My car: 1993 honda accord LX, automatic transmission.


I removed the outer tie rod. Now when I went to remove inner tie rod boot, it seems to be broken (cut in half). I removed the the outer (smaller clamp) with a flat head. And I took off half of it off. Now on the other side, there doesn't seem to be a clamp? Maybe I'm mistaken, but the problem is there seems to be a fuel line going into the inner half of the remaining boot. Am I suppose to cut a hole for the new inner tie rod boot for that to go in? How am I suppose to get it over that? Is this more of a permanent inner boot?


My second question is, how I do unscrew the inner tie rod. The bolt looks round, I'm assuming the inner tie rod removal kit, hooks up to that. And there appears to be a bent washer there. I'm assuming that is to be unbent, and that I am to put the inner tie rod tool where I circled in the picture? Is that correct?

 

That washer is bent up onto the 2 flats of that round part. So bend the washer flat, & use a crows-foot wrench.

The new boots should have a hole for that steel tube. That tube is there so it balances the air pressure from side to side when you steer. As one boot compresses and the other expands, there's no other air-channel inside the steering rack.

Since that boot it torn open, you should try your best to clean everything inside there. You don't want to leave any crud from the road inside the rack & pinion.

 

Thanks JimBlake. I managed to take the air hose off. And break the clamp off with a flat head screw driver and a cutting pliers. I tested the new boot, it does have a hole in there for the air hose and it does fit. There wasn't much crud in there, just some grease.

I ran out of time last night because it became dark. I couldn't bend the washer back as easily as I thought I could. My flat head screw driver wasn't thin enough to get under it so I could bend it. Do you have any suggestions to bend this? Also, I'm confused on were the crow-foot wrench goes on? Is it behind the washer or more in back of it? I circled two areas on the picture, does the crow-foot wrench go where I circled on the green, or does it go were I circled in the red?

 

Green circle. After you bend the washer down flat, you'll see that's the 2 flat spots where you put the wrench to unscrew the inboard joint.

Got something like a prybar to get in there & begin bending the washer? Then some kind of steel rod that you can use as a drift to pound with a hammer.

 

I must have been thinking about a different car where all this stuff is down inside the housing of the steering rack. This picture is 1998-2002 but it looks like all that is accessible when the rubber boot is removed. Is that the same for your car? You don't need a crows-foot to reach the flat spots on the tie rod.

The shop manual doesn't give any hints about HOW to flatten that washer...

 

That's the problem. I'm having a hard time bending the washer. Every inner tie rod instructional video I saw on youtube. Even the 1994 honda accord inner tie rod installation video I saw, never mentioned on how to bend this washer (Like it would be no big deal or you would never run into this problem). I don't know how if I'm making this worse by trying to get into the tiny gap I see and tap with with a smaller flat head to try and move it back. Because as you can see where it's positioned I can't get the small flat head in there or the big one yet. I don't know if I'm making this worse or better.

Before:




After:

 

I managed to get it with a flat head (just thin enough), with a interchangeable screw driver that lets you put bits in it. It did seem to bend easier when I got it in the middle. It's just starting out there was no gap to get a flat head in there. So I had to create a gap. By hitting the top part of it with the very edge with a hammer. And using what you said to use something as a drift. I had to use a flat head screw driver, then use a another hammer. And then I used a mallet to hit those two.

Something like that, but anyways the end result was I only got one side of the washer bent out of the way. And it's not completely flush. Hopefully I can get whatever I need on there, whether it's a crowfoot wrench or what not (something with an extension). I will have to check to see if the inner tie rod tool is thin enough to push in there.

I still got to get the other tab unbent. I like how they say "unbend the lockwasher" LOL I shouldn't complain too much, my haynes manual doesn't have instructions on how to remove the inner tie rod at all.


Yeah, it's all accessible when I remove the boot. But I think I need enough room for the special tool to go on it. Because I think I need to get enough torque on it. I'm not sure yet.

I do have crow-foot flare set. But I'm just assuming I need the special inner tie rod removal tool. Or maybe I'm suppose to use a cresent wrench, I just don't think there is enough space in the wheel well.

I don't know yet, I have gotten to that point. Because my MOOG inner tie rod seems to be designed differently on the end then the original honda one on there. My main concern is to flatten the other tab of the washer. And to make sure I untorque with the right tool in the right area. Thanks for your help so far.

 

You need a straight crows-foot (not a flare version) because both places where you put the wrench have only the 2 flats opposing each other. They don't have a full hex.

Probably the picture from the shop manual is with the steering rack out of the car, on the workbench...

 

Yep, you were right. It was 17 mm crows foot. I used a small extension and got it out. It was a $8.00 set at harbor freight. Cheaper than the crow flare set.

I'm kind of confused on how to keep the alignment correctly. I originally thought, all I had to do was measure old inner and outer with new inner and outer. And I counted the turns and took measurements. But now I'm thinking, I'm suppose to do the measurements were the swivel starts. (I circled it in the picture)
The original is different than the MOOG inner tie rod EV283 part I ordered.

First measurement I took, I lined them up (next to the original old outer tie rod was setup), then on the new outer tie rod, I adjusted the nut and counted the threads. The turns seem to be similar, near 17.4 or 18.

I wonder if it's suppose to be measured from where the swivel points start. Not the total length. I probably got it right. I'm just kind of confused on why they are so different.

Also the outer tie rod which is acdelco 45A0488. The bolt is much shorter and it just barely goes through and you have to kind of squish the boot to go in there. Is that normal? And is that just how they make them?

 

First, what you want to measure is from the flat surface that bears up against the end of the steering rack. So it's within the black oval on the old tie rod, but specifically the flat part not the end of the threaded stud. Also, if you have new washers, put the old washers on the old part, new washers on the new part, and measure with the washers in place and somehow tight together.

Then the outer part of the measurement is the centerline of the stud that fits into the knuckle. Problem here is that you'll have to square up that stud which is kinda visual and subjective.

It'll only get you pretty close, so I'd have the car aligned when you're done.

The old boot has probably been squashed into that position for years and sticks there. I think you'll see when you install it, the boot squishes out sideways as its pushed down, so it bulges out like the old one. The tapered part of that stud is what controls how far it goes into the knuckle.

Finally, you'll have to pull them apart in order to install the big rack boot over the end of the inboard tie rod. Set the length the way you have them sitting here, then count the turns when you unscrew the new parts to put the boot on.