Civic-EG.com Forum 3.3.1

- Mon Sep 17, 2012 11:33 pm #315888 I went to install new trailing arm bushings on the 95 VX I just picked up, and it did not go well.

I used this tool:



On my CRX it worked fine, put in some new OEM bushings and things were good (besides trashing a 3/8 socket wrench by cranking it with a 4 foot pipe, oops).

This time around I'm using 1/2 socket wrench and breaker bar. The thing is, though, the tool doesn't fit the Moog bushings I bought as well as the OEM ones. In fact it just pushed the bushing in at a weird angle and I wound up warping the trailing arm (and the tool, a little bit). I was wailing on it caveman-style and before I realized it I had really messed up the arm.





So now I need to replace the whole trailing arm. Shouldn't be a problem finding one at a yard. My question is about the brakes. The VX has drums and I plan to keep them. (Here is a pulse-racing sexy drum-brake shot.)



Any suggestions about how to remove the brake line from the old arm and attach it to the new one? I know I have to unhook the parking brake line too. My goal is to accomplish this without all my brake fluid running out and having to service the master cylinder or something godawful like that.

95 VX in long-term rehab

- Tue Sep 18, 2012 1:02 am #315889 I just used some grease and tapped the metal ring back in. goes smoothly. If your just replacing with oem they come with the metal ring. no special tool required.
If your replacing with poly.... burn em out! lol, torch and just let it sit about 5" away from the rubber and let it burn. took me 4 hours for the first set I did, got it down to a science and took me 30 minutes for the last time.
The e brake cables are different from drum to disc.
The brake lines are the same. not sure what you mean by suggestions on how to remove. before you attempt make sure you have sprayed the fittings with some pb blaster.
Use a brake line wrench.
I would recommend flushing your brake system, its already up in the air, 9 bucks or 6 bucks of brake fluid.
By leaving contaminates in the brake system you take the chance of water condensation which leads to crap brake performance, rusted internal lines, breaking internal lines.
The difference in the dot brake fluids are the boil points. dot 1 was used till the 50's, then dot 2 till the 60's or 70's, dot 3 has been used since. you have dot 4 that started in the late 90's. dot 5 do not use.
Dot 4 think its a 475 degree boiling point. higher boiling point, less condensation.
Dot 5 is a sythetic brake fluid. If you combine the synthetic with non sythetic it creates a jelly substance, like bad diesel. Does not work. Do not use the brake fluid "sythetic forumla" over rated, and with the above info.... its a marketing strategy.
Anyways, over information. just wanted to point that out while I am bs'ing watching a movie and lurking, lol.

Stock is gay, like blowing richard simmons in a porta potty at a elton john concert.

- Wed Sep 26, 2012 10:19 am #316540 You've missed his point completely ^^

He wants to keep his drums, and is asking how to change them without loosing all his fluid. Use a hose clamp or mole grips on the rubber brake flexy but dont make them too tight! Just enough to pinch it and stop the fluid. Then you can remove everything and swap it over, then open your bleed nipple, pump the air through and you can maybe get away without loosing too much fluid, but you'll have to bleed that corner at least

For what its worth, the brake lines for discs to drums are NOT the same and you have to change them if you're doing the swap

Also thats crap about not using dot 5, it makes no difference, you can use it if you want. You dont need it for a road car but saying you shouldnt use it is wrong. Obviously if you wanted to change to it you woulf have to flush out your system and replace it all, but he isn't even asking that in this thread

My 1st eg build up -> http://civic-eg.com/viewtopic.php?t=802

- Wed Aug 07, 2013 4:44 am #335221 This is a VERY belated follow-up to say thanks a bunch to both of you guys for trying to help me out and I have been a very rude dude for not replying after almost a year.

Anyway this whole thing turned into a long but educational project. I got another arm from the junkyard and went to put it on and realized it was from a LX or something that had drums, but not the same size (VX is smaller). So I wound up swapping my drum and backing plate to that arm, rebuilding all components on both sides, etc.

I was freaked out about losing brake fluid when doing this but I just used one of the little black caps that goes on the bleeder nipple (ha) to cap off the open line while I swapped stuff. Then bled the system after everything was buttoned up.

Rebuilt the front brakes too, new calipers and discs and pads. Stops OK but with tiny discs up front and drums in the back it's pretty much minimum stopping power. Can't go with larger discs up front because then I can't use the 13s on the VX (crucial for mileage in my experience). So one day I will replace the rears with discs, I think, and put in some braided SS lines. Not so scary now that I've gotten some practice messing with this system.

Oh, and I beat in the new trailing arm bushings with a brass hammer. Problem solved.

Anyway thanks again to the previous two posters. I will be posting some more stuff about my build on this forum.

95 VX in long-term rehab

- Wed Aug 07, 2013 3:41 pm #335235

Rebuilt the front brakes too, new calipers and discs and pads. Stops OK but with tiny discs up front and drums in the back it's pretty much minimum stopping power. Can't go with larger discs up front because then I can't use the 13s on the VX (crucial for mileage in my experience). So one day I will replace the rears with discs,

i run 13s on my LX (9.5") for the winter... i'm not sure if the vxt already has the same size, CX do.