I have a 1994 honda prelude and the front left wheel has come off!

Car: Honda, Prelude, 1994, 2litre, fuel injected - Back to Fix-It - Honda Prelude Repair Manuals

Q.I have a 1994 honda prelude and the front left wheel has come off!
I dont know squat about cars, but the tow truck driver said that the suspension had broke and I think he said something about the steering shaft broke as well. He also mentioned that it looked like it was only being held by the cv joints...
I was just wondering if this is a do it yourself job, or for a mechanic? oh and how much?

Answer The wheel is attached through a wheel bearing to a component known as the steering knuckle; this part pivots back and forth when you turn the steering wheel much like a door.
At the top and bottom of the knuckle are ball and socket joints called Ball joints; these function much like the hinges of the door. It sounds as iif at the very least you ahve broken one or both ball joints; this could have resulted in damage to other components when this happened, or there can be other sateering or suspension components that are worn out and ready to fail in much the same way. You are really very fortunate that this failure did not occur when travelling on a highway at high speed in traffic; this could have been a very dangerous situation both for you and for the other drivers travelling close by. I would suggest that you should have a trained, experienced mechanic repair this particular failure for several reasons. (1) At this point we know that at least one ball joint has broken, but we do not really know the full extent of the damage. Someone familiar with steering and suspension systems who can properly assess the damage ought to check it to see if there are any other parts that have been bent or weakened by the force of the failure. (2) After steering or suspension repairs, a wheel alignment will be required before the car can be safely driven. This does require special measuring equipment, and therefore is not something you can do yourself at home. (3) It is extremely unusual for a ball joint or other front end component to wear to the point of complete failure by itself.
All of the other steering and suspension parts are the same age and have travelled the same amount of driving distance; therefore it is very likely that there are other parts in similiar condition that must be replaced as well for safety reasons (see the part about being VERY lucky this time above). THee parts should be inspected by someone trained in the procedures for doing so, who has a dial indicator or other tools for measuring the amount of wear in the components. It is not possible to give you an Acurate estimate of the cost of repair, in US dollars or any other currency, at this point, based solely on a verbal description; the amount of damage and components required to repair the vehicle are an unknown. It is not going to be a inexpensive repair, but it is something that must be done to be able to safely drive the vehicle.
I would suggest having a professional evaluate teh damage and prepare an estimate for returning the car to safe operating condition; you can then make an informed intelligent decision whether to repair the vehicle or to replace it instead. Assessing the damage and preparing a repair estimate does not cost much; this usually takes under an hour of labor; so to find out the true cost of repair you are looking at investing the cost of an hour's labor at the shop plus the cost of having it towed there.

Addition Thanks for that, just one more thing. Can I maybe just replace the ball joints by myself, so I can drive my car to the garage. Its only about 400metres from home, and to tow it there would cost me around $100!

Answer If the knuckle is slightly bent or if the control arm is damaged, then the new ball joints you install will ened to be removed again to repair those components. So, my recommendation would be to have the car towed there.
You certainly can bolt on new parts yourself, but it would be a very unpleasant job to do siting in the dirt outside in the driveway. Plus, if you do not alreadyu own the required tools (such as a jack that can pick up the car) the cost of buying them would exceed the cost of the tow.
If the car is that close to the repair shop, perhaps you can get one of the mechanics to stop by on his way to or from work to take a quick look to see if there is any other visible damage that needs to be repaired as well... Sometimes the offer of a 6-pack of his favorite beer for stopping by helps (at least with some of the guys I work with!)

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I have a 1994 honda prelude and the front left wheel has come off!