My 89 Accord exi had 269,000 KM (167K miles) and still has the original MacPherson struts on the front. I replaced the rear suspension in '09 when it started to drag. The rear probably has closer to 400,000 KM after being towed on a dolly behind our motorhome for 13 years.

My question is: How can I tell if the front MacPherson struts need replacement. Or should I just assume that after 24 years and 269,000 KM, they should be replaced.

I am not noticing any problems in particular. It probably does not handle potholes as well as when it was new but the change, if any, has been slow.

Thanks for any advice.

 

Are they leaking oil? Does the car rock our bounce? If not, leave them alone.

 

Neither of the above so.. OK, I will leave them alone. We drive a lot in Mexico where there are thousands of "topes" or speed bumps and I have hit a few poorly signed ones at a higher speed that is wise, sometimes with the brakes locked up.

Love my Honda!

 

If you bounce the bumper from right in the center, watch for the front to twist as it bounces. Shocks rarely go bad perfectly evenly from side-to-side, so if the car does any twisting after a perfectly centered bounce, that's a sign you need new shocks.

 

I just tried that Jim and there is no twist or over bouncing. It felt OK.

When I had the rear suspension replaced in Mexico the mechanic had to cut down (shorten) springs from a different car. They were a little heavier than the original and as a consequence the rear ended up sitting a little higher (maybe an inch and a half) than normal. The car now rides in a slightly nose down manner. This lead me to think I should do something with the front end.

 

Why don't you get the proper springs for the rear?

 

What I got gives it a bit of height for towing in on the dolly in Mexico where there are thousands of topes (speed bumps). With the old springs I used to bottom out or hit the exhaust pipe on many of them. Also, I kind of like the stiffer ride.

It was done this way because the Mexican shop I was in had no access to the correct parts. He got the measurement of the springs off the Internet and cut down a pair he was able to find that were made of heavier steel.

The car was in there because I towed it all day with the hand brake on and completely toasted the rear brakes They repaired/replaced the rear brakes and I asked them to do the suspension at the same time. The job took almost 12 hours, sometimes with three guys working on it and the total cost was the equivalent of $425 US. Complete rear brakes, springs and shocks!

 

Well, I guess you could do about the same thing to the front. I don't know what the spring-rates should be, only that the heavier front end will need stiffer springs than the rear.

 

I may have exaggerated about the rear end being an inch and a half higher. It is hard to tell because the rear suspension was very soft and sagging quite a bit when I got it fixed. It is definitely an inch or more higher than it was but I do not know what the tire to wheel well clearance should be so I don't know how much higher than "normal" I am. It is definitely a bit lower at the front but how much of that is due to a weak front suspension, I don't know. If I am going to replace it I should do it down here in Mexico where Honda dealer shop rates are the equivalent of $30 USA an hour. It is also time to replace the timing belt as well.

 

Park on a flat spot. Measure from the ground up to the rocker panels, front & rear. That's probably the best judgement for front/rear height, better than the fender gaps.