my car has been at my mechanics getting a lot of work done here the past few weeks, he was replacing the front sway bar and all the hardware but ran into a little problem.. said I have to replace drivers side LCA, (no biggie part is on way) but my mechanic also said that I need a special bolt that you can only get from the dealer...

He said its a nut and bolt about 5 inches long that connects the LCA to the strut?

Now when I look at this schematic I am a bit confused:

Acura Parts @ AcuraOEMparts.com - Genuine Acura OEM Parts from Delray Acura

anyone care to chime in on what nut and bolt combo he's talking about. I can't get to the dealer until monday but we do not have a local acura dealer here , just Honda. would they have it or do I need to get it from acura?

Thanks

 

#21 and 25?

 

Why in the world would the LCA have to be replaced?

 

corrosion probably. but thats not what I'm asking

 

Hard for me to believe it would need to be replaced due to corrosion.

I would assume the bolt/nut he's referring to are 21 and 25, but they connect the fork to the LCA.

The strut does not connect directly to the LCA.

 

^^ yea. I dunno really I haven't actually seen it yet, but he's a straight shooter and wouldn't replace stuff if it didn't need to be replaced. he's a mechanic of the family, one of my dads good pals.

He said he tried heating the bolt but it was rusted so bad he had to cut it out entirely. and maybe during that procedure the LCA was damaged? I don't know, not a big deal to me really, its not breaking the bank or anything

EDIT: The fork is a shock absorber right? so thats prob what he's referring to I would guess

 

Get a used LCA if you can - they're pretty much bulletproof so like nfn said, I have a hard time believing you'd need to replace one. To give you an idea - I had to replace my front right wheel knuckle after a HARD impact. The LCA was still in flawless condition. Soooooo yeah.

Maybe he's referring to the strut fork? That I definitely believe. Mine was seized when my coils were being installed and I had to get a new (used) one. Cost 40 bucks.

 

he def said he needs the drivers side LCA lol.. said he needs the bolt that connects the LCA to the "wishbone" which is the strut fork...

as i said when he had to cut the bolt out maybe something happened during that process.

When i get the car back ill get him to show me the part and ill snap a pic of it.

 

He most likely meant that the bushings on the LCA need to be replaced

 

the word bushings did not even come out of his mouth

fuck now I'm stressing out lol he's been a mechanic longer than I've been alive (over 30 years) so I trust his judgment. we will see what happens i guess

 

Well if it is indeed the LCA, not the end of the world. Not nearly as expensive as the wheel knuckle. Like I said, try and find one used.

 

The lower control arm are cast iron pieces, the most damage that you'll do to them is bend it by hitting something hard. The most common issues with the lower control arm is the bushings wearing. To avoid pressing the existing bushings out and pressing in new ones, most people just replace the whole arms with new bushings already pressed in. I think that's why he is saying to replace it.

 

thanks guys, ill know morw about the situation on monday. but i know 100% he didn't say a word about bad bushings.. he just said he needs a drivers side LCA and the bolt that connects the LCA to the "wishbone" which is the fork....I will update the thread!

 

yea this makes sense. thats probably whats going on here then... maybe when he was trying to heat the bolt the heat may have melted the bushing? thus why he says replace the whole arm!

when you buy a LCA do the bushings usually come along with it already pressed in??

 

They do not AFAIK. While you're at it, why dont you look at stiffer bushings or the Compliance Bearings heeltoe carries. Considering those bushings are one of the most common problems the TL has, it might be worthwhile to get something that will last.

 

hmmm according to the schematic I linked when you buy #7 and #8 it comes as a whole unit already pressed in

 

When removing the lower ball joint the sleeve tends to pop out, FSM says to replace the LCA when this happens. Is common when it is "popped" apart without the proper tool using a method an "old school" guy like that would use without knowing about this.

After 130k in Ohio winters and salt even with the right ball joint tool both my sleeves popped. I assume it was disassembled and put back together without getting this sleeve totally clean and dry.