Replacing Trailing Arm Bushings on My Honda Civic!

My 1999 civic ek3 has had its trailing arm bushing cracked for over a decade. Time for replacement!

The Honda xtractor tool is mandatory for this job. For each side, 6 bolts were removed. The sockets needed were 10mm for the abs cable, 12mm for the handbrake cable, 14mm for the upper control arm and compensator arm bolts, 17mm for the bushing bolts.

Removing the old bushings were very easy, putting in the new Ones were very tricky but I will tell you how I got it done!

Step 1: Preparing to Remove the Bushings.

Safety first. Jack stands and gear in Park. I soaked the old bushings in penetrating oil the night before and this Made the job super easy!

The old bushing had an arrow at its bottom to indicate it's clock position. I used a knife to mark it on the trailing arm. If this is not done then the new bushings will fail prematurely.

I also marked the compensator arm before I removed the bolt. Luckily the grime left a perfect mark when I removed the bolt. It's important to have it back in the exact spot to preserve the alignment of the wheel.

The bolts mentioned in the previous step were removed. The last ones I removed were the bushing bolts.

Step 2: Removing the Old Bushings.

The xtractor tool pushed out the bushing really easy. The mini cable loop was to ensure the old bushings don't fly away.

A 14mm socket is needed to drive the tool and an extension makes ratcheting easier.

During driving the old bearing out, a bunch of loud clonks were heard as the old bearing slid out.

I put bearing grease in the empty bushing socket.

Step 3: Installing the New Bushings.

I learned the technique to get the bushing in properly. I had to hammer tap the new bushings in first to hold them. Next the tool cup had to be carefully placed exactly on the bushing.

While driving in the new bushing, it skewed. I had to remove the tool and hammer tap the bushing to level it off. The tool was again used to drive the bushing. Nearly at the point where the white line met the trailing arm, I had to hammer tap again.

It took 20 minutes to get the new bushing in.

Step 4: Completing the Job.

Of course all the removed bolts need to go back in however the final torque has the be when the suspension is raised to simulate the car resting on is wheel.

For my civic 14inches from the tire well to the centre of the hub is that simulated value. I coated all the bolts with bearing grease which I have a lot of in storage. I used my torque tool to tighten the bushing bolts to 64Nm and the upper control arm bolt to 54Nm.

Now car rides smoother and quieter! Job well done!