I hit a patch of ice and slide into the curb. I was going no more than 1-10 miles per hour when this occurred. But it did a lot of damage because the impact was on the side of the wheel rather than hitting it straight. I slowly got it back to the house and jacked it up to inspect (the right front wheel was sitting in at the bottom so I knew something was wrong but I couldn't find any snapped parts so I felt it was safe to drive). I found the rear beam to be damaged (part that the power steering rack sits inside). I also noticed the left front axle was damaged (on the opposite side of the impact). I am professionally a mechanic so I decided to fix it myself rather than sending it to a body shop. I replaced both and got the car mostly put back together. I have now noticed that the front wheels can still spin while the car is in the "park" position. This was not an issue prior to me starting the job. I have tried diagnosing it but I am quite dumbfounded at this point. Any ideas?

I can give more technical information or explanations if needed.

 

What car is it that you are talking about? Hydraulic pressure in the torque converter will turn the tires on most Honda's.

 

1996 Honda Accord 2.2

 

Dylan,

When you say 'spin', do you mean being able to turn by using the steering wheel or spinning by depressing the accelerator?

 

Another piece of information I forgot to mention was that it has an automatic transmission.

Prospector>>>>The front wheels can be manually turned/spun while the vehicle is supposed to be in park. I currently have it on 4 jack stands so it is completely off the ground. If it was on the ground while in "park", it would roll till it got to a flat area unless the ebrake was applied. That isn't normal, correct? What could be the cause? I've never had this occur by just replacing axle. I did do other work that I had mentioned previously. Let me know if I can help more.

 

If both front wheels are off the ground the front wheel will turn. Note the direction that you turn one wheel and the direction the other wheel moves. You will find your answer as to why when it is in park and on the ground the vechicle does not roll...

 

Turtlehead>>So this is normal? I thought the front wheels were suppose to lock in place when in park and the rear wheels when the ebrake was applied. With your explanation, it will not move because of one wheel will be countering the other, regardless, of what's occurring off the ground. Right? One will turn clockwise and the other will turn counter-clockwise?

 

Totally normal, the transmission is "Parked" not the differential (which is why one wheel turns one way compared to the other).

 

Thanks, guys. I was seriously concerned because I thought I messed something up.

 

Thanks, makes sense now