Rep Power: 0

OK I have a 2002 Civic EX sedan with 182k on it. Over the last few months it's been making a clunking sound whenever I go over bumps / enter driveways / speed bumps etc... I had a friend replace my front brake pads yesterday and he told me that the noise was failing LCA bushings... They definately showed some crackage and shoujld be replaced.

Anyway....I am wondering if this is a relatively easy DIY kind of job? Looks like it can be a PITA to replace the bushings without some major shop equipment, but what about just swapping the entire LCA for new ones? How difficult of a DIY is that? From what I have googled, I don't think that an alignment is necessary if I am just changing the LCA's. The car drives great, even at high speeds, shows no uneven tire wear, no wierd vibrations, etc... It's just that clunking sound that comes from the front end. At first it was coming from the driver's side and now both sides, depending on which wheel is hitting the bumpr first.

Thanks....Adam

 
Rep Power: 811

any time you change suspension parts, you need an alignment. if you are going to take the lca out and do it that way, you can take the old lca and new bushings to a shop and they will only charge you to press in the new bushings ($40 maybe for all 4).

 
Rep Power: 233

You have to press the balljoint in also.

 
Rep Power: 811

i know they have tool kits for some of this stuff they rent at certain auto stores. if you know your way around cars, it may be better. its real easy to damage parts taking them out.

 
Rep Power: 366

ball joint - if they does not have play, you could keep them, although from mileage... They will require removing the knuckle too...
Yes, I simply did swap whole assembly and kept one of the good arms so i can simply take them to the machine shop to remove/install them. (the other arms was cracked, unfortunately.
4 bolts. 2 to frame, 1 for endlink, and follow utube way to remove ball joint.
then align - you never know if older arms were slightly bent and aligned with it.

 
Rep Power: 0

are the ball joints usually done at the same time as the LCA's/bushings?

BTW....thanks for the replies...

 
Rep Power: 233

^^ Usually yes but, if the balljoints show ANY signs of wear I would replace them as they are very critical to the wheel assembly not falling apart while driving and possibly killing yourself or others.

 
Rep Power: 811

yeah like every other suspension part. i think if i end up keeping this car much longer, im having everything replaced with new stuff. i always get that feeling in the back of my head that something might be loose or about to fall out.

 
Rep Power: 233

lol. Like everytime I shift and the engine mounts POP.

 
Rep Power: 0

OK...so I took the car into the dealer for the air bag recall and asked them to checkout the entire suspension. They said that everything was OK except for the LCA bushings and quoted me a price of $455 ($405 + tax and enviormental crap)....I went ahead and had them do it. Car drives great.....no more knocks when driving over bumps. I have a guy that has done work before on my Honda's and he said he would do it for $300 + parts. I am just glad it's done....hard to believe the car has 182k on it and drives as good as it does...

 
Rep Power: 0

Outstanding. There were definitely cheaper ways to go about fixing it. If you hear the noise return soon, the only other possibilities are upper strut mounts, ball joints, and front sway bar links. Enjoy.