94eg!

iTrader: (2)

Well, my steering gearbox (89 CRX Si) dust boots have been toast for some time now. More recently I've noticed a lot of noise/vibration coming from my right front tire under braking & harsh pavement. Upon inspection I found that my tie rods & rack end ball joints are all in good shape w/ no play. However, when I grasp the rack from the passenger side & shake/wiggle it, I can hear the same noise that I hear when driving. This has led me to think that the rack end bushing (#10 in picture), has gone bad.

My question, is there a way to replace this bushing W/O dissasembling the whole steering rack? It's a pretty expensive process & there are some major components that have to be replaced if it's dissasembled.

Thanks...

Tyson

to replace the #10 bushing, you can do it without taking the rack out (however its much easier if you take the rack out)

take off the outer tie rod completely. then you need to take off the inner tie rod. youll notice theres a lock washer that needs to either by bent back or just twisted off along with the inner balljoint (use an adjustable crescent wrench and just twist it all off). either way, youll need to buy a replacement for it, along with the bushing. then you should loosen all 4 bolts to the steeering rack, just to give you more working room. then turn the steering wheel all the way right and use whatever you can to pry the old plastic bushing out. this can be a bit of a pain. you gotta push the two side button in and slide it out.

installation is the reverse order.

btw, to get to the inner tie rod balljoint, you gotta take the boot off. likely, the boot clamp will be impossible to remove, just pry it off, dont bother to save it. you dont need it. use a zip tie or another clamp. zip tie is fine because its not like a CV boot that is containing a ton of grease, rotating at 3000rpms. steering rack doesnt need to be completely sealed, its just sitting there moving in and out, so not big deal.

yeah, youll notice a lot of difference. that clunk you hear is exactly what needs to be replaced.

[front page edit]

94eg!

iTrader: (2)

WOW, thanks Tyson.

One other question: Am I correct in thinking that to replace the old dust boots, the tie rod ends (#26/27) have to be seperated from the rack ends(#20)? I had a problem when I replaced one tie rod end befor. I tried to break loose the jam nut (#34), but only the tie rod end came loose. The nut was securly rusted on. Do you have any recomendations for removing the rusted jam nut?

Also, are the side buttons of the rack end bushing accessable from the outside of the gearbox, or do I need to slide something in between the gearbox & the bushing?

Tyson

yeah, you need to separate the outer and inner tie rod to remove the boot completely.

i use a combination of wrenches, i believe a 19mm and 22mm (and maybe an adjustable crecent) wrench to lock the outer tie rod (with it still connected to the knuckle), then torque the jamnut as much as possible. dont use try it without locking the outer end, itll just rotated around the baljoint and damage it. yeah, its a hard nut to break loose. its normally threaded. just dont get confused on which way to turn.

hahagasdcrx

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Tyson &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">yeah, you need to separate the outer and inner tie rod to remove the boot completely.

i use a combination of wrenches, i believe a 19mm and 22mm (and maybe an adjustable crecent) wrench to lock the outer tie rod (with it still connected to the knuckle), then torque the jamnut as much as possible. dont use try it without locking the outer end, itll just rotated around the baljoint and damage it. yeah, its a hard nut to break loose. its normally threaded. just dont get confused on which way to turn.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Had to replace mine on 2 different cars, easy as pie, but just go get an alignment afterwards.

94eg!

iTrader: (2)

Thanks guys. I'm not looking forward to this job, but it must be done. Good input too.


hahagasdcrx, that avatar is the ****! I havn't seen that cartoon in 20 years.

hahagasdcrx

thanks. Bout time someone recognized that cartoon.... LoL
Guess we're just old.

Rostr02

nope used to watch the cartoon too

Twilight

I do have the same clunking also. Its pretty sick. Its one of 88-91's problems.

Gonna replace it soon...

sullenht

thats probably what my problem is i am fixing to change all bushings and tie rods and ball joints I am not looking forward to that at all

tgreaves

Are you sure it isnt that the bushing that hold the rack to the frame are worn?

Burlyirishdude

dude...tex avery was the man....That cartoon is how all of us feel....We drive cars that feel slow as cabs....and then turn it into a hot rod, but deep down we all are cabs....

if that makes any sense...

FalkenSiR

Alignment? whats that??

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by hahagasdcrx &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">thanks. Bout time someone recognized that cartoon.... LoL
Guess we're just old. </TD></TR></TABLE>
btw, wasn't that the family where they were all cars, the dad was a cab and the son wanted to be a race car and he built himself with race parts or somethin like that???

sullenht

that would be the one

GreenBean

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by sullenht &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">that would be the one
</TD></TR></TABLE>

For the old school and way off topic...

They are bringing back "Herbie the Love Bug" to the movies this summer.

Evidently he takes over NASCAR or something.

action38

I just rebuilt my 89 hatch manual rack about two weeks ago. It wasnt that bad, and I kind of enjoyed it. I disassembled the whole rack and replaced the gear and pinion with a quaif quick ratio unit that cost $240, plus various seals and bushings from honda. I had the 4 1/2 turns lock to lock before and now its about 2.3 of 2.4 its the ****, although it is harder to turn when parking.
I say if you can afford it, go this way. Just my $.02 . See link for photos
http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/677769/7

fireant

I'd like to hear some more info how to get the inner lock washers out... can you just wail on em with a hammer & punch? I couldn't get anywhere with mine, so I put the inners off for a while.

Good tip about zip-tieing the boots, because if you re-use the clamps they are so tight the aligment tech has to fight with them when adjusting the toe.

Tyson

i used a slim adjustable crescent wrench and just wrenched the washer off. it broke through the tabs. its ok to destroy it, youre not supposed to reuse it. a normal wrench, even if i could find the right size, would have been to thick to squeeze in that space. so my small monkey wrench opened up enough to fit around the washer tabs and worked fine.

fireant

I guess is all else fails, there's dremel.

action38

I straightened mine with a screwdriver and a hammer. The boot clamps dont get in the way of toe adjustments, they fit in a groove on the inner tie rod and you only spin the outer tie rod when adjusting toe.

94eg!

iTrader: (2)

Here is an update:

I was originally wanting to do the work with the steering gearbox still in the car. After some careful though, I decided it would infinitely easier to just remove the thing. It came out pretty easy...

Disconnect Tie rod ends from steering knuckles
Disconnect Steering column from Gearbox
Disconnect Exhaust pipe from header down-pipe
Disconnect Shift linkage (one bar at the transmission one bar at the shifter)
Disconnect the gearbox from the chassis
Slide gearbox to the right till tie rod end clears chassis
Slide gearbox left & out

Next I cleaned the gearbox with a full can of brake cleaner & washed it with orange blast (looks new). I proceeded to remove the tie rod ends, & they just wrenched right off. The jam nuts, however, were pretty rusted to the inner tie rods. An hour soaking in PB Blaster did the trick & they came right off. I proceeded to cut off the old torn boots. On the CRX, the inner boot clamps are the screw down type, so I took those off & saved them. The outer clamps are a coil that pops off with a screwdriver (saved them also). Next I had to remove the inner tie rod end on the passenger side of the rack so I could get the "inner rack bushing out". The lock washer turned out to be a bitch, but hammering a screwdriver bent the tabs enough to get ahold of them with some pliers. Next, two adjustable wrenches made quick work of the inner tie rod. I would have tired just wrenching them if I had standard cresent wrenches.

Now on to the inner rack bushing. The two tabs on the inner bushing are clearly visible through two holes in the side of the steering gearbox. Using a flat head screw driver & began prying at those nubs to get the bushing to move out. It took a ton of patience (& some random micro screw drivers, Allen wrenches & a custom bent cotter pin & hammer) to get that damn bushing out of the housing. Once it came out, I was the happiest guy in a 10 mile radius!

I followed up pushing the rack in on the drivers side until it was sticking out on the passenger side as far as it would go. Then I cleaned the rack with a towel & gave it a LIGHT coat of suspension lube. I lightly lubed the inside of the new inner bushing & slid it onto the steering rack (to much lube won't let air flow back & forth as you steer). After a little squeezing I got the thing partially into the gearbox. Next I pushed the rack all the way into the gearbox so it was sticking all the way out the drivers side. Using some needle nose pliers I squeezed & pushed the tabs of the inner bushing until the cleared the gearbox housing & started to go in (be sure the tabs are perfectly lined with the gearbox holes. Next I set the whole gearbox on end & pressed the bushing into the housing (pressed it down onto my work bench). Then I used the old bushing, a washer, and a hammer to tap the new bushing into its final resting place.

Then I removed the boot from the other side of the steering gearbox, cleaned & re lubed everything. Reinstalled the inner tie rod that I took off (with new lock washer). Bent the tabs of the new lock washer down (I used a hammer & flat head to get them started). Slid the new boots on. Put all the old clamps onto the new boots. Put the jam nuts & tie rods back on & the whole thing feels good as new. No more play in the shaft!!!

I originally marked the tie rods & steering column so I could put everything back how it goes, but all my markings washed off . I have a feeling I'm gonna be limping to the alignment place. And I'm also gonna be re-centering the steering wheel after my alignment.



Modified by 94eg! at 9:13 AM 5/3/2005

Ash J. Williams

i have recently rebuilt a rack completely, new inner and outer tierods, new quaife rack and pinion assembly, which includes a new bearing. i will have a complete write-up with pictures very soon. no driving impressions as the car that the rack is going on is still in pieces.
stan

94eg!

iTrader: (2)

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by action38 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I straightened mine with a screwdriver and a hammer. The boot clamps dont get in the way of toe adjustments, they fit in a groove on the inner tie rod and you only spin the outer tie rod when adjusting toe.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Your also supposed to lube that groove where to boots sit on the inner tie rod, so that a toe adjustment doesn't twist the boot (according to Helms anyways)...

fireant

excellent writeup, thanks 94eg!

94eg!

iTrader: (2)

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by fireant &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">excellent writeup, thanks 94eg!</TD></TR></TABLE>

Any time....