Hey, just wondering if anyone has replaced their ADS shocks for regular shocks due to $$$? In my case, my '07 Elite(sport) with 131,000 km's rear shocks are leaking & making a rattling sound at low speeds over bumps, but comparing the costs, cheapest being US$557 vs US$89., was curious if anyone has done it & if there's any issues?
ADS shocks to regular?
crazy1eye
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No. The active suspension is part of the Advance package (2010-2013 MDX) and the Sport package (2007-2009 MDX), but is not part of the Technology package.
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Thanks!
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Tried the unplugging and restarting method. didn't work for me. New struts it is
I have just replaced the rear ADS shocks with the standard shocks ($100 each Monroe). Job was relatively simple, except that one side required superhuman strength to remove the shock mounting bolts. Coincidentally this was the side that the dealer replaced about 3 or 4 years ago.
Toughest part of the install was compressing the old shock to get it to clear the mounting points. I just couldn't compress it by hand and move it around in the confined area. Solution was to compress it by lifting up the "A frame" with the floor jack, then using a wood clamp to pinch the shock together, then release the floor jack slowly and the shock stayed compressed due to the clamp pinching the rubber outside against the piston, I presume. Shock came out easily at this point.
I just taped the electrical connector, to keep water out, and tie wrapped it to the shock mounting area. Someday the prices of the ADS shock might be reasonable and I will change them back.
All in took about 2 hours, replaced both shocks and the sway bar bushings.
Ride is great, but get the ADS message, and when it is cleared for other information, the little logo of the SUV with the bumpy road under it stays lit continuously.
Dealer quote was 2160 for the ADS shocks installed, and 190 for installing the bushings. Interesting that the dealer quoted 3.7 hours, and the backyard mechanic (me) did it in about 2.
For the approximately 2000 bucks that I saved, I can live with the lights on the dash.
Don't have pictures. Once I started, I just wanted to get it done.
Toughest part of the install was compressing the old shock to get it to clear the mounting points. I just couldn't compress it by hand and move it around in the confined area. Solution was to compress it by lifting up the "A frame" with the floor jack, then using a wood clamp to pinch the shock together, then release the floor jack slowly and the shock stayed compressed due to the clamp pinching the rubber outside against the piston, I presume. Shock came out easily at this point.
I just taped the electrical connector, to keep water out, and tie wrapped it to the shock mounting area. Someday the prices of the ADS shock might be reasonable and I will change them back.
All in took about 2 hours, replaced both shocks and the sway bar bushings.
Ride is great, but get the ADS message, and when it is cleared for other information, the little logo of the SUV with the bumpy road under it stays lit continuously.
Dealer quote was 2160 for the ADS shocks installed, and 190 for installing the bushings. Interesting that the dealer quoted 3.7 hours, and the backyard mechanic (me) did it in about 2.
For the approximately 2000 bucks that I saved, I can live with the lights on the dash.
Don't have pictures. Once I started, I just wanted to get it done.
Maybe you can use an ohh-meter to measure the resistance across the shock sensor pins to see how much the resistance value is.
If you can measure a consistent resistance, you can go to Radio Shack, or similar, to buy some resistors and connect it to the electrical connectors. That may fix the dash light problem, at least, I will try that since the old shocks are out and it is easy to measure.
We can find once for all, too, if that method works or not. In principle, it should in the same way that other sensors in the vehicle can be hacked for different purposes.
AC
If you can measure a consistent resistance, you can go to Radio Shack, or similar, to buy some resistors and connect it to the electrical connectors. That may fix the dash light problem, at least, I will try that since the old shocks are out and it is easy to measure.
We can find once for all, too, if that method works or not. In principle, it should in the same way that other sensors in the vehicle can be hacked for different purposes.
AC
Sorry for the late reply...
Our '07 MDX Elite(Canadian) is my wife's & as she put it to me when I explained it to her, "if this was your car you wouldn't put jobber parts on it". She got me there so when we headed to our friends place for vacation in RI I ordered 2 new ADS rear shocks from Bernardi Acura/Honda online parts in MA & had them sent to my friends, $557 each no tax, much cheaper than here CDN$850 + tax. Since I had the shocks out already I managed to change them in my friends driveway within an hour.
Just to add, the clunking I was hearing was the left rear sway bar end link, I should've known seeing I replaced the sway bar bushings a month before.
Also, over the last few months when I drove it I did notice the rear seemed like it was always in comfort mode, I was always checking the switch so I figured they were done.
So for reference, 2007 with 130000km's or 81250miles the rear shocks, sway bar bushings & end links needed replacing & we occasionally pull a pop up/tent trailer & a snowmobile.
Thanks Jim. Very good info! :29: How is the ride on the new shocks? Do the front ones not work now since the error light is on?
The ride is a lot better with the new rear shocks. It used to be a pair of suspension bangs when I went over a bump in the road. Now I feel the front bang but the rear dampens the bump and it is difficult to feel it through the rear of the MDX. I think the front shocks/struts are worn out as well,and sometime soon I will be replacing them as well.
I believe they are working as well as they ever did, even though the warning light is on. I will be checking the resistance in the old rear shocks and trying to fit a resistor in the circuit to fool the system into thinking they are still there.
I believe they are working as well as they ever did, even though the warning light is on. I will be checking the resistance in the old rear shocks and trying to fit a resistor in the circuit to fool the system into thinking they are still there.
Please keep us updated if you can find a way to get the warning light to be turned off! If you do, this will be the way I go when the time is needed for replacement. Hell, for that savings, I'd be tempted to just put a piece of electrical tape over the light to stop the visual distraction.
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According to the tsb, it looks like resistance should be between 0.4ohms-1.5ohms. Got any resistors to try?
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I have measured the resistance in my rear Sport shocks, removed from vehicle and it was 1.6 ohms. At some point I will try to stick a resistor in the electrical plug and hope for the best. In the meantime I will likely replace the front sport struts with standard struts as well.
I have started another thread trying to find anyone who has replaced the front struts with standard struts, but so far no one has responded that they have done it.
I have started another thread trying to find anyone who has replaced the front struts with standard struts, but so far no one has responded that they have done it.
The suspension in the MDX is not a true active suspension. An active suspension will move a wheel up and down based on the road surface. Nothing in the Acura suspension will move a wheel up, only the spring pushes the wheel down. What the Acura suspension does is that by varying the current going to the shock they can change the viscosity of fluid in the shock and that changes the dampening provided by the shock. The Acura system can do this on the fly so it can give you a comfortable and well controlled ride at the same time. So basically the shock can act like a soft shock for small bumps and then firm up for bigger bumps. It's a very cool system that was invented by GM and is used by many high end car makers. Even Ferrari uses this system.
I can see the shock costing a bit more since there is special liquid and an electrical connecter, but I don't see why it costs more than twice the price of a regular shock. Most of the money is actually in the software that sends the signal to the shocks.
I have just soldered a 10 watt, 2 ohm resistor on each of the elecrical lines leading to the rear shocks. The ADS warning light is now out on the dash. I took it for a small test drive, and the light stays out.
Time will tell if the resistors can handle the load when the going gets rough.
Right now I am pleased that the warning light does not appear. Looks like I have fooled the circuit into thinking the ADS shocks are still present.
I still haven't tackled the job of replacing the front struts. I think it will require more than just changing the strut. Some of the internal strut hardware looks different between the sport and standard MDX.
Will keep you posted.
That's great news.. Thanks for sharing that information and for deciding to give it a try.. Sooner or later, many of us will be in the same boat and will need to make a decision similar to what you did...
AC
AC
Awesome! :29: Thanks Jim!
Do I understand correctly that the regular struts are a direct replacement for the active struts for the rear?
Yes, but they are shocks not struts.
Read my post number 24 in this thread. This was a 2007 MDX Elite Canadian version. Has the ADS suspension and rear shocks were leaking and not doing any damping at all.
Mine is going in on Wednesday. The ADS light is now on continuously. I have unplugged and plugged in all four corners and the light is still coming on. I am hoping it is just a corrosion issue. The shocks all look fine, i.e. no leaking that I can see. I am also having them check the power steering pump and torque converter. The 08 has been somewhat troublesome to own. I may get rid of it before the 03!
I plan on removing a front ADS strut assembly early next summer, and then comparing it to the standard assembly, probably at an auto wrecker, since our dealers do not stock the entire assembly. If they are the same, I would likely replace the entire assembly. I would be looking to place resistors in the electrical plug to try and fool the ADS computer as well.
The resistors I put inline for the rear shocks have worked fine in Comfort mode, but when the Sport mode is activated, it takes about 10 minutes or less for the computer to indicate a problem with the ADS. Switch back to Comfort mode, and the code disappears when the vehicle is restarted.
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