broke Suspension? =\

[kellogg_racing_]

Alrighty guys, bad news...sat night I was driving in the rain and must have hit an oil spot or hydroplaned but I lost my steering and hit a curb. Problem is is that it was right at a storm drain so it was a huge impact. Of course my tire is GONE and wheel is scratched and bent up. When i put the spare on, to go straight I had to keep the wheel turned abnormally to the left to drive straight (almost like the alignment was seriously messed up). Also, if I got above ~20/25 mph, there was a noticeable vibration and audible clicking sound. When I got the my parking spot (it was illegally parked on campus so I had to move it about 1.5 miles) it was in a parking garage and noticed the spare left tire marks all the way up the concrete. It is the driver front wheel/suspension area. When I looked at it, it most closely resembles having extremely negative camber (bottom of wheel turned inwards towards the motor)

Like this:

| + /

with the slash being the messed up tire that hit the curb, the + being the motor, and | obviously being the normal wheel that was unaffected. it's also a front view obviously. Anyways, I'm thinking its the control arms that are messed up. Would that extreme negative camber resulting from a control arm result in that vibration and clicking sound? Please help me. My wheel and tire does not get in until friday or saturday and I want to have an educated idea about what else might be wrong before I go to the mechanic's (sears automotive) and they triy to rob me by simply saying "Oh, you're suspension is messed up we'll have to replace everything." Anyways, please help guys! Let me know if you all need any more information.

Oh! It was in a parking lot and I was only going about 15 mph (which is still why im clueless as to HOW the hell I lost steering/slipped )

Thanks so much in advance!

[psawall]

Yeah, it's probably your lower control arm that is messing up your camber. This clicking is probably from either the inner or outer drive shaft which likely got jacked up. Grab ahold of it and try shaking it around.

You should take the tire off and post some pics, or you can do some of your own diagnosing by looking at the other side and see what looks different.

[kellogg_racing_]

Yea, any other ideas?? Its not that I don't trust you, its just a lot more satisfying if I get multiple recommendations for the same diagnosis from a lot of members. The bad thing is that the control arm's aren't that expensive, but I was looking at the procedure for replacing them and it looks pretty involved with a bunch of special tools required so I know if I wasn't up to the repair the dealer or mechanic would charge out the ass....

[Tippey764]

The clicking sound might be the axle

Can you take the wheel off and snap a picture for us?

[kellogg_racing_]

Yup! I'll do that tonight. Pics should be up as soon as I get back from racing (not my car duh)

[ShayneRizzle]

an freind and i fixed the same problem on his friends car when she slid into a curb going about 25-30 mph in her da integra. DAs (90-93) integras are built almost exactly like our cars. i relize she was going a little faster then you but in her case it messed up a whole lot of stuff. the tire was pushed back to about an inch and a half from the back of the wheel well closest to the door.
she ended up bending the lower control are and even bent the subframe a little. the subframe is a big support beem that bolts to the underside of the car kinda in the middle it holds the two sides of the car together but also conects the rear engine mount anf the front lower control arms. even just a slight bend where the lower control are mounts to the subframe will really mess up your alighnment

and the picture made shows positive camber not negative just so you know

if you have a good knowlage of cars i would suggest getting all the parts you need from a junk yard and replacing them yourself because a shop will probably rape all the money out of your bank account to do it

[evil_demon_01]

Please watch your thread titles, and is there no reason to make 2 threads.
Most people use the new posts feature so they will see your thread anyway.

[kellogg_racing_]

Well I think it was a lot due to the fact that the spare was on the front (apparently you're not supposed to ride on a donut on the front) So soon I'll swap a rear tire with the spare and see if that wasn't part of the vibration, ect.

And evil, yea I was really hesitant about doing that but i know better now...

[Cblove]

It's hopefully your lower control arm, just like psawall said. A bent tie or steering rod would not cause the extreme positive camber like that. I've seen it happen many times. And more then likely, those are both bent also considering the impact. And the cv joint clicking would also be understandable considering the impact.

The worst case scenario, where your brackets meet the lower A-arm is destroyed/ warped. But I highly dought that.

And yes any of that will cause a very bad vibration and or cv joint clicking.

Hopefully you got lucky.... you'll find out though. best of luck man.

There is another opinion. lol

[No Name13]

same thing happened to me. i was speeding on an on ramp that curved and i hydroplained into the curb at the entrance... but i was going 40. i managed to drive away and my alingment didnt really get messed up... its untill i decided to use the Energy Master bushing kit that my alingment was horable and my axle started to click. and i still dont know what it is. many say its my cv joint or something like that

[kellogg_racing_]

Alright thanks guys! I just got a call today about the tire and wheel being ready. I'll proly have it on by tonight and updates to come. Hopefully just the fact that the donut was on the front with all that extra weight just was messing with me. If problems still persist, I'll just take it to Big Ten Tires or someplace and have them align it for me, and if anything else is messed up they'll let me know.

[rob_is_legend]

Dang Keith. Best of luck to you! Hope you don't got hitting sh!t again!


You back in auburn yet? Im going to the meet next tuesday.

[kellogg_racing_]

SO my lugs don't fit...oh well excuse to get buddy club lugs!! And yes Rob I surely am This past tuesday's meet was insanely larger than normal, hopefully it repeats itself for next week! Anyways guys, the reason the lugs don't fit is because for the replacement tire/wheel combo the wheel isn't OEM it's just what sears had in stock...but like I said good stuff to come! (Including hopefully lower!!)

[kellogg_racing_]

Wheel on. (Buddy Club lugs still didn't fit but thats another story). Well I go to drive a lap around the parking deck, and I don't even make it 100 yeards before I notice a clicking-like vibration, my steering angle WAY off, and crazy camber. So I don't know if it's the rack and pinion, the tie-rods, or the control arms =\ The steering effort is not more or less, and still smooth: the only thing wrong with steering is wanting to veer right and of course steering angle being off. It's for these reasons I'm now leaning towards the tie rods...but i guess it could be the rack and pinion. Please help with suggestions or ask questions to get more details! Also, no visual difference from driver to passenger side, so not really a need for a picture.

again wheel looks like this:

| [car] /

^^Negative camber right??

[ExplodingCake]

Positive Camber.