How to Repair the Control Arm in a 2001 Neon

The 2001 Dodge Neon base model came with a single over-head cam 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine and a five-speed manual transmission. Your front control arms provide the lower pivot points for the front suspension so the wheels can turn and flex with road conditions. Your control arm could have become damaged for a number of reasons, but once it has become bent, corroded or has sustained any other damage, you have to replace it. Most aftermarket suppliers sell replacement control arms with new pre-installed bushings and a ball joint.

Instructions

Removal

1

Park the vehicle on a level surface and set the parking brake. Loosen the lug nuts on both front wheels with a lug wrench. Lift the front of the vehicle into the air with the floor jack and place jack stands under the front sub-frame rails; do not obstruct either control arm or the stabilizer bar. Lower the vehicle until it rests securely on the jack stands.

2

Remove the front wheels from the vehicle and set them aside. Disconnect the stabilizer links in the middle of each control arm by placing a wrench on the stabilizer link lock nut and rotating the bolt counterclockwise. Remove the rubber bushings, lock nut and bolt and lay them out in the order or removal.

3

Loosen, but do not remove the bolts securing the stabilizer bar to the sub-frame. Rotate the stabilizer bar downward. Remove the lower ball joint pinch nut with a socket and ratchet and discard it. Tap the lower ball joint pinch bolt out of the steering knuckle with a mallet.

4

Separate the lower ball joint from the knuckle with a pry bar between the ball joint boss and lower control arm. If you are replacing the driver side control arm skip to step 6, follow the next step for the passenger side control arm.

5

Pry up on the center pin for all of the splash shield fasteners with a flat-head screwdriver. Remove the splash shield from under the vehicle. Locate the pencil strut that supports the engine torque mount to the body and remove the securing nuts. Remove the pencil strut and the lower washer. Remove the bolts securing the torque mount with a socket and ratchet. Remove the torque mount from the vehicle and set it aside.

6

Remove the front control arm bolt with a socket and ratchet. Support the lower control arm by hand and remove the rear control arm mounting bolt. Lower the control arm and remove it from under the vehicle.

7

Clean all chassis bolts with a wire brush and replace them, if any of the bolt threads appear to be damaged.

Installation

8

Hold the lower control arm in place and install the mounting bolts hand tight. Tighten the rear control arm mounting bolt to 185 foot-pounds with a torque wrench. Tighten the front control arm bolt to 125 foot-pounds.

9

Pry down ward on the new lower control arm and guide the lower ball joint stud into the steering knuckle; the notch in the ball joint stud should line up with the hole in the ball joint boss. Slide a new ball joint pinch bolt into place. Install a new pinch bolt nut and tighten to 70 foot-pounds while holding the pinch bolt steady with a wrench. Skip to step 4, if replacing the driver side control arm.

10

Apply Mopar thread sealant to the engine torque strut bolts. Set the engine torque strut into place and install the mounting bolts; the studded bolt will mount closest to the engine. Tighten the torque strut mounting bolts 45 foot-pounds. Install the pencil strut and mounting nuts and tighten to 38 foot-pounds. Position the splash guard and install the center push pins. Push the center pins until they are flush with the push pin base.

11

Rotate the stabilizer bar to its normal mounting position. Tighten the stabilizer bracket bolts enough to hold the bar in place. Install the lower link bushing onto link bolt and slide it through the bottom of the stabilizer bar. Slide the inner link bushing over the bolt and then push the bolt through the lower control arm. Install the upper link bushing, followed by a new stabilizer bar link lock nut. Tighten the new link nut hand tight. Repeat this step for the opposite stabilizer bar link.

12

Tighten the stabilizer bar bracket bolts to 18 foot-pounds. Install the front wheels to the vehicle and install the lug nuts hand tight. Lift the front of the vehicle off the jack stands and remove the jack stands from under the vehicle. Lower the vehicle to the ground.

13

Tighten the sway bar link bolt on each side of the vehicle to 22 foot-pounds while holding the lock nut with a wrench. Tighten the lug nuts to 100 foot-pounds in a criss-cross pattern.

14

Drive the vehicle to a local repair shop and have the front end alignment checked and adjusted as necessary.