By Glen (203.25.25.109) on Friday, August 31, 2001 - 03:45 am:

My 77 civic has a vibration when turning right. It is more noticable in 1st and 2nd gear when accelerating out of an intersection. I don't know if it is a balljoint, drive shaft, maybe even the hub bearings. If someone has any idea what it is or could be, it would be much appreciated.

By HondaKid (208.160.214.70) on Friday, August 31, 2001 - 07:31 am:

Do you feel the vibration in the steering wheel.
It could be in the steering system.
Also the Hub bearings need to be checked, torque nut to see if loose.
I had problems with my steering rod ends. replaced and had wheels balanced and ok now.

By kelly (205.188.192.176) on Friday, August 31, 2001 - 08:48 am:

im no expert but here i go
put the frontend on jackstands and grab a hold of the suspected parts and visually inspect them (any leaks, scrapes, bends?) and then procede to shake them, i mean back and forth, side to side, up and down, etc. to check for excessive play, grab the tire and do the same.
i hope this may help pinpoint the problem
kelly

By glen (203.25.25.167) on Saturday, September 01, 2001 - 12:44 am:

Thanks. I'll have a look when it stops raining. Any one else know what it may be?

By Todd (63.50.56.4) on Saturday, September 01, 2001 - 03:59 pm:

Is it a slight vibration, or a loud popping when it vibrates?

By civic1200freak (65.33.58.111) on Sunday, September 02, 2001 - 12:47 pm:

I've seen that on the newer {not over 20 years old} hondas. What it ends up being is a worn inner c.v. joint. It is usually from the boot being torn open and all the grease has escaped.Try finding a LARGE parking lot for this experiment to confirm my suspicion. Find the gear that most duplicates the condition, and the amount of steering turns on the steering wheel. When you find the spot that most duplicates the noise, and the speed, try everything now in reverse. try to guess your speed as best as possible. If this works....BINGO... You've got bad inner joints. Then your options are different axles, or swap inners to opposite sides. I had to do this as at the time, money was real tight. Also the vibration shows up because only one side inside the joint wears due to specific rotational loads put upon it. Hence going in reverse it dissapears. I hope my explanation isn't to long, just trying to explain it in a way it's understandable. Rick

By Glen (203.25.25.188) on Tuesday, September 04, 2001 - 03:26 am:

The vibration comes through the car, with only a bit coming through the steering wheel. I found the RH ball joint was worn so I changed the swing arm today. It has helped a bit, but not much. It is really obvious when doing a U-turn, if I floor it, when I start to straighten up. I will try the reversing test when I get a chance. Also picked up a 5 speed from a 81 civic yesterday. When I install that, I'll change the RH drive shaft and see how that goes. Are the ball joints replacable, or do you have to change the whole swingarm?

By Travis (24.4.254.156) on Tuesday, September 04, 2001 - 02:37 pm:

Still have your weights on your rims? These being such little cars, just a little wheele vibration, via a missing counter weight could possibly be a problem. Just a thought.

By glen (203.25.25.89) on Saturday, September 15, 2001 - 02:14 am:

My front wheels did need balancing. Vibration is still there when accelerating hard and out of corners. I will try a different bottom engine mount when I change my sump gasket in the next couple of weeks. Changing the RH drive shaft didn't help either, so I hope the mount will help.

By ddechon (12.78.178.38) on Saturday, September 15, 2001 - 05:14 pm:

I have a suggestion similar to Kelly's. If you put the car on jack-stands you might be able to hear or feel something if you get wheels moving while the front wheels are in the air. Take it up to different speeds while turning the wheel. Or have a friend do it while you watch the moving parts.

Darrell

By go4mo (24.69.255.205) on Sunday, September 16, 2001 - 12:29 am:

try tightening the body bolts underneath ..
helped my mysterious clunking ..
mo