangerous as you may be thinking, just follow the directions %26amp; use your common sense. Good luck!I hear a clunky kind of rattle on the front passenger wheel of my 95 Accord, what is it?
I think the shock absorber/strut malfunction diagnosis is incorrect at only 180,000 miles. Modern cars like a 1995 Accord should go much much further than this before needing strut replacement. The exception is if you have been in some kind of collision accident and this was overlooked in the body repair. Insurance companies like to ignore the mechanical parts of car damage if they can get away with it. I think you need to have your brakes looked at and have a mechanic check out the rest of the underside for improperly torqued bolts or bolts that have been tightened without their proper washers especially if there has been some accident. It will be worth it because this is a good car that has 300,000 miles to go if the oil changes are happening regularly. I am voting on the brakes or some stones due to dirt.I hear a clunky kind of rattle on the front passenger wheel of my 95 Accord, what is it?
you need to let someone do it that knows how to you can kill your self even if you have a spring compressor and you don't now how to use it plus when its done you will need a alignment better to let a shop do it because they will guaranty it plus they will let you know if anything else is wrong. most shops charge 20.00 to 40.00dollars for front end check and will give you a quote .I hear a clunky kind of rattle on the front passenger wheel of my 95 Accord, what is it?
sounds like stabilizer links to me. pull up and down on the bar where they mount; if there's any play, they're bad. at 180k, w/ oe struts, replacing them is good pm. check for availibility of quick struts; these are the strut, spring, and mount all in one and assembled. control arm bushings will make noise when they go bad, too.I hear a clunky kind of rattle on the front passenger wheel of my 95 Accord, what is it?
might be struts but first check the ball joints and sway bar links