Hey guys,

I'm going to be replacing the front upper and lower control arms, plus brake rotors on my '94 Accord LX this weekend, and I was hoping to get some guidance/pointers ahead of time.

My plan is to first remove the knuckle following this tutorial:


Next, I'll remove and replace the upper and lower control arms. I've never replaced a lower control arm before, so to be sure: After removing the knuckle, I still need to disconnect the lower control arm from the radius rod, stabilizer bar, and damper fork, correct? And this should be relatively straight forward (remove a few bolts and I'm good)?

As for the rotors, I've read horror stories of captive rotors, so do you guys have any neat tips/tricks that I can use to make the job bearable? I don't have an air hammer so I'm relying on brute force (and PB blaster).

Also, feel free to add any notes/precautions/tips/advice as well as special tools that may pertain to this job.


Thanks in advance!!



PS. Here's the relevant page from the shop manual:

 

Replacement of the upper control arm is straight forward even on northern cars. Replacement of the lower control arm can be more difficult as rusted and broken bolts may be encountered if not done with heat and patience. Even so a bolt may still break if it is rusted.

As far as the rotor replacement goes there are tips from myself and many others on this site. The hub has to come off and brut force will not do it. You either have to take the knuckle assemble out and press out the hub race, or your have to get a hub puller. Other then that it is pretty straight forward, but I caution I have been working on Honda's for many years and know may way around all the potential issues. If all goes well the entire job should be complete in about 1.75 hours per side using a hub puller and replacement of both control arms, but if you don't have the proper tools plan on doing the job when the car is not needed for a while. I notice you are in Michigan so plan for the worst and hope for the best.

If you don't have a hub puller or a press then you can take the knuckles out and should be able to take them to most shops and have them replace the rotors.

Good luck. I have replaced hundreds of front brakes on to 90 to 97 Accords and numerous control arms so don't just assume it is just nuts and bolts. I live in Northern NE and the rust and age plays a major factor.

 

I'm slightly confused by tis statement. I read through this tutorial pretty thoroughly, and some of the comments (#10) suggest that hammering the hub out from behind works? Additionally, it seems that a lot of people end up pulling the hub and bearing apart when they use a puller?

I'm a little uncertain now since that's a pretty important (and difficult) step.

 

The hub/bearing can come out as a unit. You do not need to separate the hub from the bearing to replace the rotor. That ericthecarguy video is a good guide on how to do this. Feel free to hit rusted parts bolts and around the back of the bearing with penetrating oil.

 

So... I can get the rotor off by hammering it from the back like in the video without using a hub puller...?


P.S. I'm not trying to undermine Turtlehead's advice; I just read the comments in the above tutorial, which seem to suggest that using a hub puller has the risk of separating the hub and bearing. I want to be clear about the method before attempting it.

 

That is correct. You can follow that video and do not need a hub puller.

I don't know what tools you have, but I would remove the axle nut first, because that can be a pain. Use a punch to un-stake the axle nut. Watch the beginning of this video:


Ball joints can be tough, because they won't come out of the housing. The hammer method has worked for me like in the videos. I will rent a pitman (sp?) puller from autozone. They have two sizes, so get them both, because I can't remember which one fits. A pickle fork will tear up the ball joint boot and that is not good.