DIY: Steering Rack Boot Replacement (EG Civic)

Disclaimer: The following is provided as a GUIDE ONLY, and neither myself nor Ozhonda take any responsibility for the outcomes of someone else doing the following. You follow these steps at your own risk!


Hey everyone,
Thought I would write up a DIY on how to change the steering rack boots for an EG Civic. This is a common issue on old and weary cars where the steering rack boot splits and in my case completely broke in half. Not replacing the damaged boots can result in dirt and grime getting into the rose joint of the tie-rod and even into the steering rack itself. This can cause lots of play in your steering and in worst cases damage to the internals of the steering rack.


Aim: Change front steering rack boots for 93 Honda Civic. This guide should be similar for most models around this era.

Required:

New rack boots
Bearing Grease
22mm Spanner
17mm Spanner
Side Cutters
Pliers
Hammer

Step: 1
Jack the front of the car up securely and safely, use Jack stands and remove the front wheels

Step: 2

Mark the tie-rod end nuts position and then loosen with 22mm spanner.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1.../Photo0053.jpg

Step: 3

Remove the split pin from the tie-rod end ball joint. Loosen the castle nut with 17mm spanner. Do not unscrew all the way, just til the end of the ball joint.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1.../Photo0054.jpg

Step: 4

Grab your hammer and hit the end of the hub carrier to loosen the ball joint. Note: Do not strike any part of the ball joint or tie-rod end.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1.../Photo0055.jpg

Step: 5

Once ball joint is loose you can remove the castle nut from the ball joint, lift the tie-rod end out and unscrew it from the tie-rod itself. At this point you can also remove the 22mm nut.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1.../Photo0056.jpg


Step: 6

Once removed, check for play in the tie-rod end ball joint and clean then put aside.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1.../Photo0058.jpg


Step: 7

Next, remove the damaged steering rack boot. Remove the small air tube first. You will need your pliers to remove the metal clips and metal cable tie of the boot. Abit tricky at first but just use a little extra force. With the metal cable tie securing the inner boot end I just cut it up with the side cutters seeing as it was nearly impossible to remove and the new boots were supplied with plastic cable ties anyway.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1.../Photo0059.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1.../Photo0060.jpghttp://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1.../Photo0061.jpghttp://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1.../Photo0062.jpg

Step: 8

Bin that dirty ass shreaded boot and then clean up the tie-rod & steering rack with a cloth. Grab your bearing grease and apply a decent amount to the rose joint of the tie-rod. Once you're happy with that grab the new steering rack boots.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1.../Photo0063.jpghttp://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1.../Photo0064.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1.../Photo0065.jpg
Step: 9

Apply the cable tie loosely to the inner end of the boot. Fit the boot over the tie-rod. Position the boot and then pull the zip tie tight and cut with side cutters. At this stage re-fit the small air-tube for depressurization.
You can also cable tie the outer boot end now too.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1.../Photo0066.jpg

Step: 10

Screw 22mm nut back on to tie-rod to marked position.
Screw tie-rod end back on.
Re-position ball joint into hub carrier and give it a hit with a hammer to get it in nice and tight.
Screw on 17mm castle nut, tighten and re-fit split pin for security.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1.../Photo0067.jpg


Step: 11

Repeat for other side and fit your wheels back on and you're done. Next hit VTAK haha just kidding.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1.../Photo0070.jpg


Caution: I would recommend you get a wheel alignment just for added safety.

:thumbsup:

will we need to wheel alignment again ?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dynosaur

will we need to wheel alignment again ?

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If you marked the position of the 22mm tierod nut and counted how many turns it took to remove the tierod end and you're confident you put it all back in exactly in the same position prior to removal - then you should be able to get away without doing a wheel alignment. (Assuming you had a good alignment in the first place)

That said, it's generally recommended to get a wheel alignment after playing with any suspension components.

Cheers

Bump for an OLD diy that works :thumbsup:

Just a noob question, Can I turn the steering wheel all the way to one side (the side I change the boot) then hold the tie-rod with one wrench, and unscrew the rack-end with another wrench. Will it enough space (lenght) to separate rack-end & tie-rod and don't need to remove the tie-rod end ball joint?

Never tried it that way before but I can't see why it wouldn't work. The only problem is it will be harder to thread the tie rod back into the rack end when you put it back together.

Thanks dorikin, I changed the steering boot today without removing the ball joint. There are plenty lenght to unscrew the rack-end and no problem to thread the tie rod back into the rack end when put it back together.

How do U get the rack end off?

There is a metal clip holding it on,on the inner side.

Anyone know?

good writeup, but you should never give suspension gear shock treatment!

Found it - http://civic-eg.com/viewtopic.php?t=13588

Just need a 1.25" spanner.There's less room with the EK.

So when U turn it,those 2 metal lugs on the washer just break off.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by beeza

How do U get the rack end off?

There is a metal clip holding it on,on the inner side.

Anyone know?

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You are suppose to replace the Lock Washers with a new one.

Hold the steering rack with a 19mm wrench and unscrew the rack end with another wrench, this will break the clips off the washer hence why you need to replace them

Quote:

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Originally Posted by na-118

good writeup, but you should never give suspension gear shock treatment!

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You're right, if available always use a ball joint remover.

Gotcha,and do U knock/bash/bend that washer into the grooves before U tighten it right up and that locks it in?

will be doing this in a few weeks including removing the piston inside the rack! cheers dorikon

Is that the notorious bitch pin?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by beeza

Gotcha,and do U knock/bash/bend that washer into the grooves before U tighten it right up and that locks it in?

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First you position the washer in the 2 grooves of the steering rack.

Then tighten the rack end down. And then you can stake the Lock Washer with a Roll Pin Punch (pic below) to lock it in.

http://yourautoworld.com/images/Acce...-punch-set.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by na-118

will be doing this in a few weeks including removing the piston inside the rack! cheers dorikon

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I'm guessing you're converting the rack to Non-Power Steering. Make sure you remove the Piston Seal Ring and O-Ring.

I remember reading someones build thread that went into a lot of detail on converting your rack to non-p/s but I can't remember who it was now..

Quote:

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Originally Posted by beeza

Is that the notorious bitch pin?

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No dude, bitch pin is the spring pin that locks the shift rod into the transmission.

yeah' that's in my intention dorikon. i've read up this morning basically removing the piston and the seals and assemble it back together

apparently you gota cut the piston off on hondatech

Thanks mate,great stuff!

RePPed!

Yeh that's right if you wanna go all the way, cut the piston off.

Here's Mattski_VTIR's build thread with very nicely detailed pics
http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/showthr...=1#post3041154