Hello Honda-Tech members,

After much trouble lowering my integra i have gotten to the last bolt on the suspention in the back, this bolt holds the arm on to the brake asembely. Firtly, i have now stripped the bolt to the end making it completly round, and i dont know if i should just cut the head off of the bolt and drill it out or what to do, this bolt has damaged my car tremendusly and i need to get it fixed asap.

any ideas would be greatly apreciated.

 

Are you talking about the outer LCA bolt? (that bolts the lower control arm to the rear trailing arm assembly).

Regardless, if the bolt is stripped you'll have to cut it out. It's probably siezed both to the bushing in the LCA and also to the welded nut on the trailing arm assembly.

The bolt I'm thinking of is a b*tch to reach with a reciprocating saw but it's not impossible... If you're planning on removing the trailing arm and LCA anyways you might find it's easier to just pull the assembly off the car. You can then twist it around (careful of the wires and hoses that are still attached, if they're still attached) to reach the bolt or pull the arm onto your bench to saw it.

Once the bolt is sawed through the head will come off easily. The threaded end MAY come out with vicegrips (and lots of heat), but it may also be hopelessly siezed to the welded nut on the RTA assembly, in which case your only real option is to knock the welded nut off with a strong impact driver and then replace it with a locknut + lock washer. That bolt is not easy to drill out because of it's location.

You'll also need a new LCA bushing.

 

thanks that is very good information, and yes that is the bolt im talking about. What kind of design is that? it happend to my friends car last year and he took 7 hours drilling it out. what about the upper bolt on the arm that has wierd duel rubber things while trying to loosen it? would it be harder to remove that bolt or to just cut and get the bolt out?

Thanks alot
-jack

 

Not sure what you're referring to.

#34 is the bolt I think you have stuck.

When you talk about the other part with the weird rubber things are you talking about bolt #33?

To get the RTA (20/21) off you need to remove #32 (outer), #36 x2, #33, the LCA (15/17 with bolts 34 & 35), the VSS wire (25/26), and probably the parking brake cable (not pictured). It's possible to not remove the parking brake cable but you need to be careful not to twist it too much and you'll have to do your sawing on the garage floor.

Removing #32 (inner) helps but it's the toe adjust bolt so if you take it off you'll need to have an alignment done.

 

well i cant really understand that diagram, but where the shock attaches to the LCA right below that is the bolt i stripped, connected to the LCA, and on the very top of the LCA is the bolt that holds the arm to the chasis of the car, thats the bolt im talking about with two inner rubber grommits. it seems if i was to remove this bolt the arm would come down and i could get the shock and spring out so i can put on the lowering spring. if u still dont know what bolt i mean i can try to explain it further

Thanks alot!

 

Yea, if you remove that bolt (the inner LCA bolt) that holds the LCA to the chassis subframe, the LCA can drop. It still might not be enough to get the spring out of it's own accord. If you have a spring compressor tool that would be the easiest way to get the shock out without removing the LCA completely. You'll need one anyways unless your new springs came mounted on new shocks.

To make it easy on yourself raise the hub with a floor jack, clamp the spring compressor onto the spring, and then remove the bolt connecting the shock to the LCA. Then lower the jack. The LCA will drop a bit and you should be able to wiggle the shock out.

If all you're trying to do is to remove the shock you might want to just leave the LCA bolts alone...

 

dude thanks alot i aprecaite it more then u can imagine, il let you know how it goes