[Vlad the Impaler]

I spent a couple days of my long weekend doing a suspension refresh.
Here are some thoughts and tips for anyone looking to do the same on their Gen 1.

2009 RTL-E non-nav
208,000 miles with increasingly jittery ride over small bumps, but still handling larger bumps well and no leaks.

Preparations. Here is my parts list from Rockauto.

I purchased a "big" can of PB Blast and essentially used all of it as my parts were picked and delivered. Regular dousings of pinch bolts, sway link studs, strut tower bolts, LCA bolts and ball joint castle nuts, tie rod end castle nuts and adjuster threads, sway bushing brackets, etc. I'm sure it was helpful, but not sure to what extent because I wasn't going without it. The sway link exposed threads were particularly nasty and prejudged to need cutting for removal.
I loaded my grease gun with a fresh cartridge of NLGI 2 moly enhanced and pre-re-greased the tie rod ends and sway links after zirk install when they arrived.
Parts were all good at initial inspection. No boots damaged. LCA ball joints had their shipping covers. Strut/Spring assemblies were properly put together and equal in length to their right or left counterpart. All ball joints were stiff, but smooth when forced into compliance. Etc. Etc.

The parts, and the start on the rear...

The lower sway link ball studs were cut with a lengthwise slot, clear down to about 1/2 way into the nut. Once hit with the impact, they came off easily. The uppers at the sway bar were popped off, the ball ground with two flats and held with vice grips. The nut was loosened as much as possible and then the stud was cut off at the gap created. There was no getting my impact into the back of the bar, even with both ends loose. Lower strut mounting bolt took some long persuasion with the impact, but came loose eventually. Top strut bolts came out easily. All threads were cleaned with a wire wheel and moly paste was applied to all fasteners before assembly.
The rear sway bar bushings are not accessible with the suspension frame in place. To access the sway bar brackets the rubber hangers on either side of the muffler can be taken loose, the differential supported by a jack and the four suspension frame bolts removed. Lowering the jack a few inches does not stress the electrical and vent tube connections and gives enough access to remove the sway bar brackets.
I cleaned the rubber remnants off the bar with a tan Scotchbrite pad and oil, then silicone greased the bushings and bar for installation. Brackets were given some self etching primer to keep rust down. I installed the new sway bar links at this point to thread back into the frame/body gap and avoid the lack of access in the installed position.

I'll continue with the front in a subsequent post....

 

[wsoisson]

Nice documentation, thank you!

 

[Vlad the Impaler]

This took a while to get back to. Here are some notes on the front......

Similar to the rear, the dimensions of the new strut/spring units matched the worn OE removed pieces. I did not take ride height measures, but in hindsight should have. The spring sag was probably 1.5" less on the new units when loaded. It was very noticeable when completing the rear before moving on to the front. It had the odd poised stink bug look.

First order of business was sway link removal. Similar to the lower rear, the tops were cut lengthwise down the middle of the ball stud and well into the nut. Easy access at the top had the impact blasting them off relatively easy. Popping out the bottom joints is easy, This exposes the ball for grinding some flats, holding with vice-grips, loosening the nut as much as possible, and cutting them from the sway bar.

On to strut assemblies - My OE pinch bolts didn't have any eccentric adjusters on either side, so I wasn't concerned with marking any angles for duplicating upon installation. Removing the brake line and ABS sensor lines is straight forward. I removed the top brake caliper bolts and loosened the bottom to swing down and make more room to get to the lower pinch bolt. The pinch bolts took many seconds of ugga-dugga to finally show signs of movement and coming loose; my impact isn't high end but it did the trick. Honda is thoughtful with three easily removed caps on the cowl to reach the strut tower nuts. I did decide to complete the strut first, tie rod ends second, sway bar bushings third, and come back to the LCA when the rest was, at least loosely reassembled. Knowing I would want to duplicate tie rod lengths, I gave the adjustment jamb nut area a shot of spray paint (a nice purple left from a skateboard project with my daughters ) so I could reassemble to the same place. The knuckle does get floppy on the old ball joints, so be mindful of it and watch that you don't stress your boots and pull your drive splines out. If you do pull a spline, put back pressure on the shaft and slowly turn the wheel studs until it drops back into place. Don't ask me how I know. The knuckle will need to be muscled around to get the lower strut loose. Bring your larger prybars to make all this easier.

I borrowed a ball joint separator and inner removal tool for the tie rods. Also borrowed a wide pickle fork for the LCA ball joint. Autozone about 3 miles down the road had everything I needed available. Typical deposit and refund upon return deal.

Once the strut was pulled, I took the tie rod ball loose. The loaner tool did not have a tether chain and the removal was violent. Learning my lesson, on the second side I wrapped an old bath towel around it to mitigate the tie rod slapping around and the puller taking flight. Consider yourself warned if you ever get similar equipment, and don't go thinking it's a good idea not to tie the thing off if it comes with a chain. I'd suggest the chain and towel.

The sway bar bushing brackets are tight to get to, but doable at this point. The back bolt is a squeeze and takes many small arcs with a ratchet. I broke it loose with a 1/2 inch drive then came back with a 1/4 fine tooth flex handle ratchet to get the remaining threads with more swing. After popping off the bracket and bushing with the bar in-place, I cleaned the bushing contact area with tan Scotchbrite and oil. A slathering of silicone grease on the bushing and I got things mounted up again.

My inner tie rods ball joints were tight and the boots were in good shape, so I decided to spare myself the pain of removal. I broke the outers loose and measured them against my new MOOGs. All being similar, I threaded the new ends, tightened the jamb nut while matching my paint marks, flap disc cleaned the knuckle at both ends of the taper hole, sprayed it all clean with brake parts cleaner and loosely installed the tie rod ball studs.

Pinch bolts were wire wheel cleaned and in quite good shape. A little post-cleaning penetrating oil had them looking good and ready for install. Shop manual says replace for all fasteners, but I reused. The mating surfaces for the lower strut on the knuckle were flap disc cleaned and blown off.

My younger daughter (thankfully I have one who's interested in wrenching) helped eyeball the three upper studs into the strut tower as I raised it, and started threading the nuts very loosely and just enough to hang and take the weight off of me. A rare-earth magnet on the socket and a captive extension helps here. Bucket to stand on for your helper was mandatory at my place. The knuckle can be muscled into the lower strut and pinch bolts tapped with a gloved hand into place.

Brake caliper back in place. Loose install of pinch bolts. Tie rod end (with zirk) in place. Sexy blue AC Delco sway bushing. No sway links yet. Old LCA complete with cracked bushings is next to go.
More to come......

 

[Vlad the Impaler]

The final stretch... LCA install and button-up.

Old OE & MOOG Lower control arms. New has sealed (no zirc) ball joint similar to OE under blue shipping protector.
The LCA to suspension frame bolts were surprisingly easy to remove. I think this is partially due to their position and ability to take on the penetrating oil. Order of operations for removal of the old LCA is ball joint separation with pickle fork, dropping of ball stud from taper in knuckle, removal of horizontal front bolt, loosen rear vertical bolt and swing LCA to the rear and finally removing the rear bolt for complete removal. You'll have to muscle the knuckle around some to make this all come apart, but with your loose installation of the pinch bolts and tie rod end, it's not too bad.

I did not, but should have mounted the lower sway bar link at this time while having easy access to the back of the sway bar end. It's important to note the positions of the zirc fittings on the sway links. The AC Delcos I bought have the fittings in opposite directions. The lower should mount facing the rear for access and potential interference. This puts the upper facing forward, which is a little less convenient for greasing. I wish both could face rearward, but you get what you get.
At this point, I flap disc cleaned the flats on either side of the lower ball joint taper and sprayed out any dust with brake parts cleaner. Note the rust dust on the CV boot. It's a tight space, so you need to be careful not to damage the boot.
I also moly paste greased the two bushing holes and the female threads in the frame at this time. The threads of the bolts were also moly paste greased before installation.
To fit the new LCA, the rear vertical bolt should be loosely installed first, the position of the ball stud arranged for proper alignment once under the knuckle, the LCA rotated so the front bushing is about 1/2 the way into it's pocket, muscle the ball joint stud into the knuckle taper hole. Loosely install the castle nut to hold the ball in place and then push the front busing into the frame pocket. An alignment tool helps (or a Philips screwdriver if you don't have a punch set with alignment tools) as you push the bolt home and start the threads.
Lastly the sway bar link needs to be installed completely, everything torqued per the factory manual, and cotter pins installed in castle nuts.

I gave the tie rod ends a couple shots of grease and put the wheels on at this point. The sway bar links actually burped a bit of grease when being tightened up, so they were good to go.
Torque on all fasteners should be checked after loading the suspension.
Once open after the Labor Day weekend, a 4 wheel alignment was executed at a local shop. The tie rod marking was successful at keeping things close enough to get to the alignment without major tire scrubbing.
I had a clunky rear sway bar link after driving a couple days. All was quiet after checking all the fasteners one more time and slightly over tightening the sway links. I think I missed, or improperly torqued, the rear left upper in my second pass. Things continue to be smooth and quiet to-date.

 

[Vlad the Impaler]

Almost 3 weeks and about 1000 miles later, still feeling and sounding good.
My one-off example on Monroe/AC-Delco/MOOG, so far, is positive.

 

[bassetdad]

Hi Vlad - Just joined the forum (finally), in hopes of getting some advice on my 2007 RL. It's got ~155K miles and I feel like the ride is not as smooth as when I first got it, but it's not horrible (not bouncy, no knocking or squeaks, just rougher than I remember it, particularly around town on rough pavement - I seem to feel the little bumps more). Tires are well-maintained as is tire pressure. Given the cost of a new vehicle, I'm thinking of holding onto my RL for a while longer, so am willing to put some money into improving the ride, if possible. In the old days, you had a bad ride, you got a new set of shocks and voila, it was better - now that seems so... old-fashioned. I've had dealer mechanics tell me things about the suspension, but I'm usually so skeptical I don't believe these are concerns, which is why I've been searching these forums. Sounds like you make some extensive changes, so I wanted to know what prompted them (big problems, or just trying to improve the ride) and are you really noticing the difference? Given I don't have the mechanical skills (or tools) to do this myself, would repairs like you're suggesting be worth investing in a mechanic doing them? Again, the ride on my RL is not horrible, but I do think it could be improved. Thanks for any perspective you can share.

 

[Vlad the Impaler]

I stayed on my original equipment struts and springs for over 200,000 miles as the single owner. The struts were not leaking and they still controlled the springs for bigger bumps (no hobby horsing down the highway). My ride was becoming jittery in its regular range of motion, over the small stuff, like broken and patched pavement. I was surprised how well the original unserviceable ball joints (in the links, tie rods, and LCA) were for how old and used they were. Short story, I could have safely stayed with what I had until the ride got much worse and jeopardized the health of my tires. That said, I’m very happy with the improvement for the sub $1000 investment in parts. Having a labor bill vs. spending a weekend with adequate tools was an easy piece of my personal decision.
I can’t speak to the condition of your components, but 90% of the benefit I’m seeing could have been made with new struts and springs alone. Ride height is up for eliminating older sagged springs and it is way more composed in daily driving. if you don’t have creaks, thumps, boings, etc. your ball joints, sway bar bushings, LCA bushings, etc. are probably good enough to get you through for at least a little while. Trick is finding a trusted shop, and once deciding on the work, knowing where to stop. Example… Your sway bar links will be taken loose to change your struts. Is it worth the difference in part cost and taking one more nut loose not to change them?
Everyone has different risk/reward scales and billfold sizes.

 

[bassetdad]

Thanks for the quick and thoughtful response. Certainly a lot to consider and I totally get the "one more thing..." mentality, as that is part of what led me to the forum... Looking online and trying to figure out what might be beneficial leads to just that result... "as long as you're taking this apart, why not spend $$ and replace this other part too?" I have a pair of mechanics who have seemed fairly honest that I met through YourMechanic.com (by honest I mean they have pointed out things that could be done, but unlike the mechanics at the dealer have been less urgent about them, and willing to talk pros and cons). Now with a little better education from you, I can ask better questions about what they are really seeing and what might actually make a meaningful difference I really appreciate your advice.

thanks,
rob

 

[fmorales13]

Thanks for this great write-up. How are the Monroe Quick-struts holding up?
I'm on the fence between the Monroe Quick-strut or using KYB Excel-G struts with my springs.

 

[Vlad the Impaler]

It's been over a year now and I'm well over 225K miles; +17K after the suspension work. The Monroes continue to give me confidence and remain quiet. When I was shopping for this job there was one KYB unit (think it was left front) that was out of stock everywhere. Kind of odd (literally) that you could only find 3 of 4 replacements. I moved on with the Monroe, and don't regret it.
There is still the question longevity on the the Monroe spring, but after 208K on the OE ones, I think it was wise to go new. We'll see...

 

[eurban]

I think the question on the front aftermarket units for the GenI (issue seemed to affect both KYB and Monroe) was issues with clunking when turning. There were abundant reports of this issue and the culprit appeared to be the upper strut bearing. Its one of those things that would have been obvious from the get go. Glad to hear your Monroes are holding up.

 

[fmorales13]

It's been over a year now and I'm well over 225K miles; +17K after the suspension work. The Monroes continue to give me confidence and remain quiet. When I was shopping for this job there was one KYB unit (think it was left front) that was out of stock everywhere. Kind of odd (literally) that you could only find 3 of 4 replacements. I moved on with the Monroe, and don't regret it.
There is still the question longevity on the the Monroe spring, but after 208K on the OE ones, I think it was wise to go new. We'll see...

Thanks for the follow up. I'm having the same issue sourcing the KYB struts. This is why I'm looking at Monroe.

 

[E30TECH]

I just installed Monroe quick struts on my 2011 with 91k. New end links and tie rod ends. I took it for a test drive and had clunking and a ringing/rattle like a socket was left in the cowl on the right side.
I went over everything to make sure intorques everything properly. Since everything was tight, I suspected a bad end link even though it was new. Removed it, went for a ride. Didn’t even get out of the driveway and I still heard it.
jacked up again, reinstalled the end link and decided to take the cowl off. Monroe did not torque the retaining nut on the top of the strut fully. With the weight of the vehicle on the strut, there was more spring compression than when they torqued the assembly. I was able to spin the top washer on the strut. As it spun, it rang with a tinny sound. Torque should be 50ftlb. Retorqued, took it for a ride and it was good.
Extremely disappointed on Monroe’s quality control. Planned on doing all 4, but wasted time with the diagnosis. I wanted to post this so others knew to check that nut torque. You have to remove the cowl to really get to it.
I will be doing the rears tomorrow.

thanks to the OP for the write up 👍🏻