There is an arm that has come loose and is in between the spring in the right rear wheel well area and I cannot find what its called. It comes out from the center of the car and down and has an upside down cup which belongs on a post with 4 little contacts. Additionally, my brake lamp indicator light was intermittently coming on and off after braking. Now that I have put the cup back on, the lamp is off. I want to be sure there isn’t anything else missing from this part, but cannot find the name and am concerned as to how it came off its post to begin with. Any help would be appreciated! My husband insists these two things are not connected!
That sounds like a lateral link/lower control arm that has broken
This keeps the rear independent suspension attached to the vehicle.
You need to have this vehicle towed to a shop so the rear suspension can be inspected.
Tester
Ok thanks for the suggestion, I looked at that part but it is not it. There is a nearly right angle in this part with a small little upside down cup on the one side that goes onto another part. Any other thoughts?
To me, this sounds like some kind of load sensing valve
Does it look like anything in this diagram?
hondaautomotiveparts.com/auto/jsp/mws/prddisplay.jsp?inputstate=5&catcgry1=PILOT&catcgry2=2005&catcgry3=5DR+EX&catcgry4=KA5AT&catcgry5=REAR+STABILIZER±+REAR+LOWER+ARM
I absolutely agree that this car needs to be TOWED, NOT DRIVEN to a shop. This sounds exactly like what’s often called a lower trailing arm, which is exactly what everyone else is describing. You do NOT want to drive the car until it’s repaired.
Ok, am not going to drive the car until it’s towed, however this part is only on one side of the car. Its on the passenger side rear, not found on the left driver side. NYBO it does not look like anything at all in that diagram. The most distinct thing about it is the upside down cup with the 4 contacts… I just find it awfully odd that my brake lamp indicator light is out now that I have put the cup back onto the piece where it came loose from.
Find a way to take a picture. If you don’t have a mobile phone, everyone else does, and it’s rare to find one these days that doesn’t do pictures.
Ok here is a picture I found with what I think the part is…http://www.brakeandfrontend.com/Article/89001/alignment__suspension_specs_20032008_honda_pilot.aspx the part is almost in the middle going vertical in the photo. It’s in between the black boot thing and a black bar, it looks like a measuring cup with a really long handle that’s rusty. Its the skinny rusty part, not the thicker rusty part with the nut and bolt. Oy vey…;O) . It’s not that I don’t think you are all wrong, but when I see photo’s of what you are describing it doesn’t look like the part I can see. I’ll be getting a definitive answer tomorrow but we like to know what we’re talking about when we get to the shop!
My guess is it’s a anti-roll bar link.
Yep!
That’s the lateral link.
Don’t drive the vehicle.
Tester
You guys are awesome! We’ll see what the damage is tomorrow… thanks for educating us!! What are your thoughts on a “do it yourself repair”? We’ve done ball joints, brakes/drums ourselves…thanks again!!
If you’ve done ball joints then you should be able to easily handle any link replacement.
The only sticky part is if the stud on the link turns with the nut instead of the nut coming loose.
Another factor to consider is that weak shocks or struts can contribute to link failure. Not saying that the rears are faulty; just a possibility.
That is a photo of the front end, but you are talking about the rear. By your description, it looks to me like you are talking about a stabilizer (a.k.a. sway) bar link. This is not a disaster for driving. You can drive with a broken one.
HOWEVER, given the uncertainty in identifying it, a tow is the best idea. Err on the side of caution.
Cig, the lower photo is if the rear. Based on the most recent description, I too suspect that the OP is referring to the sway bar link. As regards safely driving with it, I’d be reticent to do so without seeing in hands-on. If it actually is the sway bar link, and if it’s the top of the link that’s become somehow unattached, it might be able to drop down while driving, catch on the road surface, and cause an accident. Stranger things have happened.
The OP is smart not to drive it until a proper look-see has taken place. One never knows.
Mountain, I saw the lower photo, but the description given seemed to me to have described the upper photo of the front. There was no way to see what was described in the lower photo. Either way, I agree that there’s no way to assess the safety by internet (maybe with an actual photo). So I did add the big “however.” Perhaps better to have not brought up the more (but not completely!) benign sway link issue. She’ll find out. (But I also hate to see people spend $$ when they don’t have to).
I agree on all points. She struggled with the description as much as I would struggle with a description of a financial vehicle. Well, maybe not QUITE as much!
This part is called a sway bar link, it’s a common replacement item available at the parts store. This is a non-critical component of the suspension. There are two, one per wheel in the rear. There are also two more in the front.
It is also not involved with the electrical system so it has no impact on the brake lights.
