Suspension Questions
 

So my 2000 TL with 160,527 miles is still running beautifully but the suspension is starting to take a hit. When I go over a bump, I hear a loud clunk coming from the front and the car will shimmy or shake from left to right momentarily. I suspect it's ball joints but wanted to get other opinions. Also, in the rear the suspension has gotten bouncy and the passenger side dips lower than the drivers when hitting a bump. Suspension is stock and id like to keep it that way. Any ideas?

With that mileage suspect everything suspension wise.


Ball Joints (Knuckle)
Bushings (A-Arm, Lower Arm)
Shock Top Hat
Sway Bar Links (Known issue)
Rod Ends (Steering Linkages)
Tie Bar Bushings


Basically.... Replace everything for piece of mind.. If they got 160K miles isn't the biggest issue They have 15 Years in the car! and Bushings like to dry up.

On my '99 TL, the two bolts that attach the right front strut rod to the lower control arm became loose and made noise at 180K miles. Another time, one of the front sway bar links broke and made noise.

Could be a shock that is failing, though it's hard to say without taking a look. I definitely recommend an oem replacement shock like the KYB GR-2.


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...764f313cf3.jpg

I just did eibach sways front and rear, moog endlinks, new gr2 shocks and cusco type1 brace on car with 185k and the car feels great now. No more leaning over in the turns. I did not have a clunk so your problem could be ball joint related.

The clunk could be something as benign as sway bar links and/or bushings. When you add shimmy/shake to the equation, it gets more serious. Have a professional check it out. You could have a ball joint or tie rod end that is dangerous. +2 on excelerates recommendation. If you need struts, kyb are a very good option, especially if you want to stay close to stock ride and performance.

so instead of actually inspecting the suspension and figuring out what is actually bad, lets just through the kitchen sink at it and replace everything. foolish very foolish and a huge waist of money.

I'm in the middle of replacing both my front and rear '99 TL suspension components. Given the amount of effort required to disassemble dozens of bolts and remove related components, it makes sense to only do the job once and replace old deteriorated components wholesale.
The TL front suspension is not so difficult to service. In particular, the front upper control arms are easy to replace once the front shocks are removed. Replacement upper control arms include upper ball joints. Lower ball joints mount in the steering knuckles and are key wear points that carry much of the static and dynamic loads imposed by rough roads. They are tougher to replace unless you remove the steering knuckles. I opted to replace the steering knuckles, brake splash shields, wheel bearings, and hubs. The new OEM knuckles had new ball joints installed.
I encountered some suspension fastener rust issues on my 200K-miles '99 TL. The shock fork bolt was rusted solid in the lower control arm bushing on one side. I used my venerable circa 1978 Milwaukee Sawzall with a metal-cutting blade to cut the bolt on both sides of the lower control arm bushing. The aftermarket sway bar links came apart easily because they had wrench flats on the side opposite the retaining nuts. Despite enduring 15 Chicago area winters, most of the control arm bolts were good enough to re-use.

Your post I quoted above was a little confusing. I'm guessing you meant to use the words THROW and WASTE instead of THROUGH and WAIST.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...ff8dc887be.jpg




Cutting rusted rear control arm bolt. I removed rear subframe and attached suspension components in order to replace leaking fuel tank. I decided to replace shocks with KYB adjustables, install Eibach Springs all around, and install used Type S sway bars front and rear. I added camber control upper control rods and replaced all rear suspension links.<br/>


https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...3c411faf4b.jpg


Removing rear subframe


https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...8dadde5f06.jpg


Torquing front upper control arm bolts

if your going to do suspension work you better infest in a air hammer and a set of punches for it. Otherwise it is going to be a slow process.

Good idea. I used my Sioux air hammer tool to chisel off a couple of inaccessible backing plate bolts. I tried loosening them with the air chisel after a hammer/chisel failed too budge them. it also made short work of cracking a rear wheel bearing inner race that was rusted and stuck to the rear spindle.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...3a66d0e050.jpg


Removing rear wheel bearing inner race with air chisel.


https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...48f43aa206.jpg


New adjustable rear suspension arms

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...1225fed1ff.jpg




Rear suspension knuckle after media blasting. It was masked, powder - coated, and baked at 400F. Today, it will have new bushings pressed in. (Photo courtesy of Contagious Customs, Crystal Lake, IL.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...e2186f0d85.jpg


Rear suspension knuckles after powder coating. New bushings were pressed into both knuckles.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...546ce0363b.jpg


Mounting suspension knuckles on rear subframe. Adjustable control arms were preset to stock length before installation. Lower rear control arm must be connected first.

Dang thats some quality work!

Looks amazing!

Thanks. I tried to prevent further corrosion. I had to replace a lot of corroded brake and fuel lines. I used copper/nickel alloy tubing that is more corrosion-resistant. It was quite a project to bend and flare the tubing.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...fdd40da692.jpg


Reinstalling rear subframe with new suspension and brakes.


https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...0dbe62f8ae.jpg

Great work.

The trailing and leading arm, the fork side bushing, do you have any info on those bushings? Looking to replace mine

Did you go with mood with the new arms?

Hey guys. Im new to this btw. But I own a 2002 acura tl. My buddy gave me coilover sleeves (Adjustable lowering springs) for free unused for a 99 honda accord. We all know the accords springs fit a tl. But im worried. I noticed how in the front the oem springs Are wide at the top and get skinnier and skinnier as it goes down. The coilover sleeves Arent like that theyre just all the same diameter. PLEASE HELP. ��