nightrider

After hearing clicks while turning, I figured both of my axles were bad so I replaced them yesterday. I am not absolutely positive that my previous axles were shot because they did not appear to be damaged. Regardless, they have more than 150k of wear & tear so it isn't too big of a deal.

Anyway, where the tie rod meets the steering rack and pinion on my driver side, there is a bunch of grease. Is that the inner tie rod or do I have bigger problems?



In the picture, where the green meets the blue is where the grease is. Can anyone let me know what I need to replace? Hopefully this is something that I can repair with relative ease.

cyb3rjak

how much does it cost to replace axles?

92redhatch

you probably have grease there because the boots on your old axles were broken and grease from the axle boot landed on the tie rod(or rack and pinion). After the chasis of my car past 110k miles i replaced the rack and pinion and both front tie bars. I recomend you do the same so that you wont have that problem again for years to come.

philosofy1

chance are the grease is from the axle when the boot popped.

nightrider

maybe i need to specify. the grease it going directly into the boot that leads to the rack. i know absolutely sure it did not come from the axle.

if the tie rod is the problem, where does it connect to? (the opposite side of the balljoint) that is exactly where the grease is.

btw, whoever asked about how much it costs to replace axles. roughly 60/side after core charge is reimbursed. balljoint seperator and 35/side core charge is returned when you bring the tool back as well as the old axles.

Vtecgrrl

The easiest thing to do is this if you dont wanna do it by yourself:
(since you live in the area somewhat)
Go to any goodyear shop as I worked at the kent and renton shops and know their procedures. Tell them you want your front end looked at, you just replaced the axles and you think something's loose. This is free BTW. They'll shake down your car tell you whats going on if there's anything wrong. (they most likely will find something wrong with your car tho, ask if you can see wtf they're talkin about tho)

I tell you this because if it's a tie rod it's easier to see the thing's moving while someone else is shaking it and it's on a lift.

oh and FYI, if you do have a bad tie rod, you're gonna need an alignment after it's done since tie rods position the toe.

nightrider

i'm going to take a picture to better illustrate my problems.

Sleepy_Red_hatch

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by nightrider &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i'm going to take a picture to better illustrate my problems. </TD></TR></TABLE>

good idea

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Vtecgrrl &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The easiest thing to do is this if you dont wanna do it by yourself:
(since you live in the area somewhat)
Go to any goodyear shop as I worked at the kent and renton shops and know their procedures. Tell them you want your front end looked at, you just replaced the axles and you think something's loose. This is free BTW. They'll shake down your car tell you whats going on if there's anything wrong. (they most likely will find something wrong with your car tho, ask if you can see wtf they're talkin about tho)

I tell you this because if it's a tie rod it's easier to see the thing's moving while someone else is shaking it and it's on a lift.

oh and FYI, if you do have a bad tie rod, you're gonna need an alignment after it's done since tie rods position the toe.</TD></TR></TABLE>

sounds like this is the thing to do

94CivicSi

iTrader: (1)

Is one of the rack boots torn? My Si ripped one around the 160K mile mark.

The real problem you may have if it is, is that of the grease has come out of the rack, dirt has gotten in and the rack is wearing prematurely.

nightrider

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 94CivicSi &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Is one of the rack boots torn? My Si ripped one around the 160K mile mark.

The real problem you may have if it is, is that of the grease has come out of the rack, dirt has gotten in and the rack is wearing prematurely. </TD></TR></TABLE>

this seems to be more accurate in describing my problem. i believe my tie rods are ok. how do i go about repairing the boot and repacking it?

94CivicSi

iTrader: (1)

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by nightrider &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">this seems to be more accurate in describing my problem. i believe my tie rods are ok. how do i go about repairing the boot and repacking it?</TD></TR></TABLE>

I just got a replacement boot from Majestic Honda. It comes with the little metal strap that secures it around the end of the rack. Under $10 if I remember correctly. Mine didn't appear to have lost any grease, so I didn't add any.

Procedure is to pop the ball joint for the tie rod and "unscrew" it from the threaded arm coming out of the rack. Count the number of turns so that you don't mess up your alignment when you reassemble. Cut the metal strap securing the boot to the rack with a pair of wire cutters, pull the torn boot off and slip the new one on. The only hard part is clasping the new metal band. It's tough to see what you're doing in such a confined space, especially on the drivers side.

nightrider

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 94CivicSi &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

I just got a replacement boot from Majestic Honda. It comes with the little metal strap that secures it around the end of the rack. Under $10 if I remember correctly. Mine didn't appear to have lost any grease, so I didn't add any.

</TD></TR></TABLE>

i looked on majestic, but unfortunately i cannot find what system/component it is located under to find the image on how it is configured. i probably can order the boot at an autozone or napa, but the image online would help me understand the problem more thoroughly.

Sloshy

your tie rod end are worn and the grease is from the boot that goes into the rac-n-pinion you ususally would change the ineer tie rod too to be on the safe side

nightrider

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by hatch-E-vanish &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">your tie rod end are worn and the grease is from the boot that goes into the rac-n-pinion you ususally would change the ineer tie rod too to be on the safe side</TD></TR></TABLE>

how do you replace the inner tie rod? is it a part of the actual tie rod with the balljoint? the answers i have gotten in here are helpful, but somewhat vague. at least i know my axles were worn for sure (no more clicking).

94eg!

iTrader: (2)

Here is a picture of exactly what we are talking about...



The 92 Si has power steering & the parts can be found in the "Chassis" section under the sub-category of "P.S. Gearbox". Look up parts at SLHondaParts.com or HondaPartsDeals.com...

If the boot (#15) is torn open, it will allow dirt into the inner tie rod (#1). The grease inside the boot (#15) is from the inner tie rod (#1) because it has a ball-joint in it. You can tell if the ball-joint is bad by simply jacking up the car & wiggling/shaking the tire up/down & left/right. If you feel and/or hear any play in the suspension, have a friend wiggle the tire around while you hunt down the noise. Don't bother replacing tie rods if they don't have any play in them. Simply clean them out with some brake cleaner, re-grease them, and install new boots (#14, 15 & 18).

Unfortunately, to replace the steering gearbox boots (#14 & 15), you must separate the outer tie rod (#17 & 20) from the inner tie rod (#1). This means that once everything is put back together, you absolutely MUST get an alignment. No matter how straight you think you got your toe settings, it will still be off & eventually wear out your tires...

nightrider

Finally, thank you for the clarification. You tied up the loose ends for me. I couldn't find what section the steering was organized under for the parts catalog. Anyway, to uninstall, do you simply "unscrew" the tierod after taking off the castle nut and take off the boot? Lastly, as far as the grease, it only needs a little bit at the end that connects to the inner tie rod correct?

Thanks for the clarification.

94eg!

iTrader: (2)

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by nightrider &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Finally, thank you for the clarification. You tied up the loose ends for me. I couldn't find what section the steering was organized under for the parts catalog. Anyway, to uninstall, do you simply "unscrew" the tierod after taking off the castle nut and take off the boot? Lastly, as far as the grease, it only needs a little bit at the end that connects to the inner tie rod correct?

Thanks for the clarification. </TD></TR></TABLE>

To remove the outer tie rod, you first use two large wrenches (or big locking pliers) to break loose the tie-rods lock nut (#28) from the outer tie rod (#17 & 20). If it won't break loose, try soaking it in PB blaster for a half an hour. Once that lock nut is loose, you simply spin the threaded shaft of the inner tie-rod (#1) until it completely backs out of the outer tie rod. Then you spin the lock-nut (#28) off the inner tie rod (#1) & remove the gearbox boot clamps (#9, 10 & 3). The small-end boot clamps (#3) are re-usable, but the larger ones (#9 & 10) must be cut off & replaced.

Technically you don't even have to remove the castle nut (#25), because the inner tie rod simply threads right out. This saves time because separating the tie rod ball-joint from the steering knuckle can be a PITA. You only have to take the outer tie rod off if your replacing it's ball-joint boot (#18), or replacing the whole outer tie rod itself.

As far as grease goes, the ONLY parts that get greased are the pivot points (ball-joint on outer tie rod, and ball-joint on inner tie rod), and the inside of the small end-opening on the steering gearbox boots (#14 & 15). The reason you grease inside the small-end hole is so that the inner tie rod spins easily without twisting the boot. The inner tie rod must be able to spin so you can thread the outer tie rod back on, and so the alignment tech can set your toe without tearing the gearbox boots.