I have read the DIY threads on this but had a question about buying the parts. I see on ebay some "aftermarket" ones for about 80 for the pair. Is this safe? I see no negative reviews, but generally people on put feedback once they get the item, not after they install.

This for example
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/2-Front-Upper...#ht_1526wt_163

 

I had a disaster with a cheap aftermarket replacement upper control arms. The bushing seized up and popped out of the arm, nearly causing the whole arm to come off and the wheel. Both ball joints nearly seized up as well. So do not buy those.

The only aftermarket arms I would buy are made by Ingalls Engineering. That is what I am current using with great results, Ingalls adjustable upper control arm. Check out our venders.

 

Is that something that happened pretty much from the get go? Or did it even last a year for you?

 

They lasted about 3k miles. See below:

https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-tl-1999-2003-98/weird-upper-control-arm-failure-807890/

This is my failure thread. I am not the only one to have a failure like this with aftermarket control arms.

 

I went to Acura and got OEM. While there are good aftermarket like the Ingalls I like the piece of mind.

 

Yea that's definitely understandable. I got quoted about 500-600 (can't remember exact numbers as it's in my car at the moment) for parts only for two upper control arms plus lower ball joints.

I went to a brake, suspension and muffler shop across from my work here at lunch at got a quote where the parts are 150 a piece for each control arm and 60 a piece for each ball joint. Does anyone happen to know what brand the OE model is? I can at least ask what brand they use for these specifically.

Thanks for the info and glad you shared your info gold, sorry that it had to happen to ya though but hopefully ya saved a bunch of people alot of trouble and possibly kept them safe!

 

Hey Ellisd03tls, how many miles are on your TL ? .....Are you sure that the upper control arms actually need replaced ? An option may be to simply replace the ball joint on the original arm. If the arm's bushings are still good, the bj can be pressed out while the arm is still on the car.

Lower ball joints are not all that expensive for the parts, but the installation labor will be if ya can't DIY. Make sure that they are bad before replacing, as it could be something else within the front suspension being worn. Check the sway bar end links and bushings.

Try Rockauto.com for comparing aftermarket brands and pricing. Moog is good !

 

180K kilos so 111k miles. Not sure exactly what needs to be replaced, just hearing some knocking going over bumps at low speeds. Probably just the lower ball joints which I did get a quote from a mechanic near my work that seems decent. But yes you are right, the labour is kind of high (4 hours?). I think I'm going to hold off on doing anything as my trans has been acting up a bit. I have to decide when that does if I want to fix anything else anyways.

Sad thing is, I just did 2 x 3qt drain and fills and now it's causing not so great behavoir. I'm a little concerned I over filled, but it's hard to tell sometimes if it's just splashing up the dipstick or if it's actually too ful.

 

How was the tranny before the drain & fill ?
Normally 3 Qts plus a bit will drain from the pan each time...so how much total Honda DW1 fluid did you add ?
To check the ATF level, run the car briskly through the gears up to operating temp, then park on a level surface, turn the motor off and after a few minutes check the dipstick's level. It should read between the dots.

Getting back to your front "knocking" noise.....the sway bar links & bushing are a common source of this. They are relatively inexpensive to buy and replace. At 111 K, your lower ball joints should still be ok.....get a second opinion if you're unsure !

Check with your local Acura dealership to see if the tranny recall was done and if perhaps the original tranny was replaced. All they need is the VIN #.

 

Tran was "ok" before the last one. Only reason I did the drain and fill was cause it had been about 9 months since my last one (cold winters means less car work for me :P).
I always drain into a pan, then drain the pan into a measuring jug then add that much new. But I add just a little bit each time as the pan may still have some left over as I dont want to stand there for hours waiting for it to drain. And yea, I drained out a little bit and it appears that the fluid level is more in the dots area, just very hard to tell sometimes. Much harder than oil I find.

I did another check, the UCA aren't worn yet, just a little bit of play but nothing major so I will leave them. They did mention the rear stabalizer mounts are worn though so that could be causing something but I feel the sound is from the front.

As for the tranny again, the car was own by my mother up until a few years ago. The oil jet was installed back at like 20k KM or so. When I bought the car off her, I did a 3x3 right away and that was sure some dark liquid coming out of there. Either way, that was about 45K km ago, I'm always just paranoid about this trans going at any time.