98 accord shock replacement/brake problem

[Pubhi]

I think the shocks on my care need to go and I want to replace them with something equivalent to OEM. I was looking at some shocks online and and I came up with these: http://www.prostreetonline.com/oem/q...tion=000624110

I wanted to replace the current ones with bilstein shocks but those are way too expensive. Do you guys have any experience with KYB shocks and their quality? If not, then can someone reccomend another brand? Is there anything else that I need to replace while i'm at it as far as the suspension is concerned?

Secondly, I have an issue with my brakes. I have never been able to eliminate vibration when braking. I have changed the rotors twice and both times i've had the same result. There was vibration from the get go at 80+ MPH. Over time the vibration just gets worse and worse. My brakes have never been the same since they were changed the very first time. I do have 17" alloy wheels on the car and I don't know if that can cause vibration since the car wasn't designed for them originally. Does anyone have a clue as to what could be going on??

[jeffcoslacker]

Wow you're all over the place.

KYB shocks and struts are wonderful. Well worth the extra money IMO. I had adjusables on the Impala SS (replaced the stock Bilsteins), they made a world of difference. I've never used the standard type replacements, but I'm told they are good units also.

On the brake issue...the burning question here is did the brakes feel OK as soon as you replaced the rotors, etc, only to begin acting up as soon as the car was driven any distance?

And secondly, does the vibration seem to get progressively worse the farther/faster you drive?

If so, both are hallmarks of heat induced rotor warpage and brake chatter, which usually comes from worn out hardware or calipers, and sometimes from hydraulic problems (brake hose with delamination inside, etc).

Many times when dragging is an issue, you'll notice very rapid build up of brake dust on the front wheels even when the brakes aren't used much (like a long highway trip, etc) and excessive heat in the front wheels after driving.

I say front because that's where the problem lies most times. But you could have the same issues with the rear. If you have disc in the rear, the causes are the same, but emergency brake linkage and hardware has to be considered. If you have drums back there, other things like worn out backing plates and broken/weak return springs have to be considered as well.

A simple way to determine which end is causing it (if you aren't well aware of it coming through the steering wheel as well) is this...go out on a piece of highway with light traffic. (Sunday morning just after daybreak works nice) Get goin at highway speed and drive along for several miles at a steady speed, don't use the brakes.

Then turn on your 4-ways, and drop the gas and move to the shoulder, letting the car coast down to a stop. Use the gears to slow it if needed. As you slow down, lift the emergency brake and use it to stop. Note if you feel any pulsation in the lever as you do. If the rears are dragging and producing the shake, you'll feel the handle ride up and down as you pull, just like in the pedal, except you are activating the rears only, so you know what you are feeling.

When you stop, get out right away and feel the temp of the front wheels, particularly in the hub area around the lugnuts. Since you haven't used the front brakes now for several miles with highway speed air cooling in effect, they should be nearly stone cold. Any warmth indicated some drag, any heat that would make you reluctant or uncomfortable to touch the wheel and you've got a major problem.

If you determine that the brakes are dragging, it would be very involved to explain to you how to go about determining the exact cause...in you case it may be ultimately cheaper to simply replace the calipers with a rebuilt set of known quality, replace the mounting/slide hardware and lubricate properly, and do a hydraulic test of the hoses...or just replace them as well, they are critical to brake performance and usually cost less than $25 per side...

If you find that you have a serious dragging problem up front, and you want to figure out the cause exactly, and maybe save a bit of money, a simple test that has served me well:

Drive around and get the brakes hot. Really use the hell out of them, until they are shaking like mad and hot as hell....stop the car on a flat surface and put it in nuetral, see if it seems hard to push...I'm betting it will. Shut the motor off and put it in park or in gear, if manual. Do not set the e-brake. Find the wheel that seems hottest and cut the wheels to allow access to that caliper and bleeder screw. using a six point wrench of the correct size, open the bleeder slightly.

A faulty brake hose that is holding hydraulic pressure will shoot a nice shot of brake fluid and you will see/feel/hear the caliper relax and let go, and the car may even try to roll a bit (that's why we put it in gear or park). If this happens, you can be pretty confident you've found your issue, replace both hoses, as they tend to have similar service life.

If relieving hydraulic pressure yields no change, and there is no fluid expelled, or just a slight weak weeping when you open the bleeder, the issue is more likely hardware related, stuck caliper, siezed slides, bent mounting bolts etc.

A trained eye can tell sometimes where the problem lies by looking at the pattern of wear on the pads...beveling (worn at an angle) indicates caliper misalignment due to bent/worn mounting bolts or bores, and one pad worn more than the other indicates where the problem lies also. When the caliper is activated, the piston pushes the inboard pad against the rotor, and once contact is made, the whole caliper then slides against that pressure and causes the outboard pad to contact the rotor, which is now gripped between them.

If the caliper itself is bad and the piston doesn't want to return as it should, the inboard pad will drag constantly and wear out... If the hardware is seized so that the caliper won't slide like it's supposed to, the outboard pad will be in perpetual contact with the rotor, and will wear faster.

Each one is different, and other things have to be considered, but you get the idea...if you understand exactly how it works to begin with, it's not hard to find a problem. Just approach it logically...

Good luck with it. If you have more questions, fire away..

[somick]

Wow!
You should make it a sticky!

Sam