Upper control arms 1990

[dora1990]

My 1990 Accord has shot upper ball joints, I understand I must replace the complete upper control arms. As the car is on its last legs I want to spend a minimum on repairs. What is involved in replacing the contro arms? Any idea of labor cost if I can't do it myself.

[HONDA_99]

Toughest thing would be separate ball joint from steering knuckle; you have to have or nice hammer. To use hammer you need to have experience in ball joint separation, so I recommend ball joint separator tool which can be rented at local auto store like AUTOZONE, its free with safety deposit.

[JimmyzGarage]

Originally Posted by dora1990

My 1990 Accord has shot upper ball joints, I understand I must replace the complete upper control arms. As the car is on its last legs I want to spend a minimum on repairs. What is involved in replacing the contro arms? Any idea of labor cost if I can't do it myself.

if you go to Autozone Web site you'll be able to find repair guides for your car.

From my experience, this is pretty easy to do with common hand tools. You'll need a socket set, pliers, hammer and a possibly a ball joint separator.

1. after jacking the car up and removing the wheels, unbolt the castle nut that connects the ball joint to the steering knuckle.
2. unscrew the bolt that holds the control arm to the anchors. this is the long bolt. You may have to re-use the bushings and collars from the old control arm.
3. have your alignment checked after you are done.

Good luck!

[HONDA_99]

With double wish bone suspension you won't need to realign suspension, if geometry of it remain same and it will remain same after replacement of upper control arm.