Vertical movement in driveshafts

I've been trying to find a knocking noise for a good year now which I get on bumpy roads only. An upper wishbone was replaced a year a go but there is still a knocking. I think we finally tracked it down to a front ARB bush so both of those will be replaced.

While the car was on the ramps at the garage they noticed the driveshafts could be moved up and down quite a bit. It's normal to have a small amount of lateral movement and the guy looking said he has seen driveshafts causing a knocking noise before but we'll change the bushes first to see if it's that.

I've read about the driveshaft issues on here before especially with them snapping but I think it is mainly on the diesels. Does this movement sound normal, anyone else get it or will they need replacing in the future? I have no vibrating at all and don't get any knocking when accelerating.

I'm getting fed up with spending out on this car now. It's creeping up to about £2k in the last year! I won't get that money back selling it so want to make it last as long as possible.

Firstly the knocking... these cars are big, heavy and they eat anti roll bar bushes and drop links for breakfast. ARB bushes and drop links are the first point of call for knocking over bumps.

Secondly, the drive shafts... these cars shouldn't have movement in the shafts, not more than the tiny nudge/wiggle anyway. If you've got play in the drive shafts, you need to replace them. They'll start giving vibrations through the wheel at certain speeds. There's not a lot else you can do but replace them. The 2.4 petrol is becoming notorious for eating drive shafts as they get older. As a result of this, replacing with second hand shafts from a breakers is likely to end in you having to replace them too.

You can get blueprint shafts for about £100 a side, but there's a lot of chatter online as to whether that's a false economy as there's a reasonably high amount of people who report needing to replace broken/warped blueprints after a while.

Both of these options are dependent on how long you want to have the car. If you only drive gently and only plan on having the car for another year or so, you can probably take the gamble on cheap blueprints or second hand shafts.

If you plan to keep the car on the road for longer, I'd recommend looking into Insane Shafts. They do a set for the 2.4 that are uprated to withstand up to 500BHP. I.e. they're very strong, stronger than OEM. OEM shafts cost an absolute fortune - £600-700. Insane shafts are about £500 for a set. You can get them from here: https://h-tune.co.uk/insane-shafts-performance-driveshafts-axles-replacement-individual-pairs-honda-nissan-subaru/.

I snapped a shaft a couple years back. Was skint so replaced with a blueprint that lasted about 18 months before serious wobbles and vibrations set in. I'm now running insane shafts and they feel perfect. That said, my car's lowered which adds additional strain to the setup, but I've got plenty of first hand experience with shafts on the 2.4

Just out of interest, is it only the boy racers that eat driveshafts?
I'm on my 4th petrol accord and the last 3 all did close to 200,000 miles and never needed a driveshaft..!

What are the front compliance bushes like? If they are very soft they can allow the control arm to hit the subframe mount.
Get a prybar and see how much flex is in the bushing, I just replaced mine and its made a huge difference in handling and general road feel.

Bongobiker said:

Just out of interest, is it only the boy racers that eat driveshafts?
I'm on my 4th petrol accord and the last 3 all did close to 200,000 miles and never needed a driveshaft..!

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Of course if you lower the car and/or increase engine output it will contribute to premature fatigue, but if you search the forum you'll find plenty of members with non-modified cars who've suffered drive shaft problems. Search for Acura TSX drive shafts on google and you'll find lots of people with this car state side have issues also. It's very a common problem.

Were your petrols 2.0 or 2.4s? The 2.0 seems to fair much better on the drive shafts.

Thanks for the replies, they've been very helpful.

The knocking has been going on for a long time and I've checked everything myself plus 2 reputable garages. I had replaced the rear ARB bushes and all 4 drop links a couple of years a go, they are all still fine. I left the front as there was no movement in the bar then plus they look a pain to replace with no access to the rear bolt unless you drop the subframe. I am ***uming they are still the original bushes so are due to be replaced.

I have spent a lot on the car in the last year as I'm planning on keeping it for another 5 years (I've had it 4 years) so have paid out for mostly genuine parts. One compliance bush was replaced last year with a genuine one, the other side was done about 5 years a go and is still fine. After the upper wishbone was replaced last year both garages came to the conclusion that the knocking left was down to the shocks (there was no play in the ARB at this time) so I got both front ones replaced. They certainly firmed the ride up but the knocking was still there.

I was hoping what I spent last year would be it for a while so I'm reluctant to spend out on driveshafts for now, especially when the car isn't worth much. The Insane shafts do look good so if the knocking continues and I do end up with vibrations I'll consider getting those. Did you replace the half shaft Steve?

Have you checked the top mounts? these can knock if worn.

Thread revival..

Does anyone know what the differences are between the diesel and petrol driveshafts? Has anyone done a side by side comparison, or tried to fit incorrect shafts?

Bounder said:

Have you checked the top mounts? these can knock if worn.

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Sorry I didn't reply to this. I am ***uming they would've been checked when the new shocks were fitted. They would've told me if they needed replacing.

I've barely used the car since as we've ended up with another one in the family and have been using that. I think I'll be selling the Accord soon, reluctantly.