The Miata is a small, two seat roadster made my Mazda. As with other roadsters, maintenance is important because of the abuse that this car tends to get from its drivers. One of the less common items that needs attention after 100,000 miles of driving is the lower control arm. The control arm contains bushings that act as a flexible joint connecting the arm to the body, the wheel hub, and to the shock. These bushings are part of the suspension and help to absorb shock from vibration during normal driving. When you start hearing a clunking sound every time you hit a bump in the road, it's time to check and replace the bushings. To do this, you'll need to remove the lower control arm on the Miata.
Break the rear lug nuts loose by turning the lugs 45 degrees counterclockwise with a tire wrench.
Raise the rear of the Miata onto jack stands. Place wheel blocks in front of the front wheels and lift the rear end of the Miata using the rear jack point located near the trunk area. Put jack stands under the rear pinch welds and lower the Miata onto the stands. The rear pinch welds are located near the rear of the vehicle underneath the car just ahead of the rear wheels. They protrude down from the body of the Miata.
Support the lower control arm with a jack. The lower control arm is located on the lower part of the suspension under the shock.
Continue to remove the lug nuts and remove the wheel.
Remove the bolt holding the lower control arm to the rear shock. This bolt connects the lower control arm to the bottom of the shock assembly and is located directly behind the wheel hub (which is where the wheel and tire is mounted).
Remove the bolt holding the lower control arm to rear the rear crossmember. The bolt connects the lower control arm to the crossmember which is the steel beam running width-wise across the body of the vehicle and sits flush with the body.
Remove the bolt connecting the lower control arm to the back of the wheel hub. The wheel hub is where the wheel and tire is mounted.
Slowly lower the jack and remove the control arm. The shock will decompress as you do this.
Install the new control arm. Bolt the lower control arm to the shock first, and then support the assembly with a jack to align the mounting holes on the lower arm with the crossmember. You'll need to compress the shock in this process. Slowly lift up on the bottom of the shock with the jack and compress the coil spring until the mounting holes on the control arm and crossmember are aligned. The rest of the assembly is the reverse of removal.
