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How to: Rear Trailing Arm Removal and Bush Replacement
This suspension manual will be helpful: Suspension
The rear trailing bushes are the largest and are two of the most important suspension bushes on your car. The DA Integra is becoming old and it is likely the factory rubber bushes will have worn out and may have even broken free to move within the bush. Unlike most of the installations on this website, suspension modifications may affect the safety of yourself, pedestrians and other road users so if you are not confident in your mechanical ability you should leave it to a professional.
You do not necessarily have to remove the rear trailing arms, if you have a hoist or can get the car high enough you may be able to hammer them out. It will still be difficult to get the new bushes in so you may have to devise some other method.
The replacement rubber bushes from Honda are expensive and you will probably find it is cheaper to buy aftermarket urethane bushes. The bushes I chose are Superpro urethane bushes made in Australia. They require you to reuse the factory steel tube to bolt to the bottom of the car, rather then other brands which have an integrated tube held by circlips. I chose this brand because it was relatively inexpensive for a small amount of extra work, and are well designed and built.
It is important to note that urethane is not the answer to everything and you may need another type of bush to suit you driving, whether it be around a track or to the office. It is best to do some research before deciding.
Superpro bushes are available at:
As usual the project car is my 1990 DA6 Integra XSi but these instructions will be very similar for most Hondas with disc bakes. Downloading this suspension manual may help and will show you torque specs
Removing the trailing arms
You will need
*Chocks
*Jack stands
*Jack
*10mm, 12mm, 14mm, 17mm sockets
*Pliers
Park the car and chock the front wheels since you'll be raising the rear. Loosen the wheel nuts then jack up the back of the car and put it on jack stands. Remove both rear wheels.
Remove the brake shield by removing the two 10mm bolts. Then remove the handbrake cable by removing the two bolts and removing the wire clip and the pin from the end of the cable. The cable can be removed from the bracket by removing the metal clip holding the cable in, then you can pull it out through the hole in the trailing arm. Remove the cable from the trailing arm by removing the 10mm bracket bolt.
Remove the caliper by removing the two 12mm caliper bolts, do not remove the brake line but remove the 12mm bolts holding the brake line to the trailing arm.
Now remove either of the LCA bolts holding it to the car ( I removed the LCA along with the RTA since it was easier to reach the bolt but you can leave it on the car.) Remove the 14mm shock bolt, sway bar bolt and upper control arm bolt.
Remove the 14mm compensator arm bolt holding the rear trailing arm to the car, located at the front of the RTA. Remove the two 17mm bolts holding the RTA bushes to the bottom of the car, you can now remove the rear trailing arm. Repeat for the other side.
Bushing replacement
With the trailing arms removed you can now take them into a suspension workshop and have the bushes professionally installed if you like. If you want to continue grab a blow torch and read on.
You will need
*Blow torch (oxy-acetylene torch)
*Sandpaper or buffer
*Large hose clamp or 2 to join together
*Grease (probably supplied with the bush)
* Press or Vice and a couple of flat bits of steel
*Screwdriver
Use the blow torch to heat the area around the outside of the bush, this will eventually break the bond between the bush and the steel shell. Do not heat it too hot or you may ruin or warp something. Once you see it start to go push it out with a screwdriver or something. Alternatively you may be able to use a lathe or a dremel to remove the bush, I haven't tried this. Now heat the tube until the rubber strips off this also, use sandpaper or a buffer to tidy up the outside of the tube and the inside of the shell.
Now it is time to install the new bushes. You must remember to GREASE the outside of the tube and the inside of the shell as well as the outside and inside of the bush. Apply plenty.
If you have a press you can go ahead and press the bushes in. If you're using a Vice like me you'll find it difficult to get the bush to slide in and will find the bush spinning around slightly. I used a hose clamp to squeeze one side of the bush, once you get it started take the hose clamp off and re-grease . You can now pop the bush into position by hand. To install the tube I found it best to insert it and push the whole RTA onto it on the ground. Make sure it is all greased and insert the tube AFTER installing the bush to make it easier.
Replace the trailing arms in reverse order from removal. Make sure you replace everything properly and use a torque wrench. Replace the bolts and wheels and lower the car to the ground BEFORE tightening the LCA, UCA, RTA, compensator, sway bar and shock bolts to prevent wearing other bushes out.
Get a rear wheel alignment as soon as possible, I noticed my car was handling erratically and am certain my alignment is a long way off. This will also increase tire wear.
This website has been gradually growing since I started it in early 2002. Originally I was simply documenting modifications and repairs to my car but I decided to publish it when I began to discover others were interested in the information. If you need help or have a how-to relating to Honda B series VTEC engines, or DA or DC2R Integras you can
email me.While all care is taken to provide correct information, mistakes are occasionally made and I cannot be responsible for any damage that occurs to readers vehicles.
