I need that information.

I have the Chilton manual but it only says "if the ball joint is defective the entire upper control arm must be replaced."

 

if the boot is torn and looks like its been torn for a long time, or this is the first time you ever bothered to look, its almost certainly in need of replacement.

for the upper balljoint, you grab the knuckle and just shake. put your other hand around the balljoint and youll feel the play.

the upper balljoint needs to be replaced with the entire arm because honda never sold just the balljoint. you can get just the balljoint aftermarket, AS LONG AS you have the pressed on type of arms. some earlier arms have the balljoint welded on. it should be obvious to distinguish... but even after pressing a new balljoint and securing it with a circlip, its a good idea to spot weld it.

honestly, i think its better to just replace the whole arm... you get new bushings from honda with the new arm.

 

Alright thank you.

 

to check the lower ball joint, take a long pry bar and insert the end in between the knuckle and the lower arm and try to pry them apart. If your ball joint has play it will move a bit. This has to be done while the front end is up on stands - not on the ground.