**** i have a problem... happens everytime i inspect my car. LoL

in the picture below, the parts i have circled are torn into pieces. i believed that was to be the steering rack, but the hondaparts page listed them not part of the rack so i was confused... now i called the dealership and they told me tierod dust boot which made a little happier because it saved me 400$. should i replace them dust boots? or leave it alone? should i replace the entire tie rod area?

 

those are the inner tie rod dust boots. they go on the ends of the rack.

you can replace them by just removing the outer tie rod. but once you do, youll mess up your alignment. the best thing to do is do it one side at a time and then adjust so that your alignment is back to where it was before, then replace the other side and readjust. theoretically, then your alignment is not far off from where it was before, but theres no way for you to know exactly where you were before. so a professional alignment is definately recommended.

also, if those have been torn for a while, its quite possible the inner balljoints are worn out because of the crap that gets in there, which is was supposed to protect it from. so check the inner tie rods.

 

will this eventually mess up my rack? i want to change out the rods in there also if yes.

 

they will eventually wear out your inner tie rod and the seals on your power steering rack.

theres a good reason why its there, to protect things that need protection....

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Tyson &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">they will eventually wear out your inner tie rod and the seals on your power steering rack.

theres a good reason why its there, to protect things that need protection....</TD></TR></TABLE>

really don't know what to search/look for... and i think it would be a good idea if i just change the inner tie rods. that's the only thing i see wrong is the ripped boots. what else should i change? my knowledge is limited

 

lift up your car on jackstands. get underneath, and start shaking things. i mean put all your force into it. use two hands to feel. if you feel any play or bit of clunkiness, it should be replaced. then turn the wheel back and forth (it helps to have a friend) and feel the tie rods, inside and out. do it on both sides with the steering wheel in max extension on both sides.

this is how you check for balljoints play.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Tyson &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">lift up your car on jackstands. get underneath, and start shaking things. i mean put all your force into it. use two hands to feel. if you feel any play or bit of clunkiness, it should be replaced. then turn the wheel back and forth (it helps to have a friend) and feel the tie rods, inside and out. do it on both sides with the steering wheel in max extension on both sides.

this is how you check for balljoints play.</TD></TR></TABLE>

will try that... anything else? those ripped boots would affect? i pretty much want to know EVERY possibility that can happen with those ripped boots so i can do something about them. appreciate it plenty thanks.

 

just take a look for yourself. it will be obvious whats going on down there.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Tyson &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">just take a look for yourself. it will be obvious whats going on down there.</TD></TR></TABLE>

i'll be back ...going check it out later. thanks dude...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Tyson &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">just take a look for yourself. it will be obvious whats going on down there.</TD></TR></TABLE>

k... i tried to move it and there isn't really any play. i think i feel the car moving instead of that rod. so do i change it just to be on the save side? or just replace those boots?

what is the part # by the way for those pieces that the boot cover and what are they called?

 

just replace the boot then.

buy parts here.

http://www.slhondaparts.com/browse.asp


remember what i said about keeping your alignment. do one side at a time.

 

The best way to tell for sure is to turn the steering wheel all the way to the opposite side you want to check. Then get underneath the car & push the torn boots back. Grab the large part of the inner tie rod (#1) with one hand, and the steering rack with the other hand (the rack is the smaller bar sticking out of either side of the "steering gearbox" #21). Wiggle the **** out of those parts & feel for any play.

If you cannot feel any play coming directly from the tie rod balljoint, don't bother replacing them. They can be stubborn to remove, and requires some serious torque to break the locking washer (#16) loose. I did this once, with the steering gearbox out of the car, and it was so difficult that I couldn't imagine having to do it from underneath.

Re-grease the balljoints and replace the boots, and you should be set...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 94eg! &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The best way to tell for sure is to turn the steering wheel all the way to the opposite side you want to check. Then get underneath the car & push the torn boots back. Grab the large part of the inner tie rod (#1) with one hand, and the steering rack with the other hand (the rack is the smaller bar sticking out of either side of the "steering gearbox" #21). Wiggle the **** out of those parts & feel for any play.

If you cannot feel any play coming directly from the tie rod balljoint, don't bother replacing them. They can be stubborn to remove, and requires some serious torque to break the locking washer (#16) loose. I did this once, with the steering gearbox out of the car, and it was so difficult that I couldn't imagine having to do it from underneath.

Re-grease the balljoints and replace the boots, and you should be set...</TD></TR></TABLE>

how easy is it replacing the boots? i don't know what parts to get either beside the boots, what are ALL other part #'s i should look at to see if they are defective? thanks

 

Just inspect the inner & outer tie rod ball-joints. That's really all you should be concerned about when you have power steering. On NON power steering gearboxes, there is a plastic bushing inside that you would want to check out, but that is not the case for you.

To replace the boots is pretty easy. Just get some good locking pliers & some PB blaster (penetrating lube from wal-mart). Next put your car on jack stands & remove the front wheels.

1. spray the lock nuts (#28) on the outer tie rods with the PB blaster & let them sit for an hour (spray them a couple times during that time).
2. Next you will want to lock one pair of pliers onto the lock nut (#28), and the other pair onto the outer tie rod (#17/20).
3. Now use your muscles to break the lock nut loose.
4. Now unscrew the inner tie rod (#1) from the outer tie rod (#17/20) & leave the outer tie rod attached to the knuckle.
5. Remove the the lock nut.
6. Next remove the boot clamps. The larger ones must be cut off, so you will have to replace them. The smaller ones are just coiled wire, and the come off pretty easily (you can re-use them).
7. Clean & re-lube the inner tie rod ball-joints (#1), and install your new boots. Make sure to put a little grease where the new boots sit on the inner tie rod so the inner tie rods can spin freely without twisting the boot.
8. Install your boot clamps.
9. Reinstall the lock nut (#28).
10. Thread the inner tie rod (#1) into the outer tie rod (#17/20) as close as possible to the same position it was in before you started (you can usually tell by the rust).
12. Torque down the lock nut.
13. Immediately drive to a shop that can fix your jacked up alignment.

Good luck...