VX - DIY lower control arm bushing?

[LarryJ]

Had my '94 VX inspected by a car doc who says I need lower control arm bushings replaced. He showed me one was cracked. I understand this is a common problem. I searched for a DIY on here, but couldn't find anything related to replacing these myself. Is this a DIY type project for someone who never had auto shop and who only has typical wrenches and sockets available. Any special tools required? They quoted me $120 for parts and $250 labor (outside DC). thanks.

[GasSavers_TomO]

If it's the rears that need to be replaced, it might actually be cheaper to just get new control arms with the bushings in them from eBay and then you can replace them yourself. Rear Lower Control Arms for Civic but then if you snap the bolts you'll need to extract them and get new bolts. Even if that happened it'll still be cheaper than having a shop do it for you and would be good experience working on your car. If you live in a rust/salt free area then the swap would be a snap! You can also just search eBay Motors for 92 Civic Rear Lower Control Arm (the 92-95 civics used the same lower control arms).

The bushing replacement isn't for the feint of heart, especially if you live in a place where road salt is used. This will cause the bolts to snap on the lower shock and sometimes in the lower bolt that goes to the bottom of the rear spindle.

[LarryJ]

Yes, it's the rear LCA bushings. That's interesting about the price for the entire lca with bushing on e-bay. "My" mechanic suggested that replacing the entire lca would be very pricey. yes, i do live in an area where salt is used (outside washington dc), but only a few times a year. I just may have to try the replacement myself. thanks Tom.

[GasSavers_TomO]

No worries!

Here in MN, it's the easiest to just replace the whole arm as the bolts usually snap, just drill and tap and then install the new arm.

[thisisntjared]

your mechanic knows he will make more $ replacing the bushing than the lca.

to replace the lca you take it out and put in the new one.

to replace the bushing you take it out, remove the old bushing and press in the nuew bush and put in the lca.

the same is true of axles....

anyway replacing the lca can be a diy adventure however the bolts back there have are EXTREMELY prone to seizing and snaping. i say unless the bolt through the lca is completely detached from the lca then forget about it. especially if you cant even feel it.

if you still want to diy, then after getting the lca(s) spray the rear bolts that will be removed with liquid wrench every 2 hours for a day. on day 2 take an airgun to them with spare bolts ready. its very useful to keep the car on jack stands and to use the jack to put weight on the shock or hub to aid in aligning the bolts with the holes. when i would snap bolts, i would just cut them with a reciprocating saw with a blade for metal

every time i put stiffer springs/shocks on any of my civics i replaced the rear lcas because the bolts would seize in the bushings. i would also put integra rear lcas as the replacement as they support a rear swaybar.

if i couldnt find rear lcas anywhere for cheaper(from a private seller) then i would order from sohfast.com