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I'm getting ready to replace the front suspension on the 2004 Civic LX, and have most everything I need except the right tools to remove and reinstall the ball joints in the knuckles. There are a lot of sets I'm seeing, but they seem to fall either earlier or later than the 7th gen Civics.
There is a master OTC set, 6529-5, that would work, but since I don't know if I'll be owning many more Hondas, spending $200+ on the set doesn't make sense. (The CR-Vs we own have ball joints that bolt to the bottom of the lower control arm.) There are some other sets that are less expensive (like the
, or the https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/c/evertough/tools---equipment-16488/rental-tools-16837/rental-tools--suspension---steering-19169/9e8ada6cd6e2/rental-tools-evertough-honda-ball-joint-adapter-set/ren1/67049) but those seem to be only for earlier Civics (up to 2000). I use mainly electric tools and don't have a powerful enough air compressor to use an air hammer to get them out or reinstall. (Someone actually makes air hammer tools that fit ball joints.)
Are there any Honda ball joint kits I'm missing? We do have a good machine shop nearby but if I can spend the same and get my own tools for possible future use (or resell), I'd rather go that route.
Whoops! Wrong tool--I need it to press the ball joint out of the knuckle, not release it from the lower control arm. I already have a similar separator for ball joints and tie rods. (Or for tie rods, a big flippin' hammer makes quick work of those.)
Check the links (underlined) in my first post for an idea of which tools I'm looking at. There are many out there but only the OTC Honda master set seems to cover what I need, and it's $200-ish. I was curious to know if anyone has used any other sets that might have worked on the 7th gen.
I have always used something like the below along with some deep set sockets I have laying around. Most auto parts stores will have a similar one for rent. You pay the full price up front then return within ~90 days for a full refund. This specific one is the Powerbuilt Tools Kit 72, Ball Joint Service Kit (10 Piece) from Advance Auto Parts.
Close! Those rental sets do not have the right cut-out sleeves to fit the inside of the knuckle--I've tried a few already with other Hondas. Even the expanded set I got from Advance Auto does not have the right cut-out sleeve I need to press the ball joints out. I don't mind buying a small set and the right add-on set...if it's the right one. That's why I thought I'd ask here--I figured someone might have used a specific set on the '01-'05 Civics. It's just that the OTC master Honda set I linked above is $200 for something I might use only once, but it would have what I need. (Then again, I could resell it when I no longer need it.) I'd pay $40-$50 for the right set, as the local machine shop I trust would charge more than that to remove/replace the ball joints.
The add-on sets I linked in my first post show what I'm looking at, and I'm afraid that aside from a Honda kit from O'Reilly (which didn't link correctly in my post), the rest are all for non-Honda applications.
So much easier in my '09 CR-V. It's held on with three nuts!
Or the other option is to buy a cheap set and grind away the clearance I need. And I'd probably spend more time grinding on it than doing the entire front suspension.
The kit I linked I used like 3 weeks ago to replace the ball joints on my '03 CRV, basically the exact same suspension as the 7th gen Civic. It definitely wasn't perfect but I made it work without damaging the tool or the knuckle.
I've only done ball joints maybe five times. I can't justify buying a proper set when I can make the loaner tool work the handful of times I'd need it.
Interesting. I haven't looked that closely at the ball joints on the Civic yet, but they were not that pleasant of an experience on the old CR-V (first gen) or the TSX I worked on last summer. I know they kind of tuck that ball joint in to where it's not so easy to access, and sometimes they do require that notched sleeve to fit properly.
On the TSX, though, I gave up trying to swap the ball joints and decided to build up some all-new knuckles with new bearings and hubs, since everything else was getting kind of crusty and the ABS sensors were rusted into place (one was bad, or the bearing was inserted backwards). I let the machine shop do all that work (ball joints, bearing, hub). I dealt with all the rest, though, including removing bolts that had rusted inside the lower control arm bushings, and breaking off two of the weld nuts. But it all came out good in the end--no complaints!
I already have a similar separator for ball joints and tie rods. (Or for tie rods, a big flippin' hammer makes quick work of those.) 
