Anybody know of a website or a book i can buy that has the procedure to replace a control arm?
just off the top your head, is the procedure relatively easy? or would i have a professional do the work?

 

Remove 3 bolts holding the control arm to the car and trailing arm, remove arm, install new arm and put 3 bolts back in. Doesn't get much simpler than that.

 

Actually it's only slightly more complicated...

To do it RIGHT:

- Install control arm & bolts, but leave any that go through the center of a rubber bushing a couple turns loose
- Now install the wheels and put the car back on the ground (yes with loose bolts)
- Now tighten all loose bolts to required torque values and your done

The reason for these extra steps are to make sure none of your bushings are twisted once your car is on the ground at static ride height. This is how the factory and any good mechanic will assemble the suspension. If you tighten & torque the bolts while the suspension is at full droop (wheels off the ground), the bushings will twist up once you take the car off the jack-stands. This will wear the bushings out in years instead of decades...

 

Unfortunately for most lowered Hondas, you can't really reach those bolts with the car on the ground, especially on the right side if you have stock exhaust.

Better to use a jack to raise the suspension up while the car is on jack stands, and torque the bolts that way.

 

you wouldnt happen to know the torque specs would you?

 

The shop manual does. You should get one if your gonna be doing work on your car...

 

i would, but unfortunately, i dont plan on doing anymore work on the car. my lease on the civic ends this august and i might give it back due to the bad economy.
is there a website that would kno the specs?

 

Assuming you have a 2006 Civic (from your screen name), I have no idea what the torque specs are as I don't own that car or shop manual. If you really must know, ask someone in the 2006 civic section as someone there might have the shop manual...

Otherwise, take a trip to the local honda dealer and ask someone at the parts counter if you can have a look at the shop manual for your specific car. They should bring it up for you so you can look up the specs in the suspension section and write them down.

It would also be a good idea to bring a digital camera with you to take some pics of the nice illustrations...