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Driveshafts or something else?

Ilmas

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Honda Accord
Hello everyone.
I own a 2.4 saloon manual.
I've been feeling alot of vibration from the floor and steering wheel at high speeds on motorway.

Not steering wheel shake like a wheel balancing issue.

Steering wheel vibration is similar to how a mobile phone vibrates.

No noises.

Slightly bouncy ride

Car was previously SORN for 5 years then MOT'd last year, passed with only brakes as advisory.
Then I purchased this car

Could this be driveshafts wearing out? Or wheel bearings?

Tyres are nearly new. No buckled alloys either.
 
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It'll be the shafts. It's well documented on here that a harmonic dampener on the shaft get moisture build up under it, corroding and eventually snapping the drive shaft. The biggest telltale sign is a wobbling steering wheel. Best to just get both front drive shafts replaced.
 
I don't really have a wobbly steering wheel, its more of vibration like a mobile phone vibrating.

And its only at speeds of over 50mph , vibration becomes quite a lot on really rough roads.
Then lessens on smooth surface.

Forgot to mention, when I'm in a lower gear and higher up in the revs the gearknob starts vibrating too, alot more than normal at lower revs
 
Yep... The still sounds shaft related. Have a thorough study of the shafts, especially around the harmonic balancer. Look for signs of corrosion. When mine failed, it failed there and clean snapped itself in two. With the harmonic balancer removed, it was clear corrosion and rust had reduced the shaft to about half its original thickness, but was concealed from view by the balancer.

Failing that, get under the car and give them a good wobble. There should be next to no play in them. If there's movement, the actual CV joint is worn out. Either way, the shafts will need replacing. I originally went with blueprint as I was strapped for cash, but they only lasted 18 months, as the CV joint wore out. Eventually replaced with uprated after market shafts designed for up to 400HP. The difference in ride quality was night and day. However, mine was lowered, which was probably why the blueprints failed so quickly, as there was extra strain on the CV joint. If yours is stock height, you might be OK to save some money and go with blueprint parts. I think OEM were about 500-600 for a pair when mine were replaced.
 
Thanks for detailed reply.

I will check driveshafts as soon as I have time.

I'm planning to keep the car for a good few years and do some mods so don't mind paying extra for uprated shafts
Where did you buy these from? Insane shafts?

You said difference was night and day when you changed to 400hp shafts, in wich way did it improve? Like better handling?

Car is not lowered, just standard.
 
Insane shafts, yeah. Just solid feeling. Like compared to the tired shafts that were on the car, these felt tight, you know. No play in the cv joint, better quality bearing in the CV joint and so on. The most noticeable thing was smoothness when you start moving from stationary and the car feeling more planted at speeds (mainly because the vibrations had gone).
 
Ok thanks.

I've got my MOT in about 2 weeks so I might not be able to get Insane shafts delivered on time.

Looks like I'll have to wait and see what happens at the MOT
 
I've been reading the forums and driveshafts seem to be a common issue on the 2.4s not sure why.

My previous 2.0 had 147,000 miles on it and didn't have any driveshaft issues and I was hammering nearly all the time.

Let us know what happens after MOT
 
Got car MOT'd, failed on 3 anti roll bar bushings. No advisories and everything else was perfect. No play or damage to the driveshafts.
Mechanic said it could potentially be a gearbox issue not 100% sure
though. To me, gearbox seems fine, goes into gear no problem, no clunking or noises, feels very smooth.

There is one thing though which happens on the odd occasion is that when I move off in 1st gear, I can hear a slight whining sound. I was told that could be a clutch issue.

Not sure what else to do, car is feeling more solid now though after replacing anti roll bar bushings. Doesn't vibrate too much now.
 
I'm just a guy on the Internet. I haven't seen your car, but based on personal experience & reading many other stories of the same thing, I believe it's the drive shaft... The gear box is fine, these boxes are solid. The noise is your clutch release bearing being a little dry, that's all. Big job, not crucial, replace when you replace your clutch.

The drive shaft has a harmonic dampener on it. Beneath the dampener is corrosion, which causes warping and eventual failure of the shaft. It doesn't even need to be visible to the naked eye. The tiniest warp, amplified through gearbox and steering column into noticeable vibrations, more so at specific speeds that align with the harmonic resonance of the shaft.
 
Thanks for detailed response, I had a feeling it was a clutch bearing but like you said I'll just replace the whole clutch whenever it starts slipping.
I do want to keep the car for another few years because its in very good condition and mileage is very low. So yeah I will buy the insane shafts next. Thanks for the help.
 
Another vote from the voice of experience for driveshafts. The inner CV's are made of chocolate.
 
I've had the same issue on my 2.2. The steering wheel was vibrating at high speed, thought it was the tyre. The driveshaft snapped whilst being tested by the garage.

Also had to change discs, pads, caliper, all knackered. The car was veering to the right on hard braking.
 
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