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So I picked up a pair of Hardrace front lower control arms since I didn't want to deal with the hassle of pressing out old bushings in favor of new ones. I did a search and all I could find are DIY's on the front LCA bushings itself but nothing for replacing the front LCA with a new one for the EK. Anyone got one in hand?
You haven't found any write-ups because it's literally as simple as unbolt, bolt back on. It's that simple. You'll need a pickle fork to remove the ball joint, but you can rent that tool from your local parts store for free. There are literally only 5 bolts and a nut involved.
Instead of a pickle fork where you may damage the boot and ball joint I would actually recommend a pitman arm puller like pictured below. They work good for these cars.
There's dozens of ways to seperate the spindle from the LCA, you can easily do it with a hammer or even a wrench.
Cough someone cough used to tell everyone to make sure to have the wheels sitting on ramps or blocks (whatever) before tightening the LCAs to ensure the bushings have the proper angle as to minimize stress on em. I guess he's slippin
You haven't found any write-ups because it's literally as simple as unbolt, bolt back on. It's that simple. You'll need a pickle fork to remove the ball joint, but you can rent that tool from your local parts store for free. There are literally only 5 bolts and a nut involved.
Ah okay, got it. I was hesitant to do it on my own without a DIY since it would be my first. But if there's only 5 bolts and a nut involved, then it shouldn't be an issue hopefully. I just have to make sure I spray the bolts with PB Blaster and let it sit for a few days before I would attempt it. I'll be changing out the passenger side axle so seems like it would be easier to swap out the lower control arm while I'm at it.
Originally Posted by Bently_Coop
Instead of a pickle fork where you may damage the boot and ball joint I would actually recommend a pitman arm puller like pictured below. They work good for these cars.
Good idea. I'm going to check to see if it's available to rent. The fewer issues the better it will be. I've done more stuff to my '96 hatch on my own than any other car I've owned.
Ah okay, got it. I was hesitant to do it on my own without a DIY since it would be my first. But if there's only 5 bolts and a nut involved, then it shouldn't be an issue hopefully. I just have to make sure I spray the bolts with PB Blaster and let it sit for a few days before I would attempt it. I'll be changing out the passenger side axle so seems like it would be easier to swap out the lower control arm while I'm at it.
Good idea. I'm going to check to see if it's available to rent. The fewer issues the better it will be. I've done more stuff to my '96 hatch on my own than any other car I've owned.
Get the Helm Factory Service Manual (FSM) for your car. You should be able to find a free download on the net. I agree with NAR that it is an easy process, but it's still a process. You will need torque settings as well as an understanding that you can't just replace and tighten the bolts with the car's weight off the wheels.
Lol, I looked everywhere on here when I was gonna do mine too. I was gonna make a thread, but I was like ahh it can't be that hard. It wasn't. Hardest thing was the ball joint.
Ball joints are easy if you do them correctly. Pickle fork. Wedge it in there. Wack it with the biggest hammer you have. With a 5 pound sledge, I've never had a ball joint on the Civic or the Subi take more than three strikes.
01-19-2016, 02:09 PM
DIY on replacing front lower control arms?
