Rep Power: 0

Ok, so the bolt on the horizontal bushing of the LCA is seized to the bushing. I had to use a fence post as a cheater bar to even break the bolt lose. Well I had to use the same method one quarter turn at a time to spin the bolt enough to where the thread is down in the bolt hold thing. Well the bolt and seized bushing are still attached to the LCA and the subframe. I did notice that the mounting point of the LCA onto the subframe started to bend. I didn't think to take a picture of it, so borrowed an awesome picture(from BlueEM2, thank you) of what I'm talking about. Its starting to spread open, like the force of unscrewing the bolt is pushing the top piece of the mount upwards(the smaller green circle is no longer flat, its bending upwards) It looks like it's not far enough out of whack that I should be able to get the new bolt to thread. I'm at a loss for what I should do, should I call out of work tomorrow and attempt to cut the old bolt and hope that gets me where I need to be to remove the whole LCA. Or should I take it to Honda and have them cut it, pull the old LCA, and install the new one for 200 bucks? Or is there a third option? Also, what is the likely hood that because that mounting bracket is bending upwards that I'm completely screwed? Any thoughts or comments would be awesome.

 
Rep Power: 0

Once you get that bolt unscrewed from the nut builtin the subframe, you can cut it safely, the problem with these is the rubber inside the compliance bushing separates and it becomes loose

 
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I believe I have it completely free of the builtin nut, but it bent the bracket on the subframe where the LCA bolts into. Which is my biggest concern, like for example, because it's bent, will the structural integrity of that mounting point be compromised.

 
Rep Power: 517

Bolt seized inside the steel sleeve of the bushing? I hate it when that happens.


Meh, bang it or pry it back into place after you get the bolt and bushing out of the way.
Make sure the new bolt will thread in from the bottom straight and easy before you try to stick the control arm back in.

I probably would have cut the bolt/bushing already. Cutoff wheel, cutting torch, sawzall.....


The $200 estimate would probably climb much higher once they run into that little snag of seized bolt/bushing.

 
Rep Power: 0

Yea I was just sitting there loosening the bolt and noticed the mounting bracket looked different and was like oh crap. Ya, I'm thinking I'll go the route of cut off wheel. Hack it down towards the bottom and hope for the best. Actually when I called the dealer I made sure he understood that I was saying the bolt is seized into the bushing. He said 2 hours, which before it was 2.5 hours to uninstall and reinstall both LCA's.