How hard is it to replace the strut rod bushings? The ones at the front of the car. I've looked in the manual and it doesn't give much detail. I don't know if I should try it myself or have someone do it for me. Also, do I need to get it aligned after I replace them? Thanks.

 

well i replaced the entire radius rod on my integra and i can tell you that was one of the most difficult things i have ever done on a honda, but the frame was tweaked on that car so the radius rod didnt actually fit. if the car was straight i am pretty confident that it would have been a very easy project. mine was easy up until the part where it took 3 guys to muscle it into place but like i said, my frame was tweaked at that time.

personally i would try it again if it wasnt on my old teg, maybe ask a friend to come over incase you need a hand. and yes you should get it alligned after you replace them.

 

So if my frame is ok then it shouldn't be too hard? I can't see how to get to it, would I just have to remove the plastic on the front? Anyone else done this? Thanks.

 

yeah you have to remove the plastic plate on the front, there is a nut on the end of the radius rod. you may need a ratchet with an extension on it but i cant remember for sure. and no it should not be hard. buy a case of beer, get a friend to come over and help drink it, gather a couple hand tools (basically a few wrenches and maybe a cheater bar, you wont need the cheater bar if you know how to hook 2 wrenches together to increase leverage.)

even with mine being extremely hard it only took about 6 hours.

 

only 6 hours?? haha thats a little bit long for something that should only take like 20 minutes

 

i realize that it should be a really fast job. my frame was tweaked if you didnt catch that in my first post. the radius rod was about 3/4 of an inch from where it should be.

 

First you use a deep socket and remove the nut in red. It is located on the front side of the front cross member. IIRC You will have to drop the mud guard to get at them. Then you remove the 2 bolts in blue. Pull the rod back toward the firewall. Make sure to keep the shims that are in there and put them back from the side you found them. You shouldn't have to do a wheel alignment. But you can never be too careful.

When was the last time you had a wheel alignment done? If you haven't had one in a while then after doing this would be a good time

 

just a couple more words of advice that ghost's diagram reminded me of. you really should get a new locking nut like the diagram says. also make sure you grease the bushings, again, like the diagram says.

when i did mine i was so pissed off and frustrated and in a hurry to get my car back on the road that i forgot to grease it and it squeaked like a mother f***er!!!

btw sorry to come off a little snappy in that last post davey. i didnt mean it to come out that way. i was frustrated with a couple other things when i posted and i guess it showed up in my post. to clear up my post meant to clear things up (lol thats confusing) by "it only took 6 hours" i meant even with mine being a million times harder than it ever should be it only took 6 hours. that car was a damn nightmare!

 

Trust me it takes longer then 20 Min's, that self lock nut has a rubber washer in it and it makes turning it difficult, plus the angle to get in there sucks.

To the OP why are you replacing your radius rod bushing? If nothing is bent there is ABSOLUTELY no need to replace these, trust me they are BUILT TO LAST!

I replaced mine because I ordered the energy suspension kit, unless you are doing a complete bushing overhaul, you are wasting your time.

 

Well, I'm replacing it because I'm getting a thump noise when I brake, and I'm pretty sure that it's these bushings. I talked to an alignment guy and he said that if those bushings are bad it will make that noise. And, the last time I got the alignment done they told me that those bushings were getting pretty bad. I'll order the parts and hopefully get it done this weekend.

 

So I got it replaced and it fixed my problem. So if you're getting a thump noise whenever you hit the brakes, or go over a bump, it could be the radius rod bushings.

Although no one told me that the flange bolt nearest the front of the car is right under the axle, so all you can do is get a wrench on it. I couldn't even get a socket on it. The other bolt I could get my air gun on it with an extension, but that front one was a pain. I had to undo the lower ball joint and take out the axle to get it because I couldn't get it with a wrench.

So now you know, if you can get a wrench on that front bolt and turn it, replacing those bushings should take 20 min max, if not it will take a little bit longer.

 

Are the OEM silicone or rubber?

 

Oh yeah, If you want to be able to get a ratchet in there without removing the axle. You need to put a jack under the knuckle/ball joint and jack it up. That will compress the coil spring enough to change the angle of the axle. it should give you the room between the axle shaft and that bolt. Jack it up so that it just starts to lift the car of the jack stand and then stop.

 

Also, turning the wheels left/right moves the axle forward/backward.

 

I tried jacking it up to get a socket on that bolt but it still wasn't enough room. I don't think it would have mattered anyway, because I had to try for probably 30 seconds with the impact wrench before it even started moving, that thing was in there pretty good. And that's even after I had soaked those with wd-40 for two days before hand.

Some other thoughts. I got a tube of silicone grease from NAPA for $6, it was $25 for a little bucket everywhere else I looked.

The bushings won't really look shot, or worn. But if you compare them to the new bushings, if they are bad they will be shorter. Mine were about 1/2" shorter than the new one's, so they aren't working like they are supposed to. I guess you could just tighten the radius rod bolt, but it will only go so far. Anyway, those are just some ideas.

 

Also note that the front and rear bushings are not the same length and the longer one is the front.

Also note you can adjust caster by shimming between the nut and the washer.

You can't really adjst caster by tightening the nut because the nut pinches the sleeve metal inside the bushings. You should torque it down tight against the sleeve. The plastic lock nut aspect of the nut is just for safety I think, it should not be what is locking the nut on: pinching the sleeve is the lock.

Also note the washers have the cup outwards of the bushings. You might think they would hold the bushing better if the cup was toward the bushings, but that is not what the diagram seems to show. Probably not a big deal.

I just found that my bushings are reversed on the right side: the longer one in back. That side has eaten a tire in the past and I have a shimmy. Also the nut started off way too easy, like maybe it wasn't tight. Hope to straighten things out.

The bushing seem to be in good shape after 180k miles on a 91 CRX. If they are flat, I can always shim them on the bushing side of the washer with some plastic (but not against the metal sleeve.)

 

Funny thing. I have a clacking noise i suspect to be the result of a bad radius arm bushing. (Mostly during taking off and stopping. Or putting in gear for that matter.)The info here is very insightful. Im going to put it on the stands and investigate.

 

X2 wish there was a wlakthrough for this one, just got done replacing pretty much everything in my old accord front end. I now have a bit of a looseness started and stopping, also a slight vibration at times when i'm really on it... I thought it was the lower control arm bushings so I changed them didn't even think to look at the radius rods....

 

I have yet to see a radius rod bushing that was bad. They are built to last.

 

I just went through the front suspension in my car and I still hear a clunk when I stop and start, sounds like its putting stress on the front spring. It's gotta be the bushings because everything else is new honda or moog bushings, joints arms etc...

 

it could be a bad strut mount, a bad wheel bearing, or maybe the brake calipers/pads are rocking?

Have you physically checked all of the components or are you guessing at the possible causes and replacing parts? It could very well be the radius rod bushings though. You should have the issue checked out before replacing them though.

 

I've replaced a lot because I had a really loose front end, most of the rubber boots on ball joints were cracked or gone, all bushings were rough. I have the car feeling a lot more solid it just isn't perfect...

 

Could be the front and rear engine mounts.

 

The OP replaced his and that solved the problem, so obviously they can go bad. My DA definitely has a bad rod bushing, which is what brings me to this thread. I can grab the rod and push it back and forth (towards the front, then back towards the firewall) a good inch. Came here to get some insight, good thread ::

 

Bringing an old thread back, I had the same problem, when i accelerate from first gear you hear it as well when u brake. I checked it out and I actually have no bushings on my radius rods (WTF)

Good thread def going to order a set and slide them in
... tomorrow