Rep Power: 0

Hey all,

I tried to lower my civic yesterday with the help of VNlilMAN's DIY guide. (BTW great job , VNlilMAN, and thanks) When I use the tie rod separator to separate the tie rod and the struts, there's ton's of grease coming out of the rubber boot!!! Is this normal? How would I replace the rubber boot and the grease on the tie rod? Also, when I try to screw the nut back on to the tie rod the bolt on the tie rod turns with the nut. How do I keep the bolt on the tie rod steady so I can put the nut back on?

BTW, I'm also installing SPC camber kit with the springs, but I'm not sure if I need to tighten the bolt and nut for the front camber setup. How did you guys install yours???

Any input will be greatly appreciated,
Frank

P.S. I took some photos during installation.





Edit: fixed link to pictures.


Attachments:
[IMG]/forums/themes/orbitz/paperclip.gif[/IMG] front_camber.jpg (44 Kb)
[IMG]/forums/themes/orbitz/paperclip.gif[/IMG] tie_rod.jpg (49 Kb)

 
Rep Power: 416

ya theres grease in the tie rod boot... when i was doing it, not much came out.. if alot of grease came out, try putting some back in? not sure how to replace just the boot, i've heard people were having problems with it..
the tie rod turns with the nut??? how? i dont see how unless if you messed up the threads on the tie rod end..
as for the pictures, your linking them wrong.. click on "attach files" at the bottom in order to upload the pics correctly

 
Rep Power: 350

I had the same problem with the boot. If you didn't tear it, you shouldn't have to replace it, but I did tear mine. When I got my new one, I had to pull the torn one off and it was like glued on somehow, I had to get a razor and just cut it all of, big pain in the a$$. When I put the new one on, I just filled it with grease and stuck it on. When you put the tie rod assembly back on the strut assembly and tighten everything down, you should be ok. As for the front camber bolts, tighten them a little but not too tight, when you take the car in for an alignment, they will set the camber and make sure it is tight enough.

 
Rep Power: 0

The tie rod doesn't turn, it's the bolt in the rubber boot on the tie rod that turns...BTW Pictures are now working.[IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/IMG]

 
Rep Power: 416

theres a bolt in the rubber boot?? didnt even know that..

 
Rep Power: 350

yeah, the bolt is attached to the end of the tie rod by a bearing, that is why the rubber boot has grease in it...for the bearing, the bolt connects to the strut assembly where the nut and cotter pin attach on the bottom of the bolt...you knew that!

 
Rep Power: 0

Here's a pic showing the bolt.




Attachments:
[IMG]/forums/themes/orbitz/paperclip.gif[/IMG] tie_rod2.jpg (38 Kb)

 
Rep Power: 416

never knew there was a bearing inside it either.. i just thought the threads were welded/part of the whole tie rod end.. learn something new everyday...

 
Rep Power: 0

Man that tie-rod boot is SCREWED! I've ripped my suspension out countless times trying to make improvements but have never encountered what you are showing us here. You may as well just buy a new tie-rod end. Judging from the obliterated boot, you must not be using the correct tool or at least the correct size...

Actually, how the heck did your boot get so messed up anyway?

I don't mean to sound like a ***** or brutal but if I understood how the boot was damaged, I could provide some guidance.

Terry

 
Rep Power: 331

deng you went CRAZY on the tie-rod boot. The correct way to get the tie-rod seperated is to leave the nut at the end of the bolt and use a metal hammer and knock it up so you knock the nut at the end instead of tearing up the thread on the bolt of the tie rod. It should just come right up and you're good. Some of those tie rods are mad rusty and you may need lots of WD-40 to loosen it up. Try not to hammer the nut up too much and get it stuck between threads.

 
Rep Power: 0

I had a small tear in my boot, but nothing like yours. I clean the grease off and used a little silicon sealent to cover the tear so the grease wouldn't leak out and then I wrapped the boot in electrical tape and I was good to go.

 
Rep Power: 0

Thanks for the input guys!!![IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/IMG] I finished installing the springs last night and the car looks great!!! I'll post some pics and maybe come up with a DIY for EX (I noticed the DIY that VNlilMAN wrote is for LX). You guys are great!!! Thanks again.

 
Rep Power: 416

oh, whats the difference between LX and EX?

 
Rep Power: 350

Yeah, you're strut assembly looks to be identical