86 accord damper fork

We are trying to remove the transaxle on an 86 accord (automatic,
carburated), when we got to the step regarding removing the driveaxles, the
first thing you must accomplish is removing a large nut and bolt from the
damper fork to lower control arm, however on the drivers side this bolt is
rust welded on there, im not sure exactly how it happened... so for the last
two days my father and i have been drilling the bolt out of the fork and the
control arm, we have destroyed one socket wrench, two sockets, and numerous
drill bits attempting the removal of this thing.
My big question is how bad am i going to mess things up by going
medieval with the drills in this hole? I know that the normal threading has
already been destroyed due to our extraction efforts, and things look bleak.
Am I going to have to possibly replace the entire dampershaft as well as the
lower control arm by getting down in here? There just doesnt seem to be
much hope of getting this thing out without doing some structural damage.
Any advice would help! Thanks

 

Well you really don't have to take them completely out. You just pull them
out of the trans and slide them out until the inner joint stops against the
"fork" and let them hang.

 

I'll second that. If you don't need to replace the axle right now, just
pop the lower ball joint and pull the axle out of the transmission. Be
careful of the CV joints and boots when you're moving things around.

My dad and I replaced the axles on my Accord long before the transmission.
We had the same problem. It was worst on the driver's side. You know, once
you get the head off you're not clear. That bolt is seized into a hardened
steel sheath in the bushing. That sheath meets the fork so it will
seriously hinder your attempts to cut that part of the bolt to get the fork
off. My dad used an angle grinder but that took metal off the fork. This
is the only "choice of materials" failure I've seen on these cars but it
sure is tough to deal with.

You probably know this already, but that bushing is press fit. I think it
is supposed to need 16,000 lbs. to press it into the lower control arm.
Dealers often just replace the arm, which comes with the inner and outer
bushings already installed. I believe the inner CV joint is a roller joint.
It has 3 wheels that fit into rectangular tracks to allow tilt and lateral
motion. The set of wheels attach to the axle. I believe they fit through
the fork. The outer shell of the inner joint does not. I have not done
this, but I believe you can take the large clip off the boot and just slide
the joint apart and pull the axle through the fork. If you have the tool
and a clip you can get the new one on by backtracking your steps. Just make
sure the fork and everything is real clean so you don't get sand in the
grease.

Hope this helps,
Aron

 

I have seen this done. Works fine if you are carefull. bob

 

I took the hammer to killing the fly method against this one, and ended up
cutting throught the bushing. I guess i am going to have to replace the
lower control arm, which shouldnt be too bad... however the fork was left in
pretty bad shape when we finished drilling through one side of it so, Im not
sure if im going to be replacing both the damper fork and the control arm
however at this point, it looks bleak

 

Why replace the lower control arm? I have an '88 Civic which has a similar
front suspension and just replaced the bushings on my lower control arms,
both front and rear. The fronts were comparatively easy as opposed to the
rears. Moreover, the bushings cost quite a bit less than the complete arm,
$120 vs ~ $28.50 for the bushings at http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com.
If you don't have access to a hydraulic press to replace the bushings
yourself, then it would likely still be less expensive to pay a shop to
replace the bushings for you.

Eric

 

yeah, thats my problem right now, that in the middle there is a siezed bolt
and destroyed bushings, I dont think i have much of a chance of repaing
without costing myself a bit

left > in pretty bad shape when we finished drilling through one side of it
so,

 

Don't feel too bad about it. Many have done it. It might be cheaper to
replace the bushing but you need a press or someone with one. And you have
to set your press up right and be careful so that you don't get the bushing
set at an angle because then you'll likely end up having to buy another
bushing as well as having to get that one out. There's a good chance you'd
be able to get the job done for cheaper than replacing the arms. It will be
work. As far as the fork, I would check out prices at reputable junk yards
because they might be cheap and they're something that doesn't fail on its
own. I think they are around $50 at http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com .
That is the cheapest you can get them from a Honda dealer, I think. When
you put everything together use Neverseize compound. There may be a day
that you want to get this apart again.