[Solscud007]

will that gap be a problem waiting to happen?

 

[jojo]

Yeah, see if you can use a pair of pliers to push it back in.

 

[wiseguy2213]

That is definitly a problem waiting to happen. The vibration from it will cause abnormal wear. Get that fixed ASAP!

 

[jojo]

It looks to me like the arm is hitting the inside top of the strut tower. The force of the suspension is pushing up on the arm but when it hits the tower it's slowly pushing the ball joint out. Might want to find out why it's hitting the top of the tower.

 

[Solscud007]

so can jsut hammer is back down?

 

[jojo]

Hammer, no. Try a pair of pliers to squeez it back in.

 

[GSR_J]

Replace the control arm.

Hammering the balljoint back in is a very temporary bandaid.

Those balljoints are pressed onto the control arm. If it pops out like yours has, it will pop out again if you simply hammer it back in, but it will come out easier next time.

 

[greaseman]

Replace the control arm.

Hammering the balljoint back in is a very temporary bandaid.

Those balljoints are pressed onto the control arm. If it pops out like yours has, it will pop out again if you simply hammer it back in, but it will come out easier next time.

good advice, replace it. it almost looks a little bent if you ask me..but i cant remember what mine looked like..but do not hammer it back in, its pressed in..so buy a new one..better yet, buy a camber kit

 

[greaseman]

NVM..its not bent..its bent like that to maintain its level..sorry

 

[jojo]

But if the ball joint is being pounded out slowly, it's very possible it wont come back out.
Finding the cause of the problem is key here.

 

[GSR_J]

But if the ball joint is being pounded out slowly, it's very possible it wont come back out.
Finding the cause of the problem is key here.

Very key.

Just simply replacing the control arm doesn't fix the problem.

one major cause of the control arm hitting the shock tower is cut bump stops. The bump stops are there to prevent the suspension from hitting the body, and they act as a "helper spring" in the event that you hit the bumpstops.

Having your car too low will eventually wear out your bumpstops as they are pliable.

Also with the use of camber kits, if you overcorrect your camber by moving the control arm out, away from the shock tower, you will hit the shock tower with the end of the control arm as there is very little room up there to clear the control arm.

 

[GSR_J]

Check the shock towers to see if your control arm is hitting.

Right where the washer fluid lines are clipped together at the shock tower, there's a small hole drilled into the tower for the clip to sit in. This is around the area where the control arm would make contact from underneath. Same spot on the passenger side. Look for a dent or chipped paint. A sure sign that the control arm is hitting.

Its difficult to see by the pics if the arm is hitting the shock tower. If there is no indication that the arm is hitting the tower, then it may be the case that your balljoint & control arm is simply worn out.

 

[Solscud007]

oh ok yeah I do have cracked paint

small pic but youc an kinda see that grey line next to the grey sqaure thing? So get bump stops you say? and that will help to prevent this problem?

 

[liveintegra]

Problem
Geet it fixed now. The same thing happened. Make sure your bumpstops do what they are suppost to do.

 

[tony_2018]

Quote: GSR_J on Jan/29/06Replace the control arm.
Hammering the balljoint back in is a very temporary bandaid.

Those balljoints are pressed onto the control arm. If it pops out like yours has, it will pop out again if you simply hammer it back in, but it will come out easier next time.



good advice, replace it. it almost looks a little bent if you ask me..but i cant remember what mine looked like..but do not hammer it back in, its pressed in..so buy a new one..better yet, buy a camber kit

i second that.it does look like the a arm is bent.get it replace along with a new ball joint.

 

[GSR_J]

The ball joint and A arm are sold as one. AFAIK, you can't get aftermarket upper balljoints and press them in. (Someone correct me with real info if I'm wrong here)

Acura only sells the upper control arm with a balljoint installed. They do not sell just the upper balljoint.

It may be wise to consider adjustable UCA's to allow for minor camber adjustments. Stress the minor part here.

Again...there is very little room for adjustment of the UCA on a lowered suspension:

We're talking maybe a half inch at most.

When you have the suspension apart, push the UCA up and see just how much room you have up there. Better yet, take a few pics if you could and share them with us.

 

[emia6]

i just learned something new.

 

[Weston]

Yeah, definately get that fixed. I just discovered that I had developed the same problem last night, and it got noticably worse from driving today, so I was close to disaster. Fortunately, that driving was to my friend's shop to get some exhaust work done, so we were easily able to fix this as well... There's no way you'll be able to squeeze it back in place, and hammering down on the ball joint is questionable. He used an air hammer on the under side of the upper control arm, and the ball joint went back in place almost instantly. But being that it's supposed to be pressed in and has already come loose, it's possible that it would come out again, so he put 4 good spot welds on it to hold it in place. It's a good cheap fix, but being that this is a road racing car, I'll be picking up another arm as a spare so I'll have a replacement ready if it ever acts up... I don't really want to risk having my left front suspension and alignment go crazy on me in the middle of a high speed turn on track.

 

[Vi3tB0i7o7]

ha, thats nothing, mines popped three times because of my stock blown shocks on a 2.5 drop. it can cause lots of damage. get it fixed. everyturn i went thru made my whole wheel vibrate. u cant just hammer it back in. its compressed onto the arm.