WARNING: Be very careful when working on the front suspension. Spring coils and other suspension components are under extreme mechanical stress and can cause serious injury if released incorrectly. Never loosen the nut on top of the damping piston without using a special spring puller.
The 1984-85 Accord uses MacPherson strut front suspension. In this type of front suspension, the struts mounted on each side are a combination of a spring and a shock absorber, the outer casing of which actually supports the lower base of the spring. This arrangement saves space, weight and allows the spring and damper to work on the same compression axis.
The wheel hub is attached to the base of the rack. A support bearing at the top and a ball joint at the base of the strut allow the entire strut to rotate when cornering. The strut assembly, swing arm and steering knuckle are all combined in one unit that does not have an upper suspension arm. Rubber bushing cross connection (lever arm) connects the bottom of the strut to the cross member via a ball joint, allowing the suspension to move vertically. All Accords have a front anti-roll bar attached between the suspension arms; This stabilizer serves to reduce "yaw" bodies on corners.
The strut assembly provides rigidity and actually mounts the wheel and drive shaft relative to the vehicle, thus ensuring alignment. In general, the components are not adjustable. If any suspension component is bent or damaged, it must be replaced with a similar one. Do not substitute parts of inferior quality or design.
All Preludes covered in this book, as well as the 1986-91 Accord, use a new front suspension design. Called the double wishbone system, the lower wishbone consists of a forged cross link with an anti-roll bar. The lower end of the shock mount is shaped like a fork to allow the drive shaft to pass through it. The wheel is held in position by the upper arm, as well as the lower arm and torque arm.
Since the suspension design has remained unchanged for several years, the independent cross-link suspension has undergone minor changes in models of different families. For different models, components are generally not interchangeable due to differences in size, attachment points and load characteristics.
Independent cross-link suspension has a number of advantages. There is no need to use too high shock absorbers; style improves. Some components not replaceable on MacPherson strut vehicles can now be replaced as needed. Suspension load is more evenly distributed across the front of the vehicle.