Car Owner Problem:

Lately my 1992 Honda Accord is bothering me with this noise on the right side that seems to come on the right struts. It is not so bad on warm weather but very pronounced when it is cold outside. I have visually checked my front end parts but everything looked OK and nothing seems to be loose. Can you recommend a way to check this?

Car Tire Advisor:

With your symptoms and the mileage of the car since it is almost 13 years old car, I would suggest that you check the following:

McPherson struts:

Look at the bottom 2 coils and check for signs of crack. If possible, use a paint brush to clean old paint that hides the crack. Sometimes, the crack could be at the top suspension coil above the mounting bracket. The top bracket could be defective too, make sure there are no loose mounting bolts there. Finally, it is a good car maintenance practice to replace both McPherson struts since they are over 10 years old making the strut cylinder having lower gas pressure.

Other Possibilities:

Worn suspension sway bar bushing, try cleaning and lubricating them. Have you tried prying your lower ball joint stud against the rim for looseness?

Here is an example picture of McPherson strut below:

Notes:

When in doubt, bring your vehicle to authorized Honda dealer shop to make sure your tire problem is fixed.