Maverickz

I am trying to change the lower ball joint on my '03 Accord. I have the steering knuckle removed no problem. Now it looks like the back of the bearing assembly is in the way of being able to press the lbj out of the knuckle. Do I really have to remove the bearing assembly to change the lbj? If so is there some easy way to do this for an '03 Accord?

EDIT: The part I need to remove is called the "knuckle ring". All references I can find about removing this simply say "remove the knuckle ring". I tried to gently pry it loose but it won't budge and I am concerned about using too much force causing it to warp or break.

Here is what I am looking at:



Thanks for any help or suggestions.

94EG8

The dust ring around the bearing needs to be pryed out. That one is in pretty good shape and should come out with distorting it too much. If it does somehow get damaged don't worry too much about it, they really aren't needed.

Maverickz

Thank you. That did indeed work.

Just for anyone else that might be changing the LBJ on a 2003-2007 Accord, I took two small flat head screwdrivers and put one on either side of the ring, under the upper lip and pried upwards, rotating the position of the screwdrivers everytime I got it to move a bit to try and lift it evenly.

Also you should note that to remove the lbj from the knuckle on the 2003-2007 Accords, you cannot use a standard ball joint press, you will need a special adapter.

gwiffer

What does the adapter look like?

Maverickz

For the '03-'07 Accords, there is a lip that is left after removing the knuckle ring which prevents using a standard perfect cylinder (that comes with most ball joint press kits) for the receiving tube. The Honda versions have a cut out that fits around this lip. The one pictured below on the right is pretty close to the one I actually used.

I didn't have to buy one, I was able to "rent" one from my local parts store. I just wanted to make sure people were aware of this need before they tore the car apart then realized that they needed something else from the parts store like I did. Luckily I found a friend that was free to take me to go pick up the adapter.

If you can't rent an adapter from a local parts store, you may call around and find someone that will do it cheaply if you bring in just the steering knuckle and your own parts. Just make sure you have a ride to get there.

gwiffer

Oh ok, I can see the lip in the pic above that would be in the way. Did you use an impact gun or a hydraulic shop press?

Did you think about replacing the wheel bearing while you had everything apart? Did you do the other side also?

Maverickz

I used an impact wrench, though the main press tool said not to. This project started out with me replacing my CV axels but getting in a hurry, I ended up cross threading the crown nut onto the right lbj. So, I only replaced the one. After paying out of pocket for a funeral in March, (still waiting on the insurance money) cash is kind of tight right now. If I had the money to do it, I would have probably replaced both upper and lower ball joints as well as the various bushings while I had it apart so I would be good for another 100k miles or so. I don't have a machine press so I would have to find someone else to do that part.

gwiffer

Gotcha, I'm going to have my clutch done soon. I'm thinking about getting new wheel bearings, LBJs, LCA bushings, UCAs, and maybe tie rod ends while everything is apart.

It's going to be expensive upfront, but I won't have to worry about it for a long time. I also like doing all new stuff at once to restore the like new suspension/steering feel.

I replaced all of the bushings, ball joints, outer tie rods, sway bar links, and shocks on my 4g accord years ago and the difference was amazing after 120k city miles.

94EG8

Unless there's play in the ball joints leave them alone, especially if you're planning on replacing them with aftermarket. I made the mistake of buying cheap aftermarket lower ball joints on the civic the first time around. I got 290,000kms out of one original LBJ and 316,000 out of the other side. In 26,000kms I replaced one LBJ twice, when the other side was bad at 316K the first side was bad again for the 3rd time. I was sick of screwing around with and just went and bought OEM Honda ball joints for double the cost on both sides, nearly 100,000kms later they're still tight. Upper ball joints and tie rod ends are still original with no play in them at 398,000kms (247,000 miles) Still have one original wheel bearing as well.

Maverickz

@ 94EG8

What aftermarket brand were you using? You have me a bit worried since I went with an aftermarket brand. lol.

94EG8

I honestly can't remember anymore. They had these blue boots that would crack and dryrot within 6 months, awesome. The second time I replaced one it had a lot of play and it was less than 6 months old with about 3000 miles on it. I've seen numerous aftermarket brands though, they're nearly all junk, they either develop play, seize, or the boots rip. No thanks. OEM is usually double the price, but they last at least ten times as long saving you money (and time) in the long term.

Some guys like Moog, but I'm not a big fan of serviceable ball joints, most people either never grease them or they put too much grease in them. Sankei/555 makes good stuff though.

gwiffer

^I agree. I'll be going with OEM, unless I can find sealed (no grease fitting) Moog parts. The sealed type are definitely preferred for a car; they always seem to function more smoothly. The serviceable/greaseable type are usually more heavy duty and I wouldn't use them unless they were going on a heavy/full-size SUV or a truck. Moog is the only aftermarket brand I will trust for suspension parts (life or injury/death parts).