I'm replacing the upper control arms in my Accord. I know that you're supposed to tighten the bolts when the weight of the car is on the suspension. (I replaced them once before without doing that and they creaked terribly). But the new arms I bought has the bolts pre-tightened. I'm trying to loosen them but they're extremely tight. Are they pre-tightened for a reason? Should I just install them as-is? I don't want to do this again.
tightening control arm bolts
- Thread starter exranger06
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JHZR2
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Dont the control arms bolt into the fender and the sway bar? That is how they work on my MB. Not sure how you could install them with the bolts already tightened?
Id imagine if there are bushings installed, that they may be tightened down to keep them compressed for easier fitting.
Id imagine if there are bushings installed, that they may be tightened down to keep them compressed for easier fitting.
What the heck is already tightened?
Anyways...
Tighten the ones that attach it to the car with the weight on the vehicle.
Lubed urethane bushings can be tightened anytime.. rubber should not be.
Anyways...
Tighten the ones that attach it to the car with the weight on the vehicle.
Lubed urethane bushings can be tightened anytime.. rubber should not be.
Is this control arm one of those ones where there are like little brackets off the bushing that bolt to the body by themselves? I think i did a pair once and just remember cursing having to take out the fusebox to gain access.
Sorry for the confusion. This is what the control arm looks like. (It is obviously upside-down in this pic)
As you can see, it comes with the brackets with bushings. It bolts to the inner fender. The first pair I bought had the bolts loose so the brackets flopped around freely. I made the mistake of tightening them before installing them on the car. This pair I just bought already had the bolts tightened. And these are rubber bushings.
Originally Posted By: exranger06
As you can see, it comes with the brackets with bushings. It bolts to the inner fender. The first pair I bought had the bolts loose so the brackets flopped around freely. I made the mistake of tightening them before installing them on the car. This pair I just bought already had the bolts tightened. And these are rubber bushings.
Is this an OEM or aftermarket upper arm? Was the other one OEM or aftermarket?
Are the mounting bolts aligned with the mark on the arm itself? If so, then bolt it in as-is. The OE arm has alignment marks, and comes pre-aligned.
If this is an aftermarket arm and lacks alignment marks, pull the old arm and make sure the new one has its bolts aligned just like the old one before you install it.
As you can see, it comes with the brackets with bushings. It bolts to the inner fender. The first pair I bought had the bolts loose so the brackets flopped around freely. I made the mistake of tightening them before installing them on the car. This pair I just bought already had the bolts tightened. And these are rubber bushings.
Is this an OEM or aftermarket upper arm? Was the other one OEM or aftermarket?
Are the mounting bolts aligned with the mark on the arm itself? If so, then bolt it in as-is. The OE arm has alignment marks, and comes pre-aligned.
If this is an aftermarket arm and lacks alignment marks, pull the old arm and make sure the new one has its bolts aligned just like the old one before you install it.
Looks like the factory set them about where they should be.
You can is unusual with that system. It is very nice, but not the norm.
If it drops into the mounts without strain, you should be OK.
You can is unusual with that system. It is very nice, but not the norm.
If it drops into the mounts without strain, you should be OK.
These are aftermarket arms. I didn't notice any alignment marks on them or the OE arms, I never even knew they had alignment marks. I already installed the arms the other day. I ended up loosening the bolts and retightening with the weight of the car on the suspension. So far so good...
You did the best that could be done.
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