When I was unbolting the Lower arm, the bolt that goes into the rack got stuck and broke the bushing inside the arm! how do I get this thing out?? Anyone had this problem before? The bolt just spins, and I've actually pulled the mounting point out a bit! The first pic is the broken part, the second is the other side, which is fine...

the busted passenger side:


The intact driver's side:



What should I do? I have the entire CRX suspension, so should I just swap over the entire lower assembly and use the Civic springs and shocks and brakes?

help!


[Modified by Mr. S, 3:18 PM 2/3/2003]


[Modified by Mr. S, 3:19 PM 2/3/2003]

 

push it out with a large allen wrench, punch, another bolt, screw driver..

the weight of the lower control arm seems to be pinching the bolt...

 

So you're saying punch it out through the back with an allen key and a hammer? I'm not quite sure I understand your instructions... The bushing is stuck on the bolt, and when I try to pull it out, the entire broken bushing wants to come out.

thanks!

 

If the bolt isn't broken, (when you turn the hex, the other side turns also)
Do like he said, pound it a bit.

If the bolt is broken........

Just went through this disaster on a friends' car Saturday.

Order new Bolt.
Buy a nut to fit the bolt.


Grind off the head of the stuck bolt.

With that crowbar I see in the pic, pry the opening just a little larger. (enough to get a hacksaw blade in there)

Hacksaw/sawzall on each side of the lower arm.

Remove arm from body.

With a sharp chisel and a BFH, bang the nut off the other side. (Tack welded on)


Knock/drill out the rusted/broken bolt from arm/bushing. (Possibly new bushing)


Replace bushing if necessary. (hope not)

With your BFH, pound the sheetmetal back a little bit. (The nut will pull it back together upon reassembly)

Reassemble with lots and lots of anti-seize!


We were able to to get away with just a new bolt being needed..
(Thanks to a drillpress to drill out the rusted-in bolt)
He also had an air hammer to knock off that nut in 5 seconds.


[Modified by 7PSI CRX, 6:57 PM 2/3/2003]

 

Thanks for the help 7PSI CRX!

I'm 99.9 percent sure that the bolt isn't broken, it's just the bushing that has ripped off on the inside. Not a huge deal, because I have the lower arm off of my old CRX Si and I think it should work!

Hopefully this POS will come out easily... I'll try it tonight! thanks man!


EDIT: how about the fact that the mount is slightly bent? If I put a washer behind the slightly enlarged hole and pund it back in, should it be safe???


[Modified by Mr. S, 3:48 PM 2/3/2003]

 

this is a common canadian problem

the bolt has seized in the metal sleeve of the bushing

the only sane way of getting the arm out without pulling out your hair is to cut it out...use a sawzall like said above and cut it out.

when you put everything back together use a lot of anti seize...I have seen bolts only 2 years old seize up(from salt/snow/****)

ALL of my control arms were seized like this ...I used a torch and cut em out with that.

 

89civicdx is right on the money

Get a hacksaw, sawzall cut the remaining bolt head off on the inside of the frame U section.
Pull the arm out, blast the bushing out, drill, hammer, torch.... your choice.

You can get a dealer bolt and bushing but you have to press in the dealer bushing.
If you get a energy suspension bushing it comes 2 parts and the center pin.
Easy as pie...

have fun cheers

 

i'm with you on that one - its just as bad in MN. if theres one time i hate working on my car, its when i'm doing suspension work

i remember installing my shocks and the bolt was seized in the sleeve as well. i had to torch it out, and the bushing is pretty messed up now. oh well, live and learn.

good luch.

 

Yeah I don't have a torch so I'm gonna try and hacksaw it out... doesn't matter if I mess up the bushing, because I have another arm form my CRX... I'm pretty sure it'll work

My last question is: Is the mounting place for it ok? I bent it a little, so can I just bang it back into place safely? I also accidently enlarged the hole a litle, so I'll have to use a washer too. Is this ok?

 

thats not so bad... when i was changing my clutch the rear tranny mount mbolt snapped and broke... now only 2 bolts are holding it in place...

maybe my next clutch job ill figure out a way to taeke it out

 

How to take out lower control arms.

Step one:
Take the 17mm from the bottom of the knuckle assembly.
Using a tuning fork, hammer, then pops right out.
Step two:
Take 17mm frorm sway bars
Step 3
Take 14mm from the back of the lower control arm.
Get big *** screwdriver/flathead that wont brake put it in between the lower control arm and the top.

Should pop out easily! Just be patient.

 

Oh I know how to do all of that... It's just this one %^&%@ bolt. The bushing is broken, and the bolt is stuck. Gonna have to hacksaw it tonight, I think

 

if you have air tools, cut the bolt near the side that has the welded nut. then you can hit the newly cut bolt with the impact and it might come out. that worked for me so i didn't have to cut in 2 spots.

 

Nah I have a ghetto garage... no air tools yet !

But I'm gonna try and get this thing again tonight... gonna have some help too. Just have to pick up a hacksaw blade

I'll let you all know how it goes! Thanks for the replies everyone!

 

Update: My dad and I wrestled with that damn thing for an hour and a half... We couldn't punch out the bolt from the back, beacuse the metal was in the way. Nor could we remove the welded on nut. So, we ended up trying to pry the thing out with a BFG and a large puller bar. Ended up breaking the end of the bar! This thing is NOT coming... so I'm swapping the rack for my CRX Si one. Thanks for the help guys