I own a 2002 Honda Civic Ex and have noticed some issues with steering lately. So today I got the floor jack out and noticed that the front bushing is almost gone.

Now unfortunately this puts me in a tight spot because both sides need to be replaced and the cheapest that I can get the bushings pressed out at is
$60 per control arm!

That's why I'm here. I've never done this repair before and would like to do this relatively as cheap as possible. What's the best way to go about this? I can get both control arms for about $100 from amazon but the bushings in those are the same as the ones on the car now. How ever there is the optional Energy Suspension Bushing Sets which seem a lot better considering what people are saying about them over the internet.

Unfortunately as stated before I don't have a press, is there any way around this?

What do you think is the best option here?

 

There are quite a few shops out there that will gladly press out the old bushings and press in the new ones for a very small fee. It'd be even easier if you had any friends/relatives that worked as a mechanic.

 

Just thought about this, would a C-clamp work?

 

If you got a big enough pipe to extend the handle on a pretty large C-clamp, with some larger sockets to stabilize the joint without having the C-clamp slide off... it might be possible. The compliance bushings usually seat themselves pretty good in those joints.

 

A bench vise would work for the front bushing. Can you post a pic of the old bushing?

 

if the old one is pretty shot, heat the control arm up with a torch. find a socket or something that is similar in size as the bushing and go at it with a BFH. its pretty hard getting new ones in without a press, but ive seen it done. Throw the new bushings in the freezer for an hour or so and heat up the control arm with a torch right before you go at it. again, a BFH is always your friend

 

Took the wheel off ready to get my hands dirty.

All the nuts are frozen and I can't get them off at the moment. I'm starting to thing that if I can't get the control arm off, how the hell am I going to get the old bushings out...

Thinking of getting some wd40 since I can't find any in the shed nor can I find any other grease lubricant.

 

This is the picture of the bushing as requested by solex.

 

Thanks for the picture wanted to see how mine compare.

WD40 for week helped me especially the end links on the stabilizer. Also if you do not have the tool to remove the lower ball joint heat will do the trick, but you will need to get a new dust cover an repack the ball joint.

Take you time heat will help with the bolts on the a arm since you are replacing the bushings.

I never understood why Honda chooses to use crappy hardware but replacing with stainless is a good idea or at the minimum us antisieze.

Good luck

 

Alright I've got all the bolts out, now I can't seem to get the control arm off the ball joint so I can take it out.

What's the best way to get this sucker out?

 

WD40 is a water-based lubricant. Its not all that good at much of anything. PB Blaster is a silicone-based penetrant. Its much better at unseizing metal on metal contact.


If you don't want to destroy the balljoint, I'd recommend the wrench handle trick. It works beautifully.

http://www.tuner-junction.com/TJForu...val-trick.html

 

WD 40 is NOT water-based. It is a penetrating oil that also displaces water hence the name WD for water displacement, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WD-40. Is PB blaster better I cannot comment as I have not used it.

The wrench handle is also prone to slipping and taking skin off of your fingers. I suggest the jack in the toyomatt84's post and a little heat on the A arm did the trick for me the ball joint popped out. Of course you may need to replace the boot cover.

The best tool is something like this

 

And out comes the drive shaft.

 

Why the drive shaft?

 

Not sure exactly what happened but when the control arm popped off the drive shaft pulled out as well. The gear box oil leaked everywhere so I have created more work for myself here...

 

aghh... sorry to hear that

 

I assume he didn't take off the axle nut, or he did but didn't tap on the axle to push it in into the the hub.

 

Pearljamming,

This may be a bit late but maybe you gave up, decided to tackle it later, and it will still help. The LCA bushing is an absolute PIA (IMO) unless you have the right approach. I just changed mine this weekend so here's how I did it:

Parts - both bushings (4 total) for the front LCA's from majestichonda (much cheaper than amazon)

Tool Rentals from Autozone:
- Hub Puller (if you can't get the driveshaft out of the hub, you will want this)
- Ball joint press
- Honda Adaptor kit for press

Tools
- Harbor Freight 6 ton A-frame hoist (piece of junk but cheap)
- Hack saw
- Thick "flat stock" from Lowes
- Thick "round bar stock" from Lowes (needs to sit higher than the center metal sleeve above the outer sleeve of the bushing)
- All other medieval mechanic tools of destruction

Abridged Procedure
- Remove tire
- Remove wheel cover
- Put tire back on, ratchet tighten lugs, lower car
- Breaker bar on the drive shaft spindle nut (credit to ericthecarguy for this, it works)
- Raise up, remove tire
- Remove caliper mounting bracket bolts - hang with bungee on spring
- Remove stabilizer bar link (undo lower nut), bungee to frame to hold out of way
- Unseat lower ball joint - I used a fork separator because I was replacing them but this tool is a piece of crap. Buy the $20 tool from Harbor Freight IMO
- Remove LCA bolts
- Beat driveshaft with plastic hammer out of hub
- Remove knuckle bolts
- Pull knuckle out
- Pull LCA out
- MARK old bushing orientation on LCA!!
- Put larger bushing on A-frame press and press out the center sleeve by just breaking the rubber
- Take your hacksaw apart and put it back together with blade in the bushing sleeve
- V-notch the rubber, cut through the old bushing metal but NOT the LCA
- Do this again about the width of a hearty screw driver from the other cut
- Once metal is weakened, pound screwdriver between the cuts and between the LCA and old bushing and pry inward. Once this "chunk" is out, the bushing will come out easily
- Use a small pry bar to finish the job
- Cut two pieces of bar stock about 5" each
- Cut a piece of flatbar that can span the bushing
- Use the A-frame press to press in the new bushing (in correct orientation) using the two bar stock pieces over bushing with the flat piece on top of them (youtube video on this and it works)
I decided not to do the other bushing as it didn't look too bad but my plan was the same only I was going to use the Lower Ball Joint tool to press out the old one (meaning the rubber center and then use the hack saw method again) and press in the new one. I fitted everything up and it looked like it would work. Someone else will need to speak to whether it would actually work or not.

Maybe too little too late but hope that helps. If you want to make your life easier just put in ES bushings or some other one that doesn't require all this mess!

 

i got my bushings installed for 20 per side, but they're only willing to install the big one...whattabitch. But those were the ones that needed to be replaced anyway and i only had lil time to do it. If i had more time i would've taken it to more places to get it both installed on the arm, but itll do for now. take the arm off and then take it to a shop, it'll be cheaper.