THSCC Forums

1990 Civic Hatchback SI, stock engine with about 230k.

I just replaced the clutch, tie-rods, and had an alignment done to factory specs.

At 20% or less throttle, it drives fine, but more throttle than that, especially with any aggression (high rpm's or heavy throttle) and the car pulls to the right. If I let off the gas and coast or go light throttle, it drives straight again.

I'm running out of options to check. I've confirmed the motor/trans mounts are good as well. Any ideas?

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Phil... Now I miss the ITR and the M3!!!
1990 Honda Civic SI

What about the axles? If the driver side isn't seating properly, it could pull to the right, similar to torque steer. - AB

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'14 Toyota Sequoia Platinum 4WD
Super Westerfield Bros - '93 Integra - LeChump Du Jour
STX 93 - Scion FR-S

Worn/torn/loose/missing radius rod bushings? This was a common loose piece on my old CRX.

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Dustin Fredrickson
-- I'm a nobody --

Torque steer is exactly what it feels like. It's pulling to the right and I noticed a slight gap in the left axle at the transmission. I wonder if the axle is getting pushed out of the transmission a little under hard acceleration? You may be on to something.

I'll also look at the radius rod bushings, I never replaced them and I don't think the previous owners did either. If I'm correct, these are the one's protruding from the front corner of the bumper. Thanks folks, I'll get back to you after I've had a chance to look at this further.

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Phil... Now I miss the ITR and the M3!!!
1990 Honda Civic SI

I am curious, short of it pulling out enough that there are no splines engaged and you then loose all drive to one wheel, how would it cause the pulling? On the Honda you have that ring on the end that holds it in place and I am guessing that once that is released you would have to pull it a good inch or more out to loose drive and once out, I don't see it popping in and out (sometimes working and sometimes not). Or is something else going on here that I just don't understand?

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Richard Casto
1972 Porsche 914
2013 Honda Fit Sport
2015 Honda Fit EX
http://motorsport.zyyz.com
Money can't buy happiness, but somehow it's more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than a Kia.

I would agree this is a good place to start. I think under load (power) something is screwing the alignment.

I remember Kevin having a similar problem, but it turned out to be tire related I think...

http://www.thscc.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=5559

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Richard Casto
1972 Porsche 914
2013 Honda Fit Sport
2015 Honda Fit EX
http://motorsport.zyyz.com
Money can't buy happiness, but somehow it's more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than a Kia.

With that many miles, I'd lean towards Dustin's suggestion but also expand that to the rest of the bushings in the front end. The red CRX had a similar issue when I first got it and it went away after replacing all the bushings up front. Obviously I couldn't tell you which one(s) made the difference since I did them all at once but it actually got much better before I touched the radius rod bushings. Replacing those cured a final issue I was having with the front feeling wonky so it's hard to say what was going on exactly.

Jim

If this is the case, I don't think it's pulling out totally, just enough to affect the ride. I would think the axle moving even a 1/4" would cause serious ride issues. The other reason I suspect axle issues is because this only happens when I really get on the gas. If I floor it in first, I fight to keep it off the road. If I floor it in fifth at 40 mph, it pulls, just not as hard.

Of course, I guess if several bushings are shot, they could also play a huge part.

If it's the bushings, I'll have to fix my oil leak first, then worry about bushings. If it's not one thing, it's going to be ten others.

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Phil... Now I miss the ITR and the M3!!!
1990 Honda Civic SI

It should be pretty easy to test to see if the axel is loose. I don't know if you have replaced one before, but there is a ring clip that holds it in place. If that clip is not engaged, I would think you could grab the inner CV and slide it in/out a bit. If it does this, see if you can tap it back into place (without tearing up the CV boot!) You should feel a positive "snap" when it does this. There is not much holding it in place as there should not be much axial thrust on that joint.

Oddly enough I have a reoccuring leak in this area on my car. The seal that the inner CV passes through on my car seems to start leaking after X number of miles after it has been replaced. I am thinking there is an issue with the remanufactured axel I am using on that side.

I am still puzzled about how this could cause ride issues. I do think if it is loose it could cause odd vibrations, wear on the spline (both on the CV and diff) as well as eventual loss of drive. But what we are talking about is a CV join and the other end of it (axel) is already designed to slide back and forth a bit anyhow.

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Richard Casto
1972 Porsche 914
2013 Honda Fit Sport
2015 Honda Fit EX
http://motorsport.zyyz.com
Money can't buy happiness, but somehow it's more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than a Kia.

Side note: If this ends up being an axle issue, I highly recommend Raxles. Talk to Marty. A little on the pricey side, but well worth it for the quality you get.

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Stephen Westerfield
2009 Infiniti M35 | 2007 Honda Fit Sport | 2005 Ford Mustang GT |2000 GMC Sierra |1992 Acura Integra LS | Super Westerfield Bros Acura Integra

I've had great luck with Raxles as well. That was the first thing I replaced on the CRX and it is probably the only thing I haven't touched since. They have survived countless Pro Solo starts along with whatever other abuse I've heaped upon them. I've also used them for a few other cars without issues as well.

I tend to agree with Richard on the axle issue. You may very well have a bad axle but I really don't see how it is going to cause a pulling issue like you are describing. It seems that if something in an axle was that busted, you would see other symptoms as well.

Jim

BTW, I have used raxles and will go back at the next opportunity. Great experience all three times.

On the leaking seal... I actually had honda seals (from dealer) not fitting th axle and after three seals leaking, and draining the parts department of that seal, we found out that the new batch had a smaller ID, which fixed the problem.

As far as my problem, I read about Kevin's issues and I've experienced the same thing. So, easiest test is to start rotating tires around. I'll do that first. After that, I'll have to fix the leaks so that I can clean the car enough to work on the bushings. I'll just start replacing any that look/feel questionable.

I've got a feeling that this is going to be a long journey, or is that another learning experience. Thanks folks.

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Phil... Now I miss the ITR and the M3!!!
1990 Honda Civic SI

There are at least 2 different seals as I went through this one when I did my axle swap. I can't remember the specifics but there are at least 2 different part #'s and the dealer (I think it was Crown) had a hard time giving me the correct one even after arguing with the parts counter guy that the one they gave me leaked like, um, something that leaks a lot.

Jim

Each axle uses a different size seal, I think the ID is the same but the OD is different.

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Phil... Now I miss the ITR and the M3!!!
1990 Honda Civic SI

Are you referring to each side? I'm talking about the same side with 2 different part #'s. Probably something to do with the bastard-child '88 year again but it's been a long time since I've looked at it.

Jim