95 Accord Shock Assembly

snipped-for-privacy@nowhere.com wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

1) That ain't a "strut", despite what Monroe might want to call it.

2) That's the wrong part.

first things first - how many times have you seen monroe shocks recommended as being good on any honda news groups? and what is the problem you're experiencing that makes you want to replace them? [this is not a detroit vehicle where shocks need to be changed as a matter of routine every few years.] if you do have to repair though, and you're shopping on [initial] price [the only reason i can think of to go with monroe], go with kyb gr2's instead.

as to the fit, not only do they appear to be longer, but the springs appear different too. the wire appears slightly slimmer, and the coil is longer - as it will need to be if the wire is thinner in order to to maintain ride height. this will give a softer ride, but it will also wallow on corners more, [which may not be safe] and worse, it will bottom out easier. if this were my car, i'd not fit these shocks. i'd use honda replacements or use kyb's. you will need a spring compressor to disassemble the shock/coil assembly.

they'll fit - they're longer to accommodate more sag from the softer springs. the brake hose fitment is cheap and nasty though - may accelerate hose cracking as they won't be positioned exactly right.

one more thing - NEVER lay assembled shock/spring assemblies on the ground like that. the springs can get scratched, and when that happens, they start to fatigue and will break. [then you'll know what "bottoming out" really means.] always lay them on something soft like cardboard or cloth or grass.

The front left shock is bent since the car was involved in an accident a few years back. It was the dealers screw up for not identifying it in the repair of the car at the time. The camber is out of spec on that side because of it.

I wanted to get all in one replacements because I'm terrified about the spring and releasing it with some very thin clamps on the Craftsman line. I thought since the car is 13 years old the springs are probably shot and the shocks have already leaked why not replace both.

I called Monroe to verify the part that I got was what they had in their system and they confirmed it. After explaining to them about the problem I was facing, the only suggestion he had was that I use a pry bar...yeah I'm sure going to do that on my LCA. They'll be going back tomorrow.

If you have any suggestions about some good spring compressors I'll be willing to give it a shot. I think I can also get the entire assembly from Honda at around $200 for each side.

it may be bent, but that doesn't affect camber - the upper and lower wishbone members define that. a bent shock simply has a problem with compression and extension. if you want to fix a camber problem, you need to get the vehicle's frame straightened [most likely] or bent wishbone components replaced.

"probably" is detroit thinking, not tokyo. be careful with that!

if they've leaked oil, you'll see it. and that shock you show is not such a case. if they've leaked their compression gas, that's possible, but you'll find that out by testing per the honda manual and by driving.

good.

technically, they are correct - and those shocks will fit. but they're designed to be softer, and to compensate, they /have/ to be initially longer because of more sag.

honda don't sell this stuff pre-assembled afaik. you need the services of a spring compressor.

i made one:

the parts were maybe $20, and i used a welder.

the real deal is:

absent the compressor, your next cheapest solution is to take the parts to a shop that has one, pay the dude in beer, and have him do the swap for you. only takes a few minutes with the right tool so it won't cost you much.

The must have some incompetent techs working at my local Honda dealer if that's the case. This is what they put down when I took the car in for the alignment. Keep in mind that this dealer was the old one I took my other 99 Accord to before the recent change to another dealer.

"Perform 4 Wheel Alignment - L/F Camber is out of spec. L/F Strut appears bent - Declined by Customer."

The shock did have some residue which didn't show in the picture but it is there. Not a lot but it may have evaporated from when it occurred.

The left front side was involved in an accident about 4 years ago and they did have to bend the frame, it showed up as a "Unibody Realignment L" on the final bill. I'm going to try to see if I can get them to take a look at it again. Would it be covered by their lifetime guarantee on accident repair work, or that a bunch of BS?

doesn't appear bent in the pic you posted.

oil doesn't evaporate, or at least, not that quick.

check the fine print on the back.

real question is whether the problem is serious enough to be worth bothering with. do you have any noticeable tire wear or handling problems? it's extremely rare for a vehicle to make it through its life with perfect alignment and there's a lot you haven't revealed.

Sorry that was a picture of the passenger's side which isn't bent. I started working on that side first when I ran into the problem of trying to get the assembly in.