So, I put new front lower compliance bushings in my 07 Civic EX and now I have a problem. Somewhere in the process, the strut or axle must have shifted outward, because now that I have the control arm back in, it won't meet up with the flange on the ball joint where it bolts in. Anyone ever have this problem? On the passenger side, I was able to disconnect the outer tie rod from the wheel and that gave me enough play to make it work on that side. On the driver's side, however, I've had no such luck. Pushing on the hub and raising the wheel assembly on a jack haven't helped. Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

You may have pulled apart the outer CV joint if you left the axle nut installed and the hub assembly dropped away from the strut. It's something that can happen quickly if you don't release the axle from the housing. If that's the case, you're in luck. It will take some work, but you can realign everything with the boot still on and save the axle. That's the cheap time-doesn't-matter option. It may take 15 seconds if you are lucky enough to get it the first time, or an hour's worth of frustration before you give up. If time is more important, consider buying a new outer CV boot, disassembling the outer CV joint, and realigning everything with a new boot.