I was painting my brake calipers today when I noticed this on my passenger side:











What is this part? Is this f#$ed up? How hard to replace?

 

Lower control arm bushing...
Easier to replace the whole arm.

Not hard to replace, no harder than replacing the shocks... need an alignment afterwards.

 

wow man- bet it drives like......and has bad thunk noises all the time~
check the other side too- things like that fail in pairs
You took the pics- see the bolts- those have to come out to replace the entire arm as kennedy said.
The new arm has new bushings at each end. call a few auto parts stores

 

Thanks guys. acuraoemparts.com has the lower control arm for $119 and just the bushing itself for $16.

So I have to replace the whole arm? I can't just change the bushing?

 

It's the forward compliance bushing, they are replaceable with a press or a really big vise. $16 for the bushing or $120 for the lower control arm. Either way get it replaced ASAP.

One thing to notice from the picture is all the oil soaked crud on the control arm, bushing, and subframe. It's good to degrease and power wash under the engine and drivetrain every so often to remove that stuff since it causes wear of rubber components like bushings and CV joint boots.

http://www.acuraoemparts.com/delray/...All&vinsrch=no

 

Thanks. If I change just the bushing could I do it while the control arm is still on the car?

 

Probably not, I've pressed them out before and it's typically much easier out of the car.
You'll need a piece of pipe whose diameter is just slightly smaller than the bushing. I'll have a look at the shop manual tonight and scan the pages for it. A large 5-6" vise can usually handle the task or a press (most of use do not have ready access to them).

 

Thanks. I do appreciate that. I do have a vise on the end of a table in the garage. Just "hammer and pipe" approach to getting it out? Coincidentally, I have a screw in my tire that I'm going to get patched and I'll ask the suspension guy there about it today.

 

by the time you destroy the thing getting the old bushing out- only to discover that its seating place is also damaged and you need to replace the control arm anyway~

- you could have already been at the alignment shop!

We are talking about some big tools- not a house type vise, a 10-20 ton hydraulic press is required with the correct sized bushing pushers to remove and safely install the new ones

 

Yeah good idea, ask the suspension guy. He's probably replaced a few of the Honda/Acura "pillow" bushings before and would know how easy or hard they are to get out.

The hammer and pipe approach is not preferrable. I've used the vise and pipe several times with no damage when replacing bushing and ball joints, just be careful and use alot of rags to prevent damage. The key thing is to get a proper size piece of piping. Also wear good safety rated googles, not the ones from Harbor Freight.

 

for an experienced tech like the above poster- with proper tools and safety equipment- you can do anything.

For a member that sounds unfamiliar with the basic workings of the car and the name and function of its parts---
IMO- either letting an alignment shop do the whole job, or buying a new arm and installing it are the smarter options in the long run. Since it needs the shop as part of the job anyway- and its not much time to do with air tools and a lift....
At a certain point you have to look at what your time is worth in general, plus the visit to the ER = $ saved/ how??
We are talking about a main part of the car- do it wrong and death can result!!!

 

Its nice to know all the options, whether he wants to replace the whole assembly or just the bushing.

If the posters is mechanically inclined this could save him some money and give a weekend project, not sure why 01tl4tl is so hell bent on not replacing bushings. (bad experience?)

120 is a pretty good price for a whole assembly with bushing intact though, this is a good thing to know.

 

well I went by the shop today and talked to the owner. He brought up the schematic of the front suspension and I explained everything. He says they'll take off the control arm, press in the new bushing and reinstall for $160. I know the bushing is ~$20 but I don't have the tools/skills to do this. So $160 seemed fine to me. It will be getting done Monday.

He's also going to see if there are any leaks of oil or anything that is getting on this bushing. Hopefully the new bushing can be put in and I won't have to buy a control arm.

This bushing is located exactly under the PS resoviour(sp?) in the engine compartment, if you notice. When I first got the car the PS threw up twice on consecutive mornings all over the front of the engine/chassis. I took it in for the PS recall hose and ever since then its been OK. Theory: I think PS has been getting on that bushing over the years and destroyed it. The mech. basically said that bushing wouldn't have failed unless some sort of oil ate it. Failure is too early for an 04.

Another reason to get the PS hose recall done if you haven't!

 

Good analysis, I looked again at your picture and noticed the engine itself is fairly clean and oil-free so the PS fluid seems like a likely culprit.

Whenever you change the oil, it's good thing to clean and spray some 100% silicon spray (not WD40!, but the CRC stuff is quite good) on the CV boots, suspension bushings, and ball joint/tie rod end boots. Also inspect them for any wear and tears, when dirt and debris get stuck to the oil it acts like sandpaper on the rubber over time.

 

As a learning exp. for me, how can you all tell something is broken?