car : 2000 civic hx manual

i notice my tie rod end (driver side) rubber is riped, i am going to go to auto zone or that other place orreillys to get it,,,is there a tip on how to change it with out losing your alignment?

second i notice my passenger side rack n pinion bellows (boot) is torn, i am also going to go ahead and replace that but the rubber has like a little rubber hose connected to it, is there anything special i need to do or just remove replace and put back??? also do i need to remove the tie rod to replace the bellows or do i just pass the bellows thru the tie rod end???

thanks for any help.

 

Changing the tie rod end's ball joint cover will not affect your alignment. Changing the tie rod end will.
You can get it back pretty close by counting the number of turns it takes to remove it and installing the new one the same number of turns. It may be slightly off due to variations in aftermarket parts.

As for the rack boot you have to remove the tie rod end. I did mine last year and used Raybestos bellows from Rock auto. very tight fit but work well.

 

ohhhh so if the ball joint cover is the only thing rip do they sell just the cover or do i have to buy the tie rod end...i never though about checking if they sell only the ball joint cover???

and about the bellows thanks alot i was just assuming since the bellows have that middle hole i can just squezz it thru the tie rod end...thanks

 

I think your boot would be Honda part number 53546-S84-003. OEM would run around 2 or 3 bucks apiece.

I would also recommend a separator like this one http://www.harborfreight.com/3-4-qua...tor-99849.html

Don't use a fork if you want to reuse the end.