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Is there a special tool to remove the inner tie rod for a honda 2001 LX. I 'm replacing the the inner and outer tie rod. I think this the reason for the steering wheel shake at speeds of 60mph and above. So far I've replaced the axle, resufaced rotors and new brake, new rims and tires, and alignment without an actual remedy. How hard is it to remove the inner tie rod? The outer tie rod seem simple to replace. Is there a diy? Manual? Or maybe I should cancel the inner tie rod part and just replace the outer tie rod? Any help would be appreciated.

 
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did you try swapping the tires around?

 
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i would not bother with the inners. just do the outer. but you most likely have a balance issue whether you think they are balanced or not.are they aftermarket rims? mine still vibrate a bit and i have pretty much new suspension and balance, but still get some due to wheels not being exactly balanced for the specific car (hub). had no vibration at all with stock rims.

 
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I had 17"s 2 yrs ago. Replaced the tires so many times because of uneven wear. I had it drop with eibach springs and ran the vehicle with busted strut for a year or two. I also replaced back to factory strut on all four corners, brand new.Thinking it was the rim and tire again, I bought brand new rims from honda and tires. That didn't solve it, so I replaced the both axle. I also had rotors resurfaced and brand new brakes. Now I'm thinking it is the tie rod. Believe me when I say it is not the tire balance or rim. I spent a lot of money on this crappy car. Vibration is probably from the tie rod.

So, there is no special tool for removing the inner tie rod. I know other vehicles have it and is demonstrated on youtube. I just don't see one for honda. Any ideas?

 
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do the outers first, they are easy. the inners, idk where they even are, but you need two PER SIDE and they are around $50 a piece = $200+ for all of them. outer tie rods you only need 2 total and they are $40 a piece.

 
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I will order the outer first than. The inner and outer for both side is 149.06 already assembled. But I will just order the outer than.

 
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get them off e-bay. search under 2001 civic it brings up all the oem parts. 01 civic brings up after market. i think i paid 37 shipped for bolth.

 
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I wouldn't cheap out when it comes to parts. Go somewhere, find Moog parts with the lifetime warranty and call it a day.

 
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advance auto carries moog parts now woot! altho trw is good too and less expensive, those parts are made in japan.

 
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inner tie rods are a bitch..ask boilermaker. we needed to use an air hammer to get one of his off. It's a PITA.

 
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wow i hope you meant you need 2 parts per side, each side has (1) inner tie rod and (1) outer tie rod. there is not (2) inner tie rods per side.

for the inital question, a vibration at speeds will generally NOT come from a damaged, or loose tie rod. when tie rods wear out, the ball joint (in the outers) or bushing ( the inners in the case of a 7th gen civic) will just have excessive play in them causing the toe of the vehicle to be out of spec. this will most likley give you a condition of the steering wheel being off center. a quick way to see whats goin on with the tie rods is to jack the wheel off the ground, grab it, and try to move it side to side. if the wheel moves independently from the other side, you got a tie rod goin bad. if you have that movement, get someone to shake the wheel while you reach you hand up in there and feel the tie rod that has the play in it. if the wheel feels nice a tight, your good to go. ive been a mechanic since the 7thgens came out and ive only replaced a handfull of tie rods on them. they are pretty good quality. now if we were talking about a GM, they are probably trashed.

just a side note, if youve gotten this car aligned, the tech who aligned it HAS to check the tie rods before the alignment, a car cannot be properly aligned with bad or loose tie rods....

i think you got some out of balance 17s

 
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I've read the service manual. It might require taking the whole steering wheel assembly out. I will try, when the inner and outer tie rod arrives,for both sides, to remove the intake cover and resonator out first. Bend the flaps up and use two wrench to twist the inner tie rod out. I will try to do it on the vehicle first.

If this doesn't solve the problem, I will buy two front wheel bearing and have them replaced. I'm running stock rims, not 17s. Brand new. I threw away the 17s thinking it was bent.

 
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oops sorry computer told me two inners per side. thought that was kinda weird.

 
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you dont have to take out the rack, but you're better off working from underneath. otherwise, robo is right. except a worn tie rod WILL cause vibration because the excess play in the ball joint or bushing causes the tire to constantly change direction, which translates into vibration. however, just like he said, all you have to do is jack up the front of the car and try and move the tire side to side and up and down. if you feel play, youve got a tie rod or ball joint problem. It sounds like you're pretty determined to fix the problem, but throwing parts at the car without proper diagnosis isn't going to fix it. at least not in a cost effective way. dont forget that vibrations can come from the rear of the car. If it were the front wheels, or tie rods, youd feel the vibration in the steering wheel. if you feel it in the pedal during braking, youve got rotors or drums with too much run out. If the entire car shakes, you might have a rear wheel problem. Motor mounts are known to cause excessive vibration when damaged. bearings, not so much. I think you should take your car to a good technician. It's a freaking civic, these cars are pretty basic and any competent tech should be able to find your problem right away.

 
Rep Power: 281

i think we have solved this problem, skips right, you just cant throw parts at a car and expect to fix it anytime soon. it might cost you 50 bucks to have it onced over by a ASE tech. you know what to do....

skip, i hope that A8 wasent too hard, i got A1, A5, and A6. im going to take the A6, and A8 in a couple weeks.

 
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Thanks for the info. Since I've already ordered the part. I will replace it. If the problem isn't solved after an alignment. I will take it in for a diagnostic. I also need a SRS diagnostic. I reset it, but after 5 engine starts it comes right back. One of the component may have failed. I will also put the car on jack stands and test the wheel play as you stated today. Thank again for the info.

 
Rep Power: 331

robo - A8 wasn't bad if you know basic electrical and are pretty good at interpreting scanner data and linking it to subtle 'customer complaint' hints. I just took A1, A3 and L1. L1 kicked my ***. I find out next week how i did..only have auto trans and HVAC left..

 
Rep Power: 281

man let me correct my own post
i got the A4, A5, A6. im goin to take (or get owned) on the A1, and A8.
well thanks for the advice.

 
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My tie rod came in today. I'm almost done. To remove the inner tie rod I had to remove the whole steering piece out of the vehicle. Just follow the procedure for tie rod removal in the manual. The rod was screwed in pretty tight. Two wrenches and an extension pipe on the medium wrench got it out. I need to buy power steering fluid tomorrow, fluid leaked from the removal process.

I noticed that I also need to do the d/s ball joint. It is busted also. Should i replace the ball joint before an alignment or just get a alignment and see if it fixed the steering wheel shake at 60 mph and up?

 
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replace the ball joint before you get an alignment. actually if you take it to a good alignment shop, they will recognize it has a bad ball joint and not even bother aligning your car.

 
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I finished the install and took it for a test drive. I am happy that finally, the steering wheel shake is gone. I will take it in for an alignment. If they recommend a new ball joint, I will replace. If not I am ok with it since it solved my problem. The clicking of the transmission from after changing gear is much quieter also. Don't know how they are related. The sound is still there, but not as loud. What does the average shop charge for ball joint replacement? I see the DIY, but don't have power tools. I am also due for a timing belt replacement, so I am on a budget.