I have almost 350K miles on my TL and have been experiencing some really annoying squeaking from the front end when going over speed bumps and such. My wife thought she was hearing birds chirping until I told her it was the car. I took the car to the dealership and their diagnosis was that the LCA bushings are going bad ("sagging" was what they said). I replaced the compliance bushings with Fastline PCI compliance bearings over 9 years ago and they claim that was making the noise and causing the other bushings to fail. I've had the compliance bearings squeak in the past but a quick spray of silicon lube has always worked wonders. Their suggestion is to replace both LCAs because the labor would be less than having to deal with the bushings. Of course doing that will result in going back to rubber compliance bushings which I dread because I really like the handling improvements with the bearings.

I really fail to understand how the Fastline bearings would cause the other bushings to fail. Anybody else experience something similar? Anybody have any suggestions?

I just spent over $5K to have the rear main seal, camshaft seals, and lower PS hose replaced and don't want to spend another $2K+ for new control arms (not to mention going back to a rubber compliance bushing that will tear in a few years).

 

Oh, I'd like to add that the squeaking didn't go away this time when I sprayed some silicon lube on the compliance bearing which makes me believe it's the other bushings that are noisy. The noise went away completely after driving the car in the rain but came back about a week later.

 

I pushed out and installed my own bushings its doable. I would not just replace the entire LCA because it would be a waste of the PCI compliance bushings. Find another shop that is willing to just do those

 

If it creaks during bumps, braking and turning the steering wheel, its almost 100% for sure your lower ball joint.

Especially if the squeak goes away when you lift the car off the ground.

Your rubber bushings probably aren't the source of the noise. That is a *very* unusual situation.

Otherwise, your compliance bearing may just need service. Its not a sealed bearing. Silicone spray is not an appropriate way to lube or service a bearing like that, if its making noise. If you want a sealed option, Hardrace and Megan makes it. Sealed is better for a street car.

If you need the rubber bushings, just pay the extra for someone to push new OEM (Genuine Acura) shock and chassis pivot bushings into your existing LCA and leave your complaince bearing in place. Make 100% sure they know not to tighten the bolts on those bushings until the car is sitting at ride height. If they tighten them while the wheels are dangling and the car is lifted...they will tear themselves apart very quickly.

I can't see how new arms are cheaper than pushing 2 bushings into each arm. But...dealerships be dealerships.

The fastline part didn't wear your rubber bushings. The 350K miles did.

 

@thoiboiI'm also shying away from replacing the entire LCA because I don't want to lose the PCI compliance bearings.

@BROlandoThe suspension only creaks over bumps. I haven't noticed any noise when braking and there's definitely not any noise when turning the steering wheel. Well, the car does make a groaning sound (best way to describe it) with the steering wheel at full lock to the right (only) while the brakes are lightly applied. Only scenario is pulling into a parking space. Since that noise only happens when turning in one direction with the brakes applied, I didn't connect the two noises together.

What is the best way to service the compliance bearings short of taking them out and giving them a thorough cleaning? I didn't think grease would work because of the tolerances so that's why I thought silicon spray might help.

So if I understand this correctly, this kit would be ideal for street use because of the sealed design: https://hardraceusa.com/collections/.../hardrace-6976
And this would be a suitable compromise over OEM: https://hardraceusa.com/collections/...x-03-07-accord

If it would be cheaper, it'd be nice to keep the PCI compliance bearings and get the rear LCA bushings from the 'pillow ball' kit but I don't see those on Hardrace's website.

 

Here ya go. Although, I'm not sure the rearward ones are sealed. The compliance bearing is for sure sealed.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/12493915111...mis&media=COPY

 

Thanks for posting this @BROlando I may pick these up, Being on the Tein Flex Z coilovers (your favorites I know! ) the first thing I did was replace both ball joints (with oem) so these would be great, wonder how they ride or if it's even noticeable...

 

A better option instead of PCI, Hardrace, or Megan:

https://www.brockwayengineering.com/bushing.html

 

First off, the spherical bearings did not cause any other bushings to fail prematurely.

Creaking noise is often the anti-sway bar bushings. Over time those dry out and ideally there is a thin layer of teflon based grease between the bushing and the bar.
Those are cheap, so it might be worthwhile installing new ones. Be sure to use some Superlube grease on the bar.

The PCI spherical bearings are not sealed and therefore are not impervious to corrosion. Also, there is a thin teflon liner between the internal bearing surfaces which deforms over time.
I had those installed a while back and didn't like the increased road noise. Not sure how you can tolerate it. I installed the stock compliance bushings after a couple of weeks.
I now have the isolated bearings that Dr Honda mentioned. They are great. All the benefits of spherical bearings without the road noise.

FYI, I have a shop press and the appropriate tools, so if you want to send me your LCAs and pay for shipping back to you, I'll replace whatever bushings you want installed.

 

Resurrecting this old thread because I put this off long enough and now there's a noticeable clunk coming from the front end which I can feel ever so slightly in the steering wheel. There isn't any play in the steering and the car doesn't feel sloppy but the squeaking and creaking has gotten louder along with the clunking.

I will most likely go with the pillow ball bushing sets from Megan Racing or Hardrace but, per earlier recommendations, change the lower ball joints. My question about the ball joints is:

Are these any better than OEM ball joints?

https://hardraceusa.com/collections/...style-2pcs-set

I can get Honda OEM ball joints on eBay for $40-45.

 

I like Sankei / 555 ball joints as a quality alternative to OEM.

Watch out for counterfeit OEM parts from ebay.

 

The Sankei 555 ball joints are the same as OEM. They are the factory supplier. Can't go wrong with those. Available from Heeltoe.
I wouldn't trust the "OEM" parts being sold on ebay unless the seller is an actual Honda dealer. The counterfeit parts peddlers have gotten savvy with the packaging so it looks OEM.
The Hardrace bearings won't fit OEM lower control arms. They are slightly larger diameter. Intended for aftermarket LCAs. The only compliance bushings that I can recommend are the Brockway bushings. Ask Marcus (Heeltoe) about them.

 

What's the best way to get a hold of Marcus? I was going to send him a PM here but it doesn't look like he's been active here for some time. I submitted a (Zendesk) support request through his site but haven't gotten a response yet.

 

I submitted a quote request to HT last week and still haven't heard back. Maybe he's on vacation?