upper control arm

[91accord4door]

i did a search but couldnt find the info ineeded,i have a chitlons but it does not help.what are all the tools neede to reomove and reinstall the passenger side upper control arm,how much experience is needed to do the project right and again a list of all the special tools needed so that i could buy them.and about how long should this take for an average person to do on a sunday.thanks i am trying to save money plus learn how to do these things on my own.

[aero]

The only special tool you will need is a ball joint separator. The bolts in the engine bay are 15mm's I think. It shouldnt take too long, just remember to support the knuckle w/wire or something when you take it off so that it doesnt flip around.

[91accord4door]

alright man thanks. but are there any "spacific" ball joint seperater tools,i heard that some suck and others dont??and how much do they go for if ya know??thanks.oh ya and will i need a front end alignment after i do it??

[aero]

Are you replacing the whole arm, and the ball joint? If so, I used a tool that looked like a fork(2 prong ends) and just hammered it in to separate. If you arent putting in a new ball joint/boot, you prolly wanna get a 2 or 3 jaw puller so you dont rip the boot.

[91accord4door]

well i dont know,when i push up and down on the passenger side front fender it squeeks loud and it hasnt got any better.i thoguth it was the upper control arm,could it be the ball joint??should i just replace both while i'm down there.if i should replace both wich seperater toll would be best,and slo is a front end alignment needed after all is said and done.thanks

[aero]

is your suspension stock or lowered? Camber Kit? Did you already buy any parts? If you have got a new control arm, it should have the ball joint already. The squeaking could be coming from the ball joint(just look at it and see if it is cracked open) or from the mounts that connect into the engine bay. If its the mounts, you can just take them out, without removing the control arm, and lube um up, and be good to go.

[91accord4door]

cmpletely stock suspension,tires,everything,no camber kit nothing.yes the ball joint is cracked but i figure just replace the control arm and ball joint,i have never dont this before bit i would like to do it myself,so all i will need to do the ball joint and arm is a ball joint seperater tool??and i should get the fork style??i just need to know ll this so i get it done right.thanks for your time.but ya let me know if thats all i need.does the new upper control arm come with a ball joint because i dont have it yet??

[91accord4door]

need to know if the fork style is good enough,boy i wish layinkit was here.hes the suspension expert.

[aero]

sorry.... yeah, the new arm will come with a new ball joint, and just get the fork style since you are replacing it, and fork style is only 10-15 bucks.

When you do go to replace, just undo the front first, under the ball joint, you will see a cover w/2 8mm bolts, take that off. Then take out the cotter pin, and undo that bolt almost all the way(leave it threaded on 3 or 4 threads.) Then put the separator in between the top of the knuckle and the ball joint, and hit it in with a hammer until it pops loose. Then you can loosen the two bolts in the engine bay. Then undo the bolt that had the cotter pin all the way, and support the knuckle assy. undo the 2 15mm's in the engine bay, and take it off. Put it back in the opposite way. And when you put the part on where the ball joint is, just keep tightening it till it looks like before, and you can get the cotter pin through(it will get the ball joint back in there as long as you tighten it up real good)

[Jarrett]

The anchor bolt mounting nuts(control arm anchor bolts) on the shock towers are 17mm. I have never had to use a ball joint seperator tool(though recommended) to take off my control arm and I've done it several times. I have urethane bushings so I have to lube them up with teflon grease every month or so so they don't squeak. Instead of the ball joint seperator, just hit the top of the knuckle right under the ball joint with 1 or 2 very firm hits and it should pop right out. If you can't manage that, then it's going to be a very expensive job because step 2 will involve your membership at the local gym and a few weeks of buffing up. It just pops out after that. Installation reverse of removal.

[accordztech]

i just did mine today.

i replaced the arm...saved me time. just dont strip the threads! gosh that was a pain in the ass to fix.

3 bolts total. and when i put it back on i got another jack and jacked up the whole brake system so that i wont have a hard time and tada!

[HondaFan81]

Boy, that's cuz you live in Texas! No rust, ever hear of it? 1-2 firm hits won't do ya crap in MI.

Originally posted by Jarrett
The anchor bolt mounting nuts(control arm anchor bolts) on the shock towers are 17mm. I have never had to use a ball joint seperator tool(though recommended) to take off my control arm and I've done it several times. I have urethane bushings so I have to lube them up with teflon grease every month or so so they don't squeak. Instead of the ball joint seperator, just hit the top of the knuckle right under the ball joint with 1 or 2 very firm hits and it should pop right out. If you can't manage that, then it's going to be a very expensive job because step 2 will involve your membership at the local gym and a few weeks of buffing up. It just pops out after that. Installation reverse of removal.

[HondaFan81]

It's really not hard at all. The most difficult part of this task is separating the ball-joint. If you live in areas where rust is prevalant, you'll need a separator of some kinda (ie. fork or puller).

At Autozone I bought the control arm for $75. It's hella cheaper than $150 at a Honda dealer (just for one!). It was even made in Japan

You know, using the fork style separator usually rips the boot a bit. I deburred my fork with a dremel & grease it up when sliding it into the boot. I'm also thinking for extra protection, to install these Energy suspension polyurethane boots ($7.00 set..all 4 boots) onto my upper & lower ball jts...just pop them over the stock boot for better wear durability & to protect from when I need to separate them.

[arv]

Originally posted by HondaFan81
...I'm also thinking for extra protection, to install these Energy suspension polyurethane boots ($7.00 set..all 4 boots) onto my upper & lower ball jts...just pop them over the stock boot for better wear durability & to protect from when I need to separate them.

So can you really do that? I thought you are supposed to remove the stock boots and put the ES boots on without using the metal clip/ring.

I'm thinking of getting the ES master set for mine and I was just concerened about how to "break" the balljoints. Can you rent one of those tools from kragen or autozone?

Thanks!
Arv