Okay I don’t have any pictures of this removal/install. Basically, if you don’t know what I’m talking about just by reading this then you shouldn’t be doing this. This write-up is not a step-by step guide to doing trailing arm bushings, its just to give people an idea of what’s involved and what to do next if they’re stuck or confused and can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel… Some of the stuff might not be in the specific order that you do it in but once again, you shouldn’t be doing this if you don’t know what I’m talking about.
First, get the rear end in the air. Get it on jackstands. Take the wheels/tires off. Get a friend to help you (buy them a 6 pack, 40, hooker, whatever they want).
Take off the rear brake calipers. This is so you don’t have to bleed the brakes. It’s a little more work, but worth it IMO. Remove the e-brake cable, and whatever bolts hold it on. My car had ABS, so disconnect all that malarky. My ABS is disabled, so I wasn’t too worried about it. Basically remove every single line attached to the trailing arm. Some of this stuff comes out easier when the TA is off the car.
Take out the UCA to TA bolt. Take out the 2 TA bushing bolts. Take out the LCA to TA bolt. Take out the TA to Compensator Arm bolt. Voila, you have just passed the point of no return. Wait, no you’ve got a ways to go.
The next part is fun for me, because I have access to a nice fancy-smancy electrical 12 ton press. Take your TA to the press. You better have some smart way to get the TA bushing out. I used a piece of aluminum pipe that had the same OD as the TA bushing. I put the pipe concentric with the TA bushing, put a piece of steel on top and hit the go button. Oh yeah, wear safety glasses. The TA presses out with a bit of force behind it. Do this twice. Now you’ve passed the point of no return.
Oh yeah, measure how far up the TA bushing protrudes from the TA. You’re going to need to press that TA bushing in so it’s the same height as before. Remember that the TA bushing isn’t symmetrical, so make note which way it goes in. I installed my TA bushings so that when the car was on the ground, the bushing was parallel with the ground. This is important if your car is lowered. How angled the bushing is installed, is a function of how low you are. That part is up to you to decide.
So anyway, just press them in the same way you pressed them out. If you are good with a press and have a friend, this should only take an hour at most to get them out and in.
Once everything is back together, install it in the reverse order you took it apart.
I wouldn’t reccomend doing this if you need your car soon after you start the install. Also, remember that machine shops aren’t open Saturdays and Sundays usually so don’t plan on doing this during the weekend unless you have a press. This goes so much faster if you have air tools. Removing the TA’s took about 15 minutes, but removing the brake stuff took about 3 hours. If I didn’t have ABS, I’d say take a whole hour off the whole procedure. Installing the TA’s and putting everything back together took about 2 hours.
Be sure to get an alignment soon, because your alignment won’t be the same.
I wouldn’t even bother with TA bushings if it was just a street car. However, I would bother with them if your rear alignment keeps going out of spec, or it’s some sort of competitive track car. My bushings weren’t completely torn, but I’d say they were about 1/2 torn. The install was worth the work in my case, but my guess is that the majority of people shouldn’t bother.
Hope that helps someone out.
Scott
EDIT: I forgot to add, I replaced my bushings with brand new OEM Acura bushings.
