phlyxaznxboi

so besides the engine mounts thats worn, i also have a worn upper ball joint!! and it seems i cant just replace the arm, i have to replace the whole upper control arm..........damn you acura!

cruc1a7

I ran into this issues with my other car. If you factor parts + labor (just removing + pressing a new ball joint in) its cheaper to buy the entire arm yourself and bolt it up.

paperboy42190

iTrader: (7)

^+1 the whole arm isnt that expensive. you can buy aftermarket upper ball joints, but you'll still have to pay the extra labor to press the new ones in

phlyxaznxboi

aftermarket ball joint is like 100 bucks while oem whole upper control arm is only like 70 bucks. i rather change the whole control arm lol now i just have to find someone who can perform the task for free cuz i believe you have to get an alignment after replacing the arm.

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

How did you determine that the BJ was bad?

vietxquangstah

iTrader: (7)

You could at least look up information on how to change it and attempt to do it yourself. It's not even hard at all. I could understand having someone else do it if it requires special tools but this doesn't require anything special..

ez12a

for free? lol jeez buy the guy dinner or something, damn.

paperboy42190

iTrader: (7)

the $100 ones are camber adjustable so you're gaining something. i havent seen a nonadjustable aftermarket front upper ball joint yet

lol i know right? ppl dont seem to understand time is money and no one is going to help for free

d1sturb3d119

iTrader: (1)

Just press the joint out using an electric impact gun. Either buy it at HF or rent it from Autozone.

http://www.harborfreight.com/power-tools/drivers.html

This is what you could use to push the joint out. Not sure if this can be rented.


Or DIY it by building one yourself.
https://acurazine.com/forums/showpos...&postcount=910

https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-problems-fixes-114/diy-lca-suspension-bushing-press-891976/

You'll have to adapt one for that particular joint.



Hope that helps. You don't have to pull anything off or pay anyone to press the bushing out. Some knowledge is what you can get for free.

phlyxaznxboi

OMG i just saw what i posted, i meant to find someone to do it for "CHEAP" lol if there is anything i learned is nothing comes for "free" lol

phlyxaznxboi

sorry paperboy what i meant was find someone who can do it for cheap instead of paying the dealer 500 bucks to do or another mech 300 to do it. i dont expect anyone to do anything for free lol.

phlyxaznxboi

Again i must apologize for my typo as i meant for someone to do it for cheap and not "free" i wouldn't want to be "that guy" that is ignorant and doesnt know how to show appreciation and reward an individual for their time and experience to perform something that i cannot.

Thanks d1sturb3d119 for the info i have read many threads here and done my research on the forum and would love to attempt a lot of things on this car my self, unfortunately, the housing community that i live in prohibits you to perform any type of car work except for washing and waxing your car. on top of that my lack of tools since i just moved to LA not long ago, only tools i got are the emergency jack, regular set of hand tools i bought from somewhere, my sockets only go up to 15mm and the rhino ramp that my car fell off of not too long ago which i am reluctant to try to use again in the near future, along with that i got a kicking screaming 2 year old + twins on the way so it doesn't look like i will be moving to any other community that would allow me to work on my car or any extra funds in my wallet to add any arsenal/tools to my collection in the near future..........

paperboy42190

iTrader: (7)

I'm located not far from you and I have plenty of tools for almost any job. Hit me up if you want to get something done.

d1sturb3d119

iTrader: (1)

Worst case you could do it outside autozone. Not sure how it works there but I used to do all my work in their parking lot before I got a garage to work in. There's usually one guy in autozone who knows what he's doing. So I'd just wait for that guy to be working and start on the car. Usually they're really helpful. Just gotta make sure it doesn't rain.

phlyxaznxboi

Thanks paperBoy, you have been nothing but awesome since day one, i will let you know once i get everything together, i will PM you once ready

phlyxaznxboi

i have thought about doing that, i have an autozone not too far from my house. i am not too sure how that works either cuz each parking lot has different house rules. iv only see people do simple tasks but nothing too serious.........i guess i should read into it more

d1sturb3d119

iTrader: (1)

You can ask them. Unless you're dropping your motor which may be a different case but it really depends on the shop. Hodrod magazine dropped a motor in Summit Racing's parking lot and they were fine!

phlyxaznxboi

u can see the ball joint dust boot leaking lubercant and all the dirt and debris that is stuck o the thick grease. that is good sign that the ball joint is worn,

d1sturb3d119

iTrader: (1)

Not necessarily. That's a good sign that your boot may be worn. The ball join can still be fine. You have to jack the car up and check for play at the top and bottom of the wheel by holding onto it. If you feel it moving around the lower or upper ball joint may be work. Grease and dirt on anything doesn't indicate wear in the actual component.

I pulled the boot off and check and there was no play. It was just a little stiff. After cleaning out the area and re-greasing it, the ball joint was as good as new.

phlyxaznxboi

i actually was going to do that this weekend to jack up the wheel and check for up and down play at the ball joints with a pry-bar

phlyxaznxboi

btw does anyone know if i need to get an alignment after changing the control arm? or does anyone know any good alignment shops that actually knows how to align our TLs in LA/OC area??

thanks!

YeuEmMaiMai

^ I would

killer8rican

if its the torn boot just replace it and regrease it, save your $$$ and alignment if its not needed