Hi guys,

Today I went to replace both steering inner and outer tie rods of my Honda Accord CG8 1.8 (F18B2 engine) (European model). Everything was going smooth, until I took off the steering bellows, to find out that the inner tie rod is completely round, and has no place or no flats to stick any kind of tool to remove it

Have anyone came across with such a inner tie rod? Is it possible that the inner tie rod in this model is not serviceable? Honda does not have a part number for the inner tie rod, only for the outer one, as listed in: Honda Car and Auto Parts | Honda ACCORD | P.S. GEAR BOX (LH) | Genuine Honda Parts | Honda Cars | Honda Motorcycles | Honda Power Products | Lings Honda Car Parts Selection

Still, I both Moog and Lemforder supply the part for this car. I got the Lemforder. Does any one have any idea of how to remove the inner tie rod, or if is even possible to remove it?

 

A very large pair of water pump pliers. Turn the steering wheel all the way to one end to gain access

 

this, but tool of choice for me would be a large pipe wrench

 

https://store.snapon.com/Pliers-Wren...y-P640880.aspx

I own these pliers, and use them on the reg at work. They will remove your inner tie rod. Just set them up to "push," not pull.

 

Hi,

All those seems to be quite good options. The ball joint in the inner tie rod is not too bad, yet. So, I might not replace them for now, but will definitely replace them in a not so long future.

One thing that I am afraid, is that if I remove the inner tie rod, the new one might not be compatible with the old one, and I have a huge problem in hands....


In between the joint of the steering rack and the tie rod, there is something that seems to be "punched", almost like in the "punch" in found in the axle nuts. I am not sure how this can be a problem on removing and reinstalling the tie rod.

Next weekend will try to take some picture of it so that you see what I am talking about.

 

yes pictures will help

 

Here is a picture of the "joint" between the inner tie rod the and the steering rack. Probably if I "hammer back" that "punch hole", I will be able to remove the inner tie rod. But then, there is the question: does the steering rack have the necessary grooves for the new locking washer?

I think that for now, I will not replace it. There is still no visible wear in the inner tie rod... although it has already done 215.000km...

 

You do not see wear on tie rods. You have to check it by feel. Put a jack under both sides of the car (from manufacturer lift points) so the both front tires are off the ground in a straight manner. Grab the sides of the tire and shake back & forth very quickly. If you feel any play/clunking, yourself or another should get under the car and see where the play is coming from while another person is shaking. Look at both inner and outer tie rods, as well as feeling them while shaking the tire side to side quickly. The same can be done for shaking the tire up & down. While shaking it up & down you can diagnose front end problems, such as ball joints and wheel bearings/hub assemblies.

Check the front end before replacing the tie rod, but if it does have play. Look at the pliers I recommended earlier in this thread or something similar to replace the part. The aftermarket inner tie rod will have lugs for use with a wrench, pliers, or preferably an actual inner tie rod tool.

 

Occasionally I have clunk, which I identified as coming from the steering system. With the wheels on the ground, If I move the steering by a small a mount, but in a fast movement, it clunks when it goes from one side to the other. I had already raised the car, and the noise does't seems to come from the inner tie rods. It seems to come from the steering rack itself. I am wondering if it could be the steering rack adjustment screw that needs to be adjusted, to remove some eventual play between the pinion and the rack.

BTW, I have already replaced the anti roll-bar links and the outer tie rods, and anti roll-bar bushings. This solved most of my knocking noises, but now as the car is more silent than ever, this knock that seems to come from the steering wheel seems louder, when it happens!

 

Power steering systems on some Honda's state in the owner's manual that a clunk can be felt with the engine off while attempting to steer. This is normal.

Most power steering systems use a king tooth, which is used in the straight ahead position to prevent slack from jerking the wheels. The rest of the teeth will have more clearance. So a simple test would be, is the clunk more obvious when the wheels are turned off of the center position when compared to the center position? If so, the rack is more suspect.

If the clunk is uniform irregardless of where the wheel is positioned, an intermediate shaft problem is more likely.