soon i will replace my shocks, upper control arm, and my outer tie rods on my 96 LX. im just gathering tips for installing the rods as of now but feel free to chime in on the aforementioned subjects if you like.

today i bought two duralast outer tie rods over at autozone. both sides came with castle nuts, cotter pins, and rods w/ ball joints pressed in. now i believe the left side came with a nut but the right side didnt (the nut goes that is suppose to be installed first and then the rods to lock the rods from spinning).

is one of the sides suppose to not have that bolt? (dont tell me to take the tires off and check because i dont have the time right now, just seeing if anyone can go off top of their heads)

my next question is, should i put some anti-seize on the threads?

my last question is, any special tools i might need besides the pitman puller?

thanks.

 

Both tie rods should be the same for both sides, I would take it back to AutoZone and get it replaced. Don't put LocTite on the threads because you'll have to get your car aligned after you install the new tie rods.

 

what about anti-seize? that's definitely not loc-tite if memory serves me right.

 

You can replace them but, I would let whoever you take it to for the alignment do that.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by R1Moon &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Both tie rods should be the same for both sides</TD></TR></TABLE>

both tie rods are not the same. They are each different, there is a right and a left. Both should come with the same hardware though (lock nut, tie rod, castle nut, cotter pin).

I don't know where Loc-Tite came into the mix but do not use that. and no, you do not have to use any anti-seize on the threads.

a side note about anti-seize... Be sparing when you use this, a common problem people have when using this is they use a lot and when they go to torque the nut/bolt back on they end up over torquing it because of the anti-seize, what some refer to as a torque multiplying affect. Then when they go to take it off, it's that much harder. I had a shop replace a valve stem in one of my tires once, when they put the lug nuts back on I made then torque them by hand, no power tools, but I didn't realize they put anti-seize on the threads first (and it was a lot I later found out). So a few months later I went to remove the tire and two lug nuts were way tighter than they should have been, I thought I was going to spin the stud in the hub. It came loose though and I found a lot of anti-seize all over the stud and the inside of the lug nut. I will RARELY use anti-seize on anything, just make sure the threads are clean and use a torque wrench to torque the nut/bolt to the specified spec.

The only special tool I can think of would be a spring compressor for when you replace the struts, but that can be rented at AutoZone. Normally I would say to just use a big hammer to pop the upper ball joint and tie rod end off but since you are replacing them anyways, it doesn't matter if the puller damages the boots or not.

as mentioned before, make sure you get an alignment after you do all this work.

 

^^^ Good info TouringAccord

 

For ANY suspension work where you need to break loose the balljoints- I found this on another forum.

For the mid 90's Accords, buy a PITTMAN ARM puller from Autozone, "OEM" brand and part number 27022. It will cost you about $20 to buy the tool new, the best $20 I ever spent for a tool!

Any yes, I said pittman-arm puller to break the balljoints! By coincidence, the dimensions of the jaws is just so that it works perfecly to break loose all the balljoints on the mid 90's Accords. It works very fast (as fast as beating them with a sledge). I thought the guy who wrote the post was NUTS until I bought and tried the tool- very, very fast and slick!

When I tried the tool on my 2001 Avalon it also worked. For other year Accords, where the jaws may be too thick to clear the boots, modify the jaw-width by carefully grinding the jaws slightly. If you don't have a precision grinder, a machinist will do this for a minimal fee. I read this will allow the use of the tool on many other Accords. Wrenchy

 

yeah the pitman arm puller eases the job wonders. i rather rent than own since i dont work on balljoints all the time. rent is about 16 bucks over here at autozone.

now after i break loose the ball joints, how difficult is it to twist off the rods? should i pb blast it the day before attempting to take it out?

 

The day before teardown spray PB or another penetrating oil on all the nuts to be removed. The next morning hit them again, then wait about 1-2 hours. If you use good quality sockets (none "rounded") and long breakers you should have zero problems breaking any of the bolts loose. The torque specs for most of the suspension nuts are not real high. The real problem is the axle nuts- most are in the 135-175 lb range.

I think you asked about using loctite on suspension bolts- DONT.

I think you also asked RE using anti-seize. I like to use this stuff on suspensions, but just a little bit, too much can affect torque readings. Use just enough to cover the threads. I have removed bolts after 2-3 years I used anti-seize on, and the bolts broke loose nice and easy, and showed no corrosion.

Also note per bushing makers to properly lube all bushings as noted. A good manual, once again, will show all the points where bushings need to be lubed at install. Ignore this and you will have a very squeaky suspension, it will steer hard, and the parts will wear fast.

As a note, when you do any teardown on a suspension, replace any/all bolts showing corrosion on threads. If there is any corrosion, what will they be like in 5 more years?

And check a good shop manual- Honda designs some of the bolts/nuts to NOT be re-used. Most have nylon inner-bushings on the nuts, and "lock-down" at torque so they won't vibrate loose. Reuse these and you are looking for trouble. A good manual will note these as 'replace'.

And ALWAYS torque all fasteners in a suspension to the correct specs. Besides internal engine work, suspensions are probably the most critical area for following proper torque specs. This is due to the large number of fasteners joining metal to metal that have to move, and metal to bushing points that have to move. If you don't own a good torque-wrench, now is the time to invest in one.

Work slowly and carefully, replace all corroded fasteners or fasteners noted "do not re-use", lube all bushings per makers instructions, and torque all fasteners to the correct specs. Follow these procedures and the work will go together correctly, the car will align and handle correctly, and the nerw parts will last a long time. Wrenchy

 

first off, just wanna say thanks wrenchy and all others contributing to this thread.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by wrenchy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The day before teardown spray PB or another penetrating oil on all the nuts to be removed. The next morning hit them again, then wait about 1-2 hours. If you use good quality sockets (none "rounded") and long breakers you should have zero problems breaking any of the bolts loose. The torque specs for most of the suspension nuts are not real high. The real problem is the axle nuts- most are in the 135-175 lb range. </TD></TR></TABLE>

axle nut wont be a problem replaced that not too long ago.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by wrenchy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I think you asked about using loctite on suspension bolts- DONT. </TD></TR></TABLE>

nah it was the other guy.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by wrenchy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Also note per bushing makers to properly lube all bushings as noted. A good manual, once again, will show all the points where bushings need to be lubed at install. Ignore this and you will have a very squeaky suspension, it will steer hard, and the parts will wear fast.</TD></TR></TABLE>

will mutil-purpose grease or white lithium work? any brands you can suggest?

 

The bushing kits should come with the grease- a special suspension grease. A good shop manual (Helms) will list a grease for suspension work, with a Honda part number, you can buy it at a dealer.

If you do much suspension work, buy a tube of this stuff, you will need it. It is used for bushings, loading/installing struts, etc. I use it all the time. A good size tube costs about $22, but it is engineered by Honda for suspensions, and a tube lasts a long, long time.

Use the wrong compound (multi-purpose, white lithium) and you are screwed. The white lithium, especially, will wash off in no time. This is a perfect example of using the wrong material to save a few dollars, after spending $$$$ for parts and countless hours of your time. My labor time is worht a lot more than saving a few dollars on grease.

Many people have bitched (some on this forum) they installed Energy Suspension bushings, and don't like them because they "squeak". I did a major teardown on my entire '94 suspension, and used many ES bushings. I have NO problems with squeaking, except in very wet weather they sometimes squeak a little until they dry out (worth it, given the awesome handling over soft OEM bushings).

The "trick" is to follow a good manual (Helms) and properly lube every single bushing at install, then properly torque every single fastener. This takes much more time than just throwing the parts together, and you have to READ the manual and follow directions.

From the comments I have read, I must be one of a very few who used ES bushings and have zero problems. This is NOT due to luck- it is due to reading, studying diagrams, planning, working carefully and using the right tools, procedures and materials (grease). Wrenchy