Guys,
Thanks for all the help! I never knew that Autozone lends out tools!!!
50 years old here and never knew that! haha

Anyway I borrowed a ball joint removal tool and got the ball joint
seperated, no problem. Getting the Knuckle off the shaft was tricky.
Manual says to use a (plastic)! hammer. So I thought it would slide right off!
I had to put a gear puller on it, tighten it up and bang the end with a hammer
a few times then tighten it up some more and repeat but it finally it came loose!

I took the whole unit to the Honda dealer and they put new studs and a new bearing on it.
Cost me $180.00 $85 for bearing/$85 for labor.
I had purchased the new studs earlier myself from Discount Auto

Took about 35-40 minutes to get it all back together!

Without you guys I really would have been stumped! Especially thinking that that whole spring/strut
assy. would pop when I removed the bolts from it!

Thank you gentelmen! I appreciate everything!!
Pete

 

Congrats on a successful repair.

How did the studs break in the first place? Did some guy overtighten them with an impact wrench?

 

Oh I guess I did! How tight should they be anyway?
I've NEVER done that before in my whole life!!!
I just hope to God there aren't anymore on the other tires!!! Well at least I know how to do it.
Are the rears just as easy or ????

 

The rear hubs area lot easier to wrok on. No special tools required. I don't think you even need to remove the hub from the car to change a stud.

If you're a person of average strength, the proper tightness is to tighten the lug nuts securely by hand with one of those cross-type wrenches. With steel wheels it should be about 80 ft-lb.

 

Hmm, Well I thought everything was good!

Seems I have a little noise coming from the front end now.
While driving if I just (tap) the brakes I get this little clink! type of noise.

I really can't imagine what it could be. Everything was tightened well when
I put it together.

Any ideas guys?

Pete

 

Is the clinking sound coming from the wheel that you worked on?

If so, check whether any parts of the suspension show excessive free play and whether the ball joints are damaged.

 

Almost sounds like it's coming from the middle but I can't see why that would be.
I'll pull that tire and check the tightness on everything.
Man I can't figure this out!

The clank noise only comes when driving so it's hard to check.

Pete

 

I just got my civic and I was taking the rear wheels off and two of the studs on the right rear broke off as well! What is the easiest way to replace these studs? I read the thread and saw something about you can remove the studs without taking the hub off....how do you accomplish this?

Thank you guys for any help! I greatly appreciate it!

 

forgot to mention....its a 94 civic lx 4 door

 

Wheel studs just press into their holes. Use a punch and knock the broken ends out (toward the inside of the car). Then see if the new ones will fit into the holes without removing the hub.

If not, take the center cap off and unscrew the big nut and slide the hub off. I think that model has cartridge bearings, which means you don't adjust the bearing clearance with the nut, you just put it on tight (140 ft-lb if I remember).

Edit: Oh, and you have to take the brake drum off first, of course. If it is stuck, thread two standard M8 bolts into the threaded holes in the drum between the studs and keep turning them alternately to force the brake drum off.