Rear trailing arm removal and bush replacement (56K maybe)

[Xsi]

The rear trailing bushes are the largest and are two of the most important suspension bushes on your car. The DA Integra is becoming old and it is likely the factory rubber bushes will have worn out and may have even broken free to move within the bush. Suspension modifications may affect the safety of yourself, pedestrians and other road users so if you are not confident in your mechanical ability you should leave it to a professional.

The replacement rubber bushes from Honda are expensive and you will probably find it is cheaper to buy aftermarket urethane bushes. The bushes I chose are Superpro urethane bushes made in Australia. They require you to reuse the factory steel tube to bolt to the bottom of the car, rather then other brands which have an integrated tube held by circlips. I chose this brand because it was relatively inexpensive for a small amount of extra work, and are well designed and built.

Removing the trailing arms

You will need
*Chocks
*Jack stands
*Jack
*10mm, 12mm, 14mm, 17mm sockets
*Pliers

Park the car and chock the front wheels since you'll be raising the rear. Loosen the wheel nuts then jack up the back of the car and put it on jack stands. Remove both rear wheels.
Remove the brake shield by removing the two 10mm bolts. Then remove the handbrake cable by removing the two bolts and removing the wire clip and the pin from the end of the cable. The cable can be removed from the bracket by removing the metal clip holding the cable in, then you can pull it out through the hole in the trailing arm. Remove the cable from the trailing arm by removing the 10mm bracket bolt.
Remove the caliper by removing the two 12mm caliper bolts, do not remove the brake line but remove the 12mm bolts holding the brake line to the trailing arm.
Now remove either of the LCA bolts holding it to the car ( I removed the LCA along with the RTA since it was easier to reach the bolt but you can leave it on the car.) Remove the 14mm shock bolt, sway bar bolt and upper control arm bolt.




Remove the 14mm compensator arm bolt holding the rear trailing arm to the car, located at the front of the RTA. Remove the two 17mm bolts holding the RTA bushes to the bottom of the car, you can now remove the rear trailing arm. Repeat for the other side.




Bushing replacement

With the trailing arms removed you can now take them into a suspension workshop and have the bushes professionally installed if you want, don't feel bad because you've just saved yourself a lot of money by removing the RTA's yourself. If you want to continue grab a blow torch and read on.

You will need
*Blow torch (oxy-acetylene torch)
*Sandpaper or buffer
*Large hose clamp or 2 to join together
*Grease (probably supplied with the bush)
*Press or Vice and a couple of flat bits of steel
*Screwdriver

Use the blow torch to heat the area around the outside of the bush, this will eventually break the bond between the bush and the steel shell. Do not heat it too hot or you may ruin or warp something. Once you see it start to go push it out with a screwdriver or something. Alternatively you may be able to use a lathe or a dremel to remove the bush, I haven't tried this. Now heat the tube until the rubber strips off this also, use sandpaper or a buffer to tidy up the outside of the tube and the inside of the shell.




Now it is time to install the new bushes. You must remember to GREASE the outside of the tube and the inside of the shell as well as the outside and inside of the bush. Apply plenty.
If you have a press you can go ahead and press the bushes in. If you're using a Vice like me you'll find it difficult to get the bush to slide in and will find the bush spinning around slightly. I used a hose clamp to squeeze one side of the bush, once you get it started take the hose clamp off and re-grease . You can now pop the bush into position by hand. To install the tube I found it best to insert it and push the whole RTA onto it on the ground. Make sure it is all greased and insert the tube AFTER installing the bush to make it easier.






Replace the trailing arms in reverse order from removal. Make sure you replace everything properly and use a torque wrench. Replace the bolts and wheels and lower the car to the ground BEFORE tightening the LCA, UCA, RTA, compensator, sway bar and shock bolts to prevent wearing other bushes out.
Get a rear wheel alignment as soon as possible, I noticed my car was handling erratically and am certain my alignment is a long way off. This will also increase tire wear.

[Ebola_One]

Awesome, that's very cool!
Cheers for posting that up.
Did you do this on your own? or did you have someone help you out?
How long did it take you?

Have you put this up on your website?

[hybridtec]

wowow.. awesome post.. cheers for that... i need to change mine as well
but still... i am not confident in my mechanical ability and so i should leave it to a professional ops:

[Xsi]

Will be going onto my site soon, it took 2 evenings after work, I guess about 4-5 hours all up.
I did it on my own but had my dad to help hold the trailing arm while it was I was pressing it in.

[Ebola_One]

Right, cool. I think I'll be giving it a go sometime soon.
The reason for the blowtorch, is that because the bushes are stuck to the trailing arm is it? (after years & years of living there) or were the bushes manufactured to the "shell's"??

[Xsi]

I believe they were glued to the shells and tube in the first place. The blow torch does a pretty good job, you don't have to burn the rubber off, just heat the metal to melt the glue. It does get pretty smelly so find a ventilated area.

[Pnut]

Nice work Xsi!! 8) Good thinking using the hose clip, i wouldn't have thought of that!!

No the inner and outer steel is bonded to the rubber through the manufacturing process, not glued . . . is it vulcanising, i forget??

Just remember that the fumes emitted from burning rubber is toxic so make sure it is well ventilated

I am still a bit dubious of those bushes, i don't see what stops the shaft moving sideways though whether that would be a problem i am not sure either so *shrug*. How long have they been in now??

[Xsi]

There is some lateral movement, I can see around 1/2mm of grease either side of the bush where it has moved. I don't see it as a problem since most of the movement is up and down and a twisting motion and much of the sideways movement will be absorbed by the UCA, LCA and compensator arm.

[hybridtec]

so, how much does it cost?
my one is EG hatchback, where should i go for the parts?

[plutoniumman]

Can someone tell me the diameter of the rear trailing arm bush (entire thing with metal tube)?. I bought some noltec ones from BNT but they said that there were two different sizes for DAs ( not sure if they are right). Anyway, I bought the ones they thought were right and I want to make sure they are the correct size before I go pulling the car apart.

[Carmad]

Thanks for a brilliant post.

At least I know now what my car failed its warrant on anyway. I have a EF civic sedan, and the new bushes for the rear are $92 + GST each as well as the labour to fit it as I don't have the right gear and don't want to stuff anything up.

Where is the best place to maybe get some urethane bushes?? And roughly what do they cost?

Any help would be appreciated.

[Xsi]

I've heard good things about a place called SAS, not sure if theres one in Hammy. You could also try BNT. Have a look for the post on RTA bushes in the competition forum

[Pnut]

When i called SAS they didn't have them, and seeing as everyone raved over the Noltec ones i chose them, and they turned out to be the cheapest . . . apart from the ones Xsi has just installed. The nolathane ones are the same design as the factory Honda ones, personally i think it is a defective design seeing as if it is not set absolutly perfect then it will contantly be putting pressure on the rubber to deteriorate it. At least the Noltec and also Xsi's ones let the inner shaft move somewhat to take up any movement and misalignment which always happens over time 8)

[NAspirated]

Originally Posted by Ebola_One

Right, cool. I think I'll be giving it a go sometime soon.
The reason for the blowtorch, is that because the bushes are stuck to the trailing arm is it?

no. Trailing arm bushes were designed by honda to be hammered out, and then hammered back in. Even Honda Service technicians follow this procedure.

A blowtorch is totally unnecessary for removal OR installation...

[Pnut]

Originally Posted by NAspirated

A blowtorch is totally unnecessary for removal OR installation...

he only used the torch to melt/burn out the old rubber, as the new bushes reuse the factory bushes outer shell and inner shaft.

Most other bushes won't require that as they include a new shell and shaft :wink: , but then they are an extra $?

[NAspirated]

Originally Posted by Pnut

he only used the torch to melt/burn out the old rubber, as the new bushes reuse the factory bushes outer shell and inner shaft.

Most other bushes won't require that as they include a new shell and shaft :wink: , but then they are an extra $?

i can read thank you matthew :wink: but it seems other peeps cant....re-read my post and look at what im quoting.... :wink:

but i will state that XSI could have hammered the bush out of the arm THEN heated it, then installed his new bush, then reinstalled it. wouldnt have taken the 5hours it did and he wouldnt have had to remove the whole damn trailing arm......

sometimes i think people actually like doing things the longest and hardest way possible.

[Pnut]

Originally Posted by NAspirated

i can read thank you matthew :wink: but it seems other peeps cant....re-read my post and look at what im quoting.... :wink:

but i will state that XSI could have hammered the bush out of the arm THEN heated it, then installed his new bush, then reinstalled it. wouldnt have taken the 5hours it did and he wouldnt have had to remove the whole damn trailing arm......

sometimes i think people actually like doing things the longest and hardest way possible.

Thats good Douglas, i am glad.

Actually i was trying to reassure the other person too, just not very good at it .

IMHO it is easier to do it with the whole arm removed though if you are smart when doing it and mark all the positions of the trailing and control arms in relation to the chassis it would be possible to change the bush without having to get an alignment done afterwards. Would be alot more difficult for the average weekend mechanic though.

I wouldn't put heat near the trailing arm either if it were me (not wanting to cause trouble or anything), mostly because of the risk of warping the arm. Even if it weren't heated up that much to soften the steel (which most lacking experiance with a gas torch would possibly do without knowing) it is possible to cause the arm to warp, especially considering the internal stresses induced into the steel through the pressing process (the arm is just a pressed plate of steel to form a lightweight beam of sorts). Of course the same risks can be said of bashing it with a hammer

Still good to see different processes to accomplish the same job, though not too many would have access to a gas set, i didn't :wink:

[Xsi]

If I had a hoist I would have definately left the trailing arms on, on jack stands it would have been a pain in the ass as the exhaust is right in the road and there isn't much room to move anyway especially for a 6ft 2 100kg person . Leaving them on would have made it a lot faster.
You're right about the heat, I was very careful and I should probably stress that a bit more in my write up. It really didn't get much heat and didn't seem to take a lot before they just fell out.
Most people won't have a torch sitting at home so they'll have to remove the trailing arms anyway to take into a workshop.

[Pnut]

I can't remember if i read it here or by PM from Chris, but as he has a pit at his place he said he was able to brace the arm with a piece of 4x2 so he could hammer it out and in easily enough while in the car. For me in the crampt garage late at night it was an impossibility.

I must say i was a little worried about hammer the bush out and possibly bending the arm, but it is quite solid so i reackon the risks are pretty minimal.

Still good to see different was of accomplishing a task for those who aren't as "experianced" at working on their cars but want to give it a go. 8) .

Bushes still going great? I have been wondering about when I will need to regrease mine again

[Chris]

Yep it was me who used the bit of 4x2



Even left the wheel on as well.

They can be done very quickly on the car (if you can get to a hoist or pit), 1st one took me about an hour, the second one took about 1/2 an hour. (Once I had worked out how to do it.)

The arm itself is very strong, as I recall it only took about 3-4 firm hits and the bush fell out.

My car has rear drums so I didn't want to be bothered disconnecting brake lines etc in order to get the arm off.

[NAspirated]

Fair enough guys.

From the perspective I read the post (which is made quite beautiful by the large photos...dang 56K POS!!!!!!!!!!) I understood you to mean you HAD to Heat the arm to get the bush out. like there was no other way.

obviously i read that wrong :wink:

call me douglas again mattheeeeeew, and i shall beat you over the head with Chris' 2x4.... ...i HATE that name....thats why i use my middle name...

but yes, good post. i understand why you heated them, just didnt want to see someone hurting themselves with a blowtorch cause they think its the only way :wink:

[CRXnut]

[quote="NAspirated
no. Trailing arm bushes were designed by honda to be hammered out, and then hammered back in. Even Honda Service technicians follow this procedure.[/quote]
While the rear of the RTA is still connected to the car???? Any special hammer needed(rubber mallet/nylon mallet??) or just a normal claw hammer, and (assuming it new with the little arms, Noltec)where do you hit it(along the edge)??? or do you need to use a big socket to spread the effort???

[Pnut]

if you look close there is an outer shell about maybe 2-2.5mm thick, you smack that with a hammer as it is "pressed" into the trailing arm. Note that it is tapered so it can only be pressed in and out in one direction and so tightens the further you hit it in. Any hammer is ok to use, personally i use copper where ever possible to avoid damage to most other parts in case i miss or if the hammer bounces off and hits something, it was something i learned quite early on as an apprentice . Socket is not necessary (and i doubt you will have one handy that big), You can make sure it is evenly in by using a rule up against it to get it close enough. Just don't use the claw end of the hammer

Just remember Chris and NAsperated did theirs in the car by supporting the arm against the forces weilded by the hammer, eg wedging a piece of 4x2 against the arm and say a wall or whatever. If you don't do that you will possibly bend the adjustment arm at the engine end of the arm and will find the other suspention bushes probably absorb alot of the impact force and so not moving the pivot bush.

The Noltec ones come bonded to the shell and have a movable inner shaft and come pre-assembled, the brand Xsi has used (super***???) reuse the shell and shaft from the factory bush which you need to remove the rubber from and reassemble. :wink:

[CRXnut]

Thanks P-nut, I guess all I need to worry about then is the taper of the bush and making sure it goes in properly.

[mick]

the initial pics dont work