flirp

I've posted this question in a UK forum, then realised it's not frequented much!

The rubber boot over my nearside front suspension arm lower balljoint has split. I've just sealed it up with RTV black for the time being. Has anyone replaced just the boot, rather than the whole balljoint (which looks very involved)?

If so I could really use some advice - I've done pretty much everything else on motors bar suspension components, apart from changing a droplink once. I notice Honda do sell the boot separately, part number 51225-S5A-003.

Assuming I can pop the joint as shown in this youtube video (some sort of forum vid linking bug - youtube.com/watch?v=hJR77aN-MDk )

, is it possible to prise the wishbone down enough to swap the boot? How about popping the joint back in afterwards, will it pop back in under the weight of the car?

I check underneath the car fairly frequently, so I'm sure the balljoint itself is fine.

If anyone has done this themselves, I'd love to hear your opinion!

ezone

That's a super easy way...... but be ready to do it another way if that doesn't work.

The ball joint boots are not too hard to do. You will probably need an appropriately sized tube to drive the boot into place because the opening has a metal ring embedded in the rubber, so it doesn't just slide into place easily by hand. Refer to a service manual, they may give a factory tool number and hopefully a picture.


It's on rubber bushings. It will move.

You don't "pop" a balljoint back in.

The thing is held tight by the interference fit of the tapered shaft and tapered hole, this is why one must use force to separate them. To reassemble you simply put the stud in the hole and torque the nut properly.

Visual isn't good enough. Gotta get the weight off of it and see if there is any play in the joints. No point in rebooting a bad joint.

http://www.knowyourparts.com/technical-articles/measure-ball-joint-wear/

flirp

Thanks for replying so quickly ezone, much appreciated. And for getting that clip to embed!!

Thanks for the heads-up on the boot's metal ring, now I understand why the manual talks about using a driver tool (07QAD-P0A0100 here, 07965-SA50500 elsewhere). I've also found a thread where people made do with an appropriate diameter piece of pipe.

How hard is it to pry the wishbone down enough to clear the balljoint's bolt, am I fighting the coil spring?

Also - BIG thanks about reassembly. I guess it's less strong than I imagined. I thought if it wasn't pressed in first, the castle nut might strip the ball joint bolt threads rather than pull the ball into the socket. It's very reassuring to learn otherwise.

[edit - hang on. I think the penny's dropped. It's not the ball joint itself that's being prised from it's socket, just it's tapered shaft from the wishbone].

Oh, the Civic passed its MOT test last week btw. It would have failed if the boot had split (it's very obvious, fresh grease on the wishbone) or if there was any play in the ball joint. I couldn't find any play while I was patching the old boot either, so I reckon it's still good.

ezone

I'm assuming your car is roughly identical to the North American 7th gen Civic?
EDIT: 3 door hatchback with 1.4 L engine?



Right. The body of the joint stays with the suspension part it is pressed into. You are only messing with the stud of the joint at this point.


I saw the post you made on the UK forum, I do not disassemble the swaybar link to do this work. I'd only do that if I had to remove the lower control arm.


I assume you have McPherson strut type front suspension:
Even with the swaybar link still connected, by using a prybar it should be easy to move the lower control arm down far enough to move the knuckle to the side away from the stud of the ball joint.


Be careful to avoid swinging it outward, you can pull the inboard CV joint apart within its boot if you make the axle extend too far. Then you'd have a problem LOL.

HTH

flirp

Yep, 3 door, 1.4 hatchback. From what I can tell comparing the manuals I have, the UK car is basically the same as the US Gen 7 Civic (the major difference, of course, being that I just spent 11.33GBP / 18.13 USD on a little rubber boot at the stealership today!!)



I've sprayed a little plusgas on the droplink threads just in case I can't pry the wishbone down enough (hopefully change the boot on the weekend).

I do still need to find something roughly the right size to drive the new boot into place. Come to think of it, how hard is it to pull out the old boot, if the new one has to be driven in? What do you do, split it with a stanley blade?

Thanks for your input, it's been tremendously helpful.

ezone

Try a hardware store? Find a suitable size tube that will be strong enough. Maybe PVC drain plumbing pipe, maybe steel pipe.

Borrow the correct tool from a local dealership?

Channel lock type pliers, or hammer and chisel?

A knife blade isn't going to cut through the metal ring.

flirp

Hey, I managed it! Huzzah! I had to tap a thin screwdriver blade round the old boot's lip to free it. Driving the new boot into place was very difficult, using a crappy homemade tool (a fabric softener cap of the right circumference, with a hole cut in the middle for the threaded shaft to clear, holding an oversize socket over that, and tapping with a hammer).

You were right, I did not have to disconnect the swaybar to shift the suspension column off to the side of the wishbone!

THANK YOU!

ps - that clever trick in the youtube video worked first time.