I've just had my 98 civic dx aligned, and was told that the rear left lateral link needs to be replaced. (It's missing 2 inches in the middle.) I have one on order and am going to replace it asap, but would like to have any input. It's my first honda and car with this kind of suspension.

 

that's very odd. very.
input on a later link? it locates the wheel in the lateral (side to side) direction as the suspension moves through its range of travel.

have a look around the web for "suspension 101" or something. the lateral link may also be called a control arm or simply a link.

if you can, post a picture of the original, shortened link that comes out. like I said, this is very unusual and would be a good thing to share.

 

Now the **** exactly are you driving around missing half of your lateral link? Let's see some pictures of this missing piece.

 

Only thing on the back would be a toe arm and camber arm.

 

missing 2 inches was not an exaggeration. forgive the tongue-in-cheek attempt at humour, I have no history here… the part was rusted through. and no, the rest of the car is not that bad. I've checked it out. the bulk of the rust is in the engine compartment, but very manageable. why the one part? who knows. the stupid question was meant to casually start a discussion.

 

I'll post a photo…

 

Unfortunately casual discussions don't seem to happen in these parts.

Good luck with your car, it sounds like it isn't drive-able at the moment, at least not safely. I hope you remedy that soon.

Cheers.

 

thank you