new rear strut assemblies
 

Recently I changed out the old struts/springs on the front end of my 92 Accord. Both coil of the front springs were broken on this vehicle with 215,000 miles on it. I got those Monroe "Quick Strut" assemblies. Am considering doing the same for the rear. I don't think the rears are broken or anything, but just old. Do the rear struts/springs wear and need to be replaced similar to the front, or do they generally last longer and don't exhibit wear problems more or less evenly as compared with the front? Is it not a good idea to just replace the front and leave the rears alone if they "seem" okay? Any comments appreciated.

I'm still on OEM struts on my 94EX at 240+K miles and IMO they are still working fine. Judging strut performance is akin to water witching, as you will get plenty of opinion, but not much fact.

good luck

Okay well in my opinion my rear struts are still working fine. But still, that's just opinion, not fact. I guess to me it just seems kind of incomplete to just replace the two front struts on the car and not the rears too. Unless that's typically done and isn't all that unusual to do.

You've got the new fronts to compare the rear to.

Just do the generally-accepted test of pushing down hard on the rear corner and see if there is only one rebound.

If the rears behave as the fronts do, lucky you!

That test sounds way too easy. There must be a much more complicated and involved and confusing method/process I need to undertake.

Also, is it not typical to find that the rear control arms need replacing along with the rear struts?

And some big, many-syllable words thrown in the test procedure too. Make it sound real official-like.

And of course some expensive, hard-to-get, "special", tools required.

Well, when you push down on the bumper, you're applying a forcing-function. By watching how it bounces, you're evaluating the system's response to that forcing function. Big enough words?

Special tools? How about trying your best to apply the forcing-function in a way that's centered on the bumper. That means your eyes & your brain; both pretty amazing special equipment. ;)

Overdamped = takes too long to return to it's final position after you let go.
Underdamped = it bounces up & down before settling.
Critically damped = quickly returns to it's final position without bouncing.
You want it critically damped or just a tiny bit underdamped. It's pretty common for the car to rise after you let go, overshoot a tiny bit, then settle without repeatedly bouncing.

You want to see whether the response is symmetric side-to-side. If it isn't, the car will have a bit of sideways action while it bounces. That would tell you whether your rear shocks are matched. Usually they get soft so gradually that it's hard to notice. But if one side gets progressively softer than the other, it starts bouncing sideways a bit.

I knew it! Big words involved, special tools, and a much more complicated and involved and confusing method/process I need to undertake! :eek:

Seriously though, thanks JimBlake for the helpful explanation of how I should be able to do a fairly reliable evaluation. Will do!

Having changed them myself on a 94, a 95 and 97 I can tell you this from experience. First, the old step on the bumper test doesn't work very well on these newer, lighter cars with short strut travel. That is really old school on big Chevy's etc. You will get a ride height change back to normal, especially on the rear with the quick struts. 1 to 2 inches. Springs do wear out over time, and break as you found out. If you go with the quick struts, you still will not be able to tell if old cartridges are worn out, because you cannot compress them by hand while they are mounted inside the coil spring. When I did my first one, I compressed the old spring and removed the cartridge just to see. I could easily compress it with my hands ( well not so easily, but easy enough to know they were well worn out) No special tools needed. A long pry bar will be helpful as well as a floor jack.

Thanks wunderbra for those helpful comments. I'm curious now about my ride height in the rear. I should look in manual and see if I can find out what it is, and maybe go park somewhere good and flat and level and try to check it, see how far from "normal" it might be.
EDIT: (because I don't have a garage or flat concrete driveway, just a gravel driveway that's uneven).

The rear end on my wagon seems to be a bit bouncy lately, especially loaded on the highway. I just did the bounce test and it failed:

• pushed down & let go
• up
• down
• up
• stopped

One to many ups in there. Ride height's uniform so the springs are probably OK. Rock Auto has Gabriels on closeout for $21 each.

Oh, a wagon. I have two of them and if they are bouncing like you say, they are waaaay past where they should be. Even though the wagons are heavier in the back, and are built to carry cargo, they unfortunately use the same spring and cartridge as the sedan. Ride height uniform? What does that mean? How many miles on the springs/shocks? When you get them changed, let us know how those cartridges were.

~250K miles on the original struts. Wagon spring rates are higher according to the folks over at the Accord Wagon Club. OEM part numbers show a difference ('96 LX):

• Wagon: SPRING, REAR (NHK SPRING) 52441-SV5-A12
• Sedan: SPRING, REAR (NHK SPRING) 52441-SV1-A03

Aftermarket strut/spring assemblies, though, don't show a difference...one size fits all. That's why I'll just replace the struts and keep the old springs.

Uniform ride height: Car parked on a level surface, it doesn't look like the front or rear is sagging which probably means that the springs are OK. New dampers should take care of the bouncy ride.

Oh you are right. I should have specified that aftermarket, like Monroes, are the same for sedan and wagon.. which is what I used last time. The quick struts. I could never get an answer whether the springs were built to wagon or sedan specs, although they have worked just fine on my wagon with cargo.