14RDXWhite

Just completed a long overdue front sway bar endlink and bushing job.

I just wanted to highlight that the 12mm bolts for the sway bar bushings can be frozen in there pretty good, especially in northern climates. In my case, both bolts on each side snapped off when trying to remove them. I had to take off the lower control arm and drill/tap new threads and purchased new bolts. The tap you need is M8x1.25 and the frozen bolts drill out fairly easily. Used a bit of anti-seize when installing them for good measure. If your car is getting older, be prepared for this to happen when you do the job. It really makes an easy job much more difficult. In fact if you can afford it, just replace the LCAs if your car is 8+ years old and lives in snow half the year.

The other tidbit I can offer is that the drivers side lower transmission mount and bracket must be removed to get the lower control arm off. It's not difficult to remove but I used a bottle jack and wood to support the transmission for good measure. I am not sure if this was needed but I could not find instructions or torque specs for that mount. Most of the Acura/Honda forum posts I have seen say 'as tight as you can' for those mounts.

TheSauceBoss

Thanks a ton for the info! How many miles were on your car at the time of this service? Any noticeable difference before/after the job?

14RDXWhite

Its got 156k kms (close to 100k miles). It was crunching pretty bad up front at low speeds. The sway bar bushes were completely shot, you could see the out of round circles where the rubber had worn away. The end links also had some play. I considered doing the shocks at the same time but they still have some life in them. It drives much much better now. I went with the Moog stuff that has the zerk for periodic re-greasing.

Tech

Did you soak them first with PB Blaster for a few days or did you just go at it?

I take it your vehicle was never Krowned by you or previous owners if you bought it used.

14RDXWhite

I always soak bolts with PB blaster first but sometimes it doesn't change anything. I wanted to use an induction coil heater but the space is too tight. I did need to use it on the sway bar end links as the nuts were frozen badly as well. Vice grips on the back side were also a must. I have owned the vehicle for 3.5 years and haven't Krowned it but keep the underside clean and its garage kept. No idea what the previous owner did and no records of that service were provided. These vehicles are rust buckets compared to the German ones no matter what anyone says otherwise. Previously I had to change the rear camera due to failure and there are bubbles growing on the inside where the trunk handle is. You would never know unless you went up in there and looked.

Tech

Same here and then I got the oxy-acetylene torches out and the impact on low power. It took me forever to get the three nuts off my girlfriend's flex pipe at the converter and since the nuts were undersized due to rust, I used one of those CTC reverse spiral nut removers. I did not want to snap the converter studs due to a lack of working space. Lots of anti-seize used on them after.

Not too many people know about induction coil heaters.

They all rust if you keep them long enough. I just find taking the time to remove a seized fastener is less then the time to fix a snapped one. My old Honda CR-V is with a Porsche friend of mine now as a daily driver and it is 23 years old. Of course I Krowned it myself every year using T40 (no holes drilled). Same for my 2017 RDX Elite.

14RDXWhite

I'll look into the DYI options for Krown after that episode if it has the potential for preventing this kind of thing. Thanks for the feedback.

Tech

I've been applying Krown for over 20 years on my own vehicles. Trust me, it is messy and it looks like you've come out of a war zone when you are done. But I do not have any drilled holes and manage to get to everything. At one point, I'd do two family cars. Krown is worth it on cars you keep and work on. If you trade a new car every few years, why bother.

You need:

• a 2HP 20 gallon compressor and a long hose.
• a spray wand kit and the one I found at TP Tools was the best which actually came from Dominion Sure Seal in Mississauga, ON.
• a pail of Krown T40 which is good for at least 4 applications. About $200+

14RDXWhite

You do it outside? I don't have a lift and sounds like the process would destroy my garage. My other car doesn't have the rusting issue (aluminum space frame). I guess you also need to spend time cleaning things up somewhat first as well. There are people here that do rust proofing for $60-80 out of small garages but I am not sure of the quality.

Tech

I do it curb side; no traffic on my road. I also use car ramps. I guess it depends how much you like your vehicles and I want my daily drivers to last a long time so I can spend the rest of my money on fun sports cars and motorcycles.