91 Honda Civic Hatchback Si-Upper control Arm

[Gito]

Finally got around replacing the upper control arm on my 91 Civic Hatchback Si. I had issues installing the first one which was purchased from Rock Auto.
It was too wide which caused the arm not to seat properly. I returned both, one new and boxed.

And so I received a new pair from Rock Auto (different manufacture) and the fit was OK.

The problem is that the one that I installed (left side) is making a really bad noise. I know that the noise is from the upper control arm but I'm not sure exactly where the noise is coming from.

Any turning or bump on the road will cause the noise

When I removed the old one, I thought it was a good idea to NOT to change the position and angle of the arm. I wanted to match the new arms angle to the old one. I quickly noticed that the new arm bolts were angled differently.

I took the time to loosen the side bolts and nuts that hold the upper bushings in place and angled them exactly the way the old upper control arm was angled.

I did tighten them really good and thought this might be the issue. I then loosened the nuts a little and thought that it would help..Well it did help but the noise is still there.

Is the noise being caused by the angle that the upper control arm was installed?

Should I spray a lubricant on the upper bushings?

Is there a possibility that the upper ball joint has been damaged because of the position and angle the upper arm control was installed..

Please advise..

Might have to just pull everything off again.

Just wondering if it was necessary to angle the upper control arm to match the old one or should I have just installed it the way it came out of the box?

 

[michaelluscher]

The ball joint could have been affected

...you did wait until the car was on the ground to fully tighten all the bushing bolts......right?

 

[Gito]

Originally Posted By: michaelluscher
The ball joint could have been affected

...you did wait until the car was on the ground to fully tighten all the bushing bolts......right?


No, I did not tighten the bushing bolts when the car was on the ground. I did NOT really have room to reach the bushing bolts.

I did jack the car up slightly and loosened the bolts.

Could this be the issue?

 

[Trav]

The weight needs to be on them. If its too low to gain access just put a floor jack under the lower control arm to take the weight then tighten the upper arm nuts.

 

[Gito]

Update:

Loosened the upper control arm bushing bolts,

Lifted car on jack stands,
Positioned the jack under the lower control arm
Removed the tire
Jacked the car up from under the lower control arm
Tightened the bushing bolts

NOISE IS GONE

Thanks to Michaelluscher and Trav

 

[Gito]

A second Update.

The noise came back after about a week

So this time, while the car was on the ground and with the tire on, I was able to squeeze my hand thru and reach the nut with a 15mm wrench.

I loosened the nut and retightened it while my car was a normal stance and the noise is gone..