question about the "damping mount" rubber on 97 Accord

I have a 97 accord with about 140K miles.
I noticed under the hood the deterioration of rubber o-rings
on the damping mount of the suspension.

check out the pics
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/techma...37.jpg&.src=ph
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/techma...bc.jpg&.src=ph

The drivers side looks fine, but it hard as a rock
The passangers side is peeling and fraying, yet quite soft.
I plan on replacing both, just to be safe.
I also plan to do this on my own rather than spend $45 at the honda
dealer for an hour of labor.
The only thing I worry about is that when I undo the nut, that a bunch
of suspension parts are going to just fall out underneath. From the
service manual I have, it doesnt appear that this would happen. Perhaps
someone out there has a better idea.

Also:
Could the deterioration of these rubber rings on dampening mount cause
suspension noises and degrading ride quality?
I have been getting suspension noise every time I go over a speed bump.

Thanks

wrote:
> I have a 97 accord with about 140K miles.
> I noticed under the hood the deterioration of rubber o-rings
> on the damping mount of the suspension.
>
> check out the pics
> http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/techma...37.jpg&.src=ph
> http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/techma...bc.jpg&.src=ph
>
> The drivers side looks fine, but it hard as a rock
> The passangers side is peeling and fraying, yet quite soft.
> I plan on replacing both, just to be safe.
> I also plan to do this on my own rather than spend $45 at the honda
> dealer for an hour of labor.
> The only thing I worry about is that when I undo the nut, that a bunch
> of suspension parts are going to just fall out underneath. From the
> service manual I have, it doesnt appear that this would happen. Perhaps
> someone out there has a better idea.
>
> Also:
> Could the deterioration of these rubber rings on dampening mount cause
> suspension noises and degrading ride quality?
> I have been getting suspension noise every time I go over a speed bump.
>
> Thanks
>
first, those look like aftermarket shocks, not oem, so it's likely that
bushing was damaged when they were changed or even the wrong ones put
back on. i've never seen a shock bushing damaged like that unless the
shock's siezed. thinking about it, it could also be something to do
with the compression washer underneath. a lot of aftermarket shocks do
not use washers that are strong enough & i would be worried that these
weak version would fatigue & break - potentially causing excess travel &
those symptoms.

as sean says, do _not_ remove that nut unless you have the tools to sort
out any problems. much better you take the shock/coil assembly off and
use a proper spring compressor. beware that honda springs are tight
coils & not all standard compressors fit. i mean it.

yes, deterioration could lead to noise - probably as a symptom of
another defect. make sure you inspect all the other suspension
components carefully while you have the shock/coil assembly out. the
job is quite easy if you have the correct compressor. if you don't, you
could loose an eye &/or about 10lbs in sweat. neither justify not
getting the right tool.