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ADS shocks to regular?

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#164 ·
mdxers777 said:
Got it. I have lined up a local mechanic to do the swap. He will have to do the spring swap. Should I care? I was already quoted for the labor and he said to just order the KYB replacements for all around and he would do it.

I don't know how much extra work it is to fit in the aftermarket ones vs the acura full assembly. So, I don't want to screw the guy over and make him stick to his estimate if he doesn't know he will have to re-use the springs....
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MDXers777

Did you have any luck simply replacing the ADS front struts with regular struts, or were there problems with other components of the strut assembly? Haven't seen a post from you since last fall when you mentioned that you were ready to replace the struts.

Jim
 
#165 ·
Rusich
Your Jantzen Audio coil solution looks good to me.
Did it solve the ADS error message problem ?
I assume you installed the 1.43 ohm resistor in series with the coil (as opposed to parallel). Did you use the same components front and rear.
I am going to install coil/resistors to test rear and if that works then front before I switch out the shocks/dampers.
 
#166 ·
Jim R said:
Crazy1eye

Have you replaced your sport shocks yet? If so did you use sport shocks or regular, and what issues if any did you encounter? I am in a similar situation, and have started a thread, with decent feedback from members.
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Hello Jim - you said that you created another thread with info - can you please let me know the title of the thread? Also, has anyone replaced the shocks yet with the regular ones? What was the outcome? I am in dire need of information as I have to replace them now....Thanks!
 
#167 ·
msteffe said:
Hey all, just wanted to share my experience. I recently bought an 07 sport and one of the front ADS struts was not dampening at all. After checking all the electrical connections etc. I gave up and decided to change out the whole system - meaning I converted from an ADS system to the standard MDX system (non-electronic struts). Reason being I was not willing to invest the $ to replace one strut and take a chance on the other strut or either shock in the rear going out and pouring more $ into the suspension. My MDX has 117K on it and I plan to take it to over 200K so I figured it best to rid myself of the issue now and forever. So, I ordered entire OEM strut assemblies for the front and KYB shocks for the rear. R&R was a piece of cake as it's been a southern car it's whole life so all the fasteners we're clean and rust-free. I then placed a 1 ohm 10 watt resistor (radio shack - $1.25/each) on each connector that was previously running to the shocks/struts. This has turned off the ADS warning lights inside the car. I've only been running this way for a few days but so far all is well. Just wanted to share my feedback in case others we're considering doing the same.
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Hi there!! Thanks for the info!! Can you please let me know if you find much of a difference in the ride? Was everything fine after you replaced it all? I am at a crossroads - I have 170,000kms on my Elite (Advance) model. I love my MDX but can't justify the $3,000 they quoted me for replacing 1 front!!!! I have to decide whether I use standard replacements and keep the car or try and get rid of it somehow without having anyone drive it! HELP
 
#168 ·
Thanks, Jim R, as I did the conversion this past weekend to Monroe shocks for the rear ones. One shock was leaking so I decided to change both of them. Total cost was under $200 and about 2.5 hours of my time as I had trouble with rusted bolts. Ride is pretty decent as the rear doesn't feel floaty and clunky anymore. If the price ever becomes more sane, I might buy one ADS shocks and re-convert after. I took pictures of the conversion if anyone is interested.
 
#170 ·
brothaman7 said:
Dont you have ads lights on or did you use resistors?
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I used same resistors as Jim R suggested, 2 ohms 10 watts which cost whopping $1.99. You plug in each end of the resistor to the sensor (doesn't matter which end goes to +'ve or -'ve end of the sensor and tape it up well with electrical tape...didn't bother to solder as taping is held on pretty tightly). I used ziptie to hold the sensor end in place near the shock to prevent random movement. Make sure to put the ADS button to comfort mode and after five days of driving, no lights came on the dash and enjoying non-bouncy drive.
 
#171 ·
complete assembly

MacGyversMullet said:
On my Sport model, I made the front strut swap over the weekend. My cliff notes:

- Front driver's side strut was creaking badly. No leaks. I could feel it through the footwell from inside the car. With the "bounce test", it was almost impossible to push down with both arms (as if it was completely seized up), while the passenger side was much easier to push down.

- I ordered the complete non-ADS strut/spring assembly from Acura. $500 shipped from a dealer, online. The reason for ordering the whole assembly is that some of the random parts are different and I didn't want to take the chances. Plus, it was all ready to bolt onto the car, right out of the box. It also would have been time and money to swap over the springs, so it was worth the extra $70 each to get everything new and already installed.

- I removed the ADS sensors from the bottom of the ADS struts, to see if there was a super slim chance of being able to plug them in and hide them somewhere, tricking the computer. As expected, they are an open circuit when removed, so they can't be used to trick the ADS system.

- Used 10w 1 Ohm ceramic resistors from Radio Shack. Plugged the ends directly into the plug, wrapped it all up in electrical tape and zip tied the wiring out of the way.They didn't have 1.6 Ohm or 2 Ohm, but these still work like a charm, so far.

- As stated before by others, the ride lands right in between comfort and sport. It doesn't have the "cloud ride" of comfort, but it isn't as stiff as the sport. I am guessing the new springs and struts will soften up a bit over time. In any case, it is great and is a ton better than a broken ADS strut.

- I never used the sport mode, so this swap was perfect in my case!

Thanks for all the insight and help on this. Cheers :)
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do you have the part number for the complete strut/spring assembly? Both Monroe and KYB did not have for MDX. Thanks.
 
#174 ·
Wow....I got lucky and picked up OEM front non-ADS shocks/spring set from a local seller for $100 each. He accidentally bought wrong one for his ADS equipped MDX and didn't want to go to non-ADS route. Although my current ADS shocks were replaced last year via Acura, I have a bad feeling that they will go out in a couple of years. Now I have an insurance just in case.

So far Monroe shocks on the rear have been very good and rear end feels much tighter on the highway and on uneven road without dash light coming on (comfort mode).
 
#175 ·
Jim R said:
I own a 2007 MDX Elite with the ADS suspension system. About a year ago I made the decision to replace the rear ADS shocks with conventional shocks. Put 2 ohm resistors in the wiring and have not had any ADS lights, except when putting the system in Sport mode.

Yesterday I swapped the front ADS spring/strut assemblies to conventional spring/struts. Used 5.1 ohm resistors and have had no problems with ADS lights. The ride is sensational, with no bone jarring hits on small potholes. The vehicle has been transformed from a lumber wagon to a luxury SUV. I am extremely pleased with the new ride.

On a side note, the passenger ADS spring/strut assembly was about 2 or 3 inches shorter than the replacement. I can only think that years of bone jarring bumps due to worn strut caused the spring to permanently deform.

I will keep the old ADS assemblies, just in case somebody figures out how to rebuild these things for a reasonable cost. If I ever sell the vehicle, I will throw these in as a bonus.

I would have replaced the ADS system with ADS components, but in my opinion they do not last long enough to be worth the extra cost. This would be the 3rd set of strut/shocks in about 170,000 km (110,000 miles). Other vehicles I own might be needing the first replacement at this mileage, not the 3rd replacement.

I am happy with the decision to replace the shocks, and will not miss the sport mode at all.
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Jim, what are the part numbers for the rear Monroe shocks and the Acura front strut assembly. Also, where did you purchase your parts and resistors. I live in Calgary too and have to change all four shocks on my 2007 Acura MDX Sport/entertainment vehicle.
 
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