i took my poor lude in for inspection and i was rejected on account of windshield wipers ( which were functional when i dropped the car off and torn to shreds when i picked it up ) side marker light bulb burnt out, abs light being on and lower control are and left ball joint having play in them. would it be easier or more cost effective to get new bushings for the two or just to replace them with new parts. the ball joint is not a separate item so i would have to get a new uca i believe. i havent really ahad a problem with lca's but from what i gather lude lca can take pretty much what you throw at them, and it doesnt seem bent so i would rather get some good prothane or energy suspension bushings and be done with it. any suggestions?

 

which balljoint is bad? upper or lower? upper balljoint can be pressed out, but you must be careful. lower balljoint obviously can be pressed out and those are the balljoints that usually fail the quickest and i recommend replacing if it has a lot of miles on it.

you could get new bushings, but it requires a press to put them in. this option however, is the cheapest in terms of parts, but most expensive in terms of labor. if your lca was bent, i would assume it would show up on your alignment. i recommend stock bushings in the front for daily driver, or poly if you take it to the strip and don't mind the rough ride.

secondly, i can't believe you didn't pass. you're not going to the right person. i used to drive an carbed '88 honda accord with 4 bald tires, ONE brake, a rust hole in the shock tower, a rust hole near the qtr panel so big i could touch the backseats, no 5th gear (just lost it somehow), and only one working wiper blade. and guess what? i passed.

 

sorry but wat kind of inspection is this?

 

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you could get new bushings, but it requires a press to put them in. </TD></TR></TABLE>

if you have a 4th gen and you get the energy suspension poly urathane bushing kit you DO NOT have to press them in. they come separated. i just pushed them in as far as i could by hand then put a small piece of wood on either side and pressed them in the rest of the way with a C-clamp. the hard part is gettin the old bushings out. i just tourched them and then cut out the outer ring. but if you do the whole kit its gonna take awhile. and if you don't know a whole lot about suspension i would suggest takin it somewhere to get done because i did the whole job myself and it was a bitch. but the results are great

 

well its for state inspection, and i was kinda pissed that they were that strict on it. my lca and left upper ball joint had "play" in it so they failed it. which to me is retarded but there isnt a whole lot i can do about it. i think i may just order a new lca since i can get it at cost since it is 13 years old. i know how to press bushings however its more of a pain in the *** than id rather go through, but i was considering it since i was taking the lca off anyway. i considered the energy suspension kit bc i plan to take it to the track but i havent felt it on the lude before and not sure how well it handles on the street.