I often feel like seeing how difficult something really is, is exactly what helps give me the confidence to get it done. Thanks for keeping it real in this one.
I found removing the power steering bracket then reinstalling the two long bolts in the rack holds everything in place and opened up more room to remove the lines. Also pushing the drivers side inner tie rod in all the way allowed enough room to clear everything during removal. I saw this in the video but it was not talked about. Thank you for the great videos. They are a huge help.
For those with a 5 Speed Manual Transmission, yes you will have a bit of a challenging time, and there are a few more things that you will need to do. It can be done without having to remove the driver's side inner tie rod. It is not easy, but it can be done. First to note, I did as was suggested and did not undo the hose clamp on the top line, I just spun it off. There was no issue with this approach as the hose itself did not twist, but the fitting just spin in the hose (will have to check to see if this leaks in the future). Now to the additional steps beyond just dropping the exhaust: 1. Disconnect the shifter linkage at the shifter (not at the transmission end). You can try to take it off at the transmission, but this is a roll pin, and it does not like to come out. 2. Remove the rubber boot from the splined shaft that goes into the cabin. 3. Position the driver's side inner tie rod such that the outboard tip is pointing skyward as high as it will go, and slightly forward (this may not be necessary if the inner tie rods are lose and will not hold position, but this is the position that will be necessary to get the part out in the end). 4. Pull the passenger side inner tie rod all the way to the passenger side of the car. 5. Continue pulling the passenger side tie rod such that you actually pull the rack towards you. The goal is that you will actually have the splined shaft outside of the hole that it goes through the bode and about 4"-6" displaced towards the passenger side. The splined shaft will stop on a bead in the sheetmetal of the underbody, but will no longer be in a cutout. 6. At this point, you will be in the best position to wiggle the driver's side tie rod down and past the frame. There is not much room to spare at all (if my inner tie rod were 1/16" longer, this might not have worked). Once the inner tie rod is below the frame, you can remove the rack. Installation has to be done similarly with the tie rods biased towards the passenger side.
This video is the real deal. I replaced my rack in a 1997 CIVIC in 3.5 hours with breaks saving $600 / $700 repair bill. Couple comments, get and use the penetrating oil, try and get the floor boot on the rack prior to putting it in place, and turn the steering column left/right to shrink the driver’s side to provide the clearance to remove the rack. Mine was a manual transmission model and I did have to drop the shifter rod to get clearance.... Thanks again...
Thanks Eric! I just did my first R and P unit replacement, following your sound advice. Great help. One thing I would include is that, after unit is completely detached, you may/will have to shift the rack 'axle' INSIDE of the R&P unit, all the way to the Right/Passenger side of the car, in order to get the clearance needed to get the Pinion shaft OUT of that hole! Great videos, I will always check in with you first!
You rock! This comment saved me so much trouble. I like to think I would have realized this eventually but thank you kind sir. If you are ever on the Big Island of Hawaii I’ll buy you a beer.
I just finished replacing the rack and pinion on my 1991 Honda Civic. I used this video to figure out how to do it. The 1991 has 3 hydraulic hook-ups. The third one broke while removing it. I had to re-tap the holes for the mounting bolts when I put it back on. Also, Napa ordered the wrong one. Apparently I have a late year 1991 Civic, so it has a 1992 Rack in it. When I got the old one out, the new one was completely different, They ordered the correct part and had it in the next day. The bolts on the exhaust had been on 23 years, so they broke. Other than that, no serious problems I couldn't overcome. I saved $500. The shop wanted $700 to do it. I spent under $200 in parts. Thanks Eric!
It's been a while since I've visited EricTheCarGuy and have to say that I learn a lot from this man. It's important to have good tools, the right tools. Some tools are so handy eg the impact wrench. Makes work light. But above all I like Eric's calm composure and steely confidence to get things done and not be defeated by a pile of iron and steel. Plus he knows what he's doing! Great mechanic.
Yes, flare wrenches are your friend! Found that out the hard way trying to pull the lines off rack to my 98 Saturn. Was using a standard wrench and it rounded the nut so had to pull out the vice grips. Like he said use the right tools the first time. lesson learned!
Well I followed your video and hell ya. I am not a mechanic at all but with your help I changed out my R&P on my 1997 Honda Civic in less than 4 hours. No leaks and works great.....Thanks a ton!
I don't know if anyone has mentioned it or not, but when doing a rack on a manual tranny Civic, you have to drop the two shift rods. They are in the way just like the exhaust is. Thanks for a great video, Eric. Helped a lot.
Came here to ask what I dropped. Countless hours spent removing the rack. I removed the driver inner tie rod, had to cut the high pressure hose. I'm not sure how I'm going to get the new one in.
You have to give Eric credit for keeping this repair as close to DIY as possible. For a technician to have worked on a hoist for serval years and then go back to working off jack stands and a floor jack sucks. For the amount of cost and work it saves to have a hoist he hasn't installed one.
Just a tip, if you have recently had an alignment done and you're doing this yourself. You can measure from the center of the front tire, both sides front and back. write down the measurements usually something like 1/16th or so of toe in (varies). Then when you put everything back together you can just use the measuring tape to re align your front tires to what they were. I have also aligned my car this way. Just make sure you park the car on a flat surface and let it roll to a stop
I have always liked the fact that Eric shows automotive repair has it's unexpected difficulties even for the professionals. If you watch somebody like Scotty Kilmer, he can make a job like this seem as simple as a freakin oil change and it's not especially for the DIYer (not hatin on ya Scotty its just my opinion). I always watch one of Eric's vids before I *attempt* a repair of my own. In fact, I am in the middle of replacing a rack and pinion on 1993 Lexus ES300 right now only to find out they sent me the wrong replacement. *sigh* I guess it shall sit on the jack-stands for another week :(
You could also wrap the seatbelt in the steering wheel and click it in and that will hold the wheel straight. That’s actually in Toyota service info, works great.
Does 3.5 hours to do this job @ $75.00 per hr. sound right I'm 75 years old and disabled (can't do my own work anymore) got a quote from a come to your home mobile mechanic. (I buy all parts) Thank you for the video.
2000 Civic, changed out the Rack along with the left lower ball joint, both upper control arms, outer tie rod ends and the left CV Axle, due to a failed ball joint. Just completed . Thanks again, Eric ! Great instructional videos.
On my 98 Civic, I had a terrible time fishing the rack out of the subframe after unbolting everything. But I figured out that by turning the shaft on the rack all the way to the left, (after disconnecting the steering u-joint of course), thereby shortening the clearance of the left inner tie rod as much as possible, fishing it out becomes a breeze. I did the same for installing the new part. But first, I measured the entire span of left to right to be almost exactly three and a half turns. So after turning it all the way left to fit it into the subframe, I turned it back half that distance- one and three-quarters turn- to put the rack back in center position before reconnecting it to the steering shaft. Hope this tip helps someone! :)
I'm doing this job on a 98 Civic EX. You ain't joking about rounding of that pressure line fitting nut. It ruins your whole day, month, and year. I was even using a flare wrench and penetrating oil. I finally took a hack saw to the line. Still can't get the return line fitting out though. Got the hose off, but the rack won't come out with the fitting on, figures.... Going to try a flare wrench on it like a did with the other if I can find one the right size. Otherwise, my hacksaw will get some more work. Thanks for your video.
Thanks for taking the time to film the procedure. I really appreciate the dialog. Sometimes many times with instructional videos I don't get the commentary making it hard to follow, not in your case. Many thanks.
Just wanted to say thanks man. I was changing the rack on my 99 civic yesterday, and was having a bit of trouble until I watched your video. It saved me a couple of hours for sure. I had the extra fun of pulling the "bitch pin" (clinch pin) out of the shift linkage, but it was over and done after about 7 hours, and runs great.
You know what? Your videos rock. If for no reason other than the fact that you don't spent a minute and a half with a cheesy and pointless intro sequence. Thanks for all the great work!!!
I just replaced the power steering rack on my 2002 Honda Civic LX. After watching this video, I convinced myself I could do it. For those of you with a 2001/2002, just a heads up that the rack is not in the same location and does not drop out of the bottom. Later model Civics have nothing in common with this video.
Great video even though it took me like over 9 hours. When it comes doing this on a manual transmission it changes a alot. I had a lot of trial and error figuring stuff out. I recommend taking off exhaust first then also taking off the shift linkage from the transmission. That means you have to take off the “b*tch” pin. Then start taking out the rack and pinion so you get that stuff over with. Also make sure to push the inner tie rod into the r&p on the left side to make it an easier removal at the end. A great video though that helped a lot. Thanks to eric
Eric, my wife drives almost that exact car, 99 civic D16Y7. Lucky me. :P Thanks for showing the specific jacking procedure you use. I was never totally comfortable putting the jackstands on those pinch welds, but seeing you do it gives me more confidence.
Excellent, great video. Thank you so much for taking the time to upload. Helps me tremendously. I have the work manuals but a video is worth a million words. Cheers.
Currently tackling this project. Mines a 5 speed so I also needed to remove the shift linkage and dampening rod. There's so much to remove! But it's not that bad of a job. Thanks for sharing
+EricTheCarGuy The wife's 2000 CR-V needs a rack. These videos are OUTSTANDING, and my son and I will being using this next weekend. I already got under there, the CR-V looks bolt-for-bolt identical. Thanks Eric!
Eric! Thanks so much. This video helped me do this 100% on my own. Only difference is with a manual you have to undo the shift linkages. Thanks for the great video!
As a serious piece of advice, I always use brake grease (A.K.A. copper slip), which is also, often made with aluminium to coat exhaust bolts and nuts. It's excellent at preventing corrosion, and makes disassembly so much more of a breeze, far into the future. As a matter of fact, I used to work at a main dealer as a technician, and to make my life easier, on P.D.I. (Pre-Delivery-Inspection), when a vehicle was fresh off the production line; I'd go over the entire exhaust system and coat all bolt/nut joins with copper slip. Thus, always enabling my future repairs to go so much easier. I used to work in the U.K. which is a cold place, and where they spray salt on the roads in winter (a major cause of vehicle corrosion). In a place like this grease is your friend, and don't be afraid to coat anything which is a fixing, and which isn't rubber or plastic in it. Just know your grease and which to use on which fixing. Brake grease is to be used on exhausts as it won't burn up at exhaust temperatures. A good, aluminium brake grease (although copper grease is also fine) will require a couple of thousand degrees at least to start burning and exhausts, generally can't get that hot. You can also apply this grease to the exterior welds (which often corrod earlier than the rest of it) of the factory exhausts. Again, this significantly increases the life of the exhaust.
jamie alton Severely underrated statement. All you hear is people complaining about grease under cars. They should stop whining and appreciate that grease helps a heck of a lot to prevent and slow down corrosion.
the folks that are having issues getting the steering shaft back onto the rack.. i just did this today and it was a pain. i made sure that it was turned correctly with the bolt slot and 2 flat sides lined up with each other. hosed it down with some liquid wrench. then used the extension piece of my jack handle to "ease" it back into place. its a tight fit and probably full of crud. good luck!
Eric you are the best man, and when i say best i mean best, when I look how that rack was coming out, I imagine myself how frustrated I would be, you have a lot of patience
Just a tip. Whenever counting thread links start at the end not the top of the threads because some replacement parts will have longer thread links meaning the threads go further up the tie rod end connector than the original. Found that out the hard way.
Thanks for the great video Eric. I used it to help me with replacing steering rack on a 2001 Honda CRV 4WD with a 5spd. Where I ran into the problem was when I tried to remove the old rack after unbolting it. It turns out that on the first generation of the CRVs, you are forced to remove the A exhaust pipe as well as disconnect rear drive shaft and remove the 4WD transfer case. Between tight spaces and 16 year old nuts and bolts, this turned into a decent projects. LOL. Nevertheless, thank you again for all the pointers.
It’s been a while sense this comment but do you remember why you had to drop rear drive shaft ? Was it for clearance issues ? I need to do this on my 98 crv and there are ZERO vids
@@222_tactical Yes, there is no way to access all the fasteners without removing the driveshaft as well as the transfer case. Good news is that the tiny transfer case comes out rather easily. Second generation CRV make this job so much easier. Even with the transfer case, it was a tight fit but very achievable. From what I remember, getting some of the hose fittings/high pressure lines undone was very difficult. I would strongly recommend flare nut wrenches (10/11 and 12/14mm) as well as long reach hose players (3/8 and 1/2 or maybe even 3/4") for unhooking and rehooking of the power steering hoses. I also had to disconnect the steering column = you have to loosen the the steering column universal joint spline on the inside of the vehicle above the pedals. Try to remember and retighten that afterwards. I remember complaining to myself about how much more loose the rebuilt steering rack was until I remembered to tighten that universal joint on th einside of the cab. LOL
I've owned and worked on tons of older BMWs from 84 - 94. Extremely easy cars to tinker with especially prior to 92. they're also great to learn on. I learned a lot of basics on a 94 civic, but learned the more in depth stuff on an 89 3 series.
OMFUG, What a PITA! I'm replacing the power steering fluid lower return line on one of these in a couple days, and it's looking from Eric's excellent video that I'm in for some annoyance. Oh well, at least I'm not doing the rack! Thanks Eric, you're the man.
Thanks for the video Eric it helped me change out my rack and pinion which was not necessarily easy also replaced all lines and pump it ended up being a 3 day project because of unforeseen difficulties :) but got everything changed out and is running smooth with the new steering .
Hi Eric! Thnx for the great video. i replaced my steering rack from my dutch civic 1.5vtec 1997 this video helped me a lot, but the difference between this type and my own civc is that mine didn't had his own frame but to get it out i had to lower the subframe, discon. the exhaust and gear stuff. then shift the tie-rods to left and right.. anyway pretty hard to get out and harder to get in back in again.! did work fortunately! THNX
I have just done this repair. The job is very tricky with the hoses. Eric is able to get a wrench around that impossible nut and losen it but the key is to just cut that hose clamp off and then put new ones on.
Thinking of getting a 96 5 series. I have been told they are hard to work on, but I don't really have any experience with them, so you might be right. I really hope so at least, gonna be cold standing outside this winter having to work on it if it breaks down. But it will be good fun next summer at least, probably gonna do a bit of work on it just to learn a bit. Coilovers, sway bars, rims, interior trim etc. Probably not gonna turn out great, but I need to learn how to do it
Eric i have found that the best way to remove cotter pins is with a pair of open face cutters , you bight into the almost to the point of cutting then you crank then out using the castle nut as a fulcrum.
Eric, great video. all of your videos are easy videos to watch. just like to make a note, maybe you can add a subtitle note in the video. when you actually pull the rack down you said "this may be the hardest part of the journey", and then pulled it right out. this part was a bear for me this weekend, but an added note would help and I figured it out after three hours of fighting, pull the inner tie rod toward the passenger side and this will pull the drivers side tie rod in giving easy clearance. It did not dawn on me to try this until my wife was like, "what if I try to help by pulling on this" and bam the thing practically fell on my chest. did the same for the install. knowing this, the hardest part getting room for the flare wrench on the in/Out lines
First off, I'd like to say, I wish everyone had your personality. Life would be so much better. LOL Reading through the manual, it says to remove the rear engine mount bracket and jack the engine block up 40mm (I wish I could post a pic, but it seems to be near the where the mounting bracket is located), This should allow enough room to move the rack all the way to the right to clear the exhaust and rear beam. The illustration in the manual shows that drive shaft disconnected, but I'm not sure if it is necessary as it doesn't mention it in the removal instructions. It does say to be mindful of any hoses or pipes while jacking up the engine and never raise in farther than necessary to remove the rack - 40mm should be enough - a little over 1 1/2 inches - less than 1 5/8". It's one extra step anyways, maybe two if you have to remove the driveshaft, but it should help with not dealing with a potential of braking hard to find exhaust bolts.
A great way that I get the cotter pins out mostly undamaged is using either needle nose or regular pliers to clamp down on the tail ends of the cotter pin. once they are straight or straight enough you can add a flat head screw driver to the loop side of the cotter pin and either lever it out or get a hammer and punch it out with ease. I would never suggest running the bolt over top of the pin because most times you will not be able to clear the hole in which is goes through the ball joint thread.
im going from my ps rack on my 99 to a cx manual rack ive already pulled the manual rack at the junk yard was very easy to do took maybe 30 mins after watching this video to get it out with basic hand tools we had to drop the exhaust and the shift linkage on the cx Thnaks for this video my install should and will go with out a hitch!
Eric you saved my life i think , i never woulda known to go inside the car , not sure if my car is the same but i will be on the look out , they want 2,100 $ to replace my rack and pinion on a 2008 infiniti Journey , so fR Lucas power steering stop leak is working but not sure how long
Yep I am one of those who spins it passed the cotter pin lol. The adjustment nut is easier to get free with heat. I feel for ya without a lift this is more difficult. I have also found on non collapsible steering shafts after you get the rack moving it will usually come right off of the splines provided the one bolt is out that holds it to the rack. The shop I work in has a lift and it makes it much easier to get a rack out. And if you want an easy rack to remove and replace try one in a Chevy Malibu with the power assist rack. No lines to worry about and only requires removing the steering shaft from it, unhooking tie rod ends, unbolt it from subframe and the whole thing slides right out the drivers side of the car. It is probably the easiest rack you will ever remove from a car.
As far as the beeping ignition... Makes me appreciate yet another nice feature that BMW does, in which they only beep if the ignition is on and *then* you open the door (i.e. you're leaving the keys in the ignition and forgetting them haha), whereas if the door is already open and you put the keys in, it beeps three times and stops (because it knows you weren't just driving because the door is open lol). Much nicer to work on a car when it isn't beeping. :P
@EricTheCarGuy - Since this is an automatic, there is no shift linkage 27:13 to get in the way of the removal of the rack. I've been fighting this for a week. My 1999 Civic Si has 346K on it so to remove the fittings is a nightmare! How do I remove the steering rack from a standard shift Si!?
he should just get a pay pal and put a donate button on his site. I would sure donate for him a lift a gift back from the viewers to eric. For all the videos, information and all the money we have saved from his help. I surely appreciate it eric.
... If you watched Eric's videos you would know he doesn't want to use a lift. This channel is designed to help the everyday guy. And the everyday guy doesn't have a lift, so for the sake of the people, he goes without. It's choice, not monetary restrictions.
Yes great job on the video. On my '98 Civic SI I had to also drop the 5-speed shifter linkage at the "stick", as the other end, was "riveted" going into the transmission. By dropping the perpendicular linkage rod, this allowed a few more degrees of wiggle room once the rack was loose. Yes I had to remove/drop, the exhaust too at the end of the headers/Cat-side. Because of the 5sp manual story, in this case, one HAS-TO remove the left inner tie-rod linkage and thus shorten the total assembly length by (whatever 10" or so), then, the left side drops out first with about 1" clearnce. I found no other way to remove it as your hindered with owing a "standard transmission". Did it with jack stands and such. Including a brake job (while I was there), changed the spark plugs, taking my time (lots of 2min breaks), took me about 8 hours to get it out and about 6hrs to get it in (and tires-on, fluid bleed etc). The most tedious was the ensuring you didn't screw-up/strip the threading of the power steering line "nuts" on the install portion. In my case, the metal line nut wouldn't go in straight (by hand) unless I semi mounted the rack back-in, and at that point, the nut angle aligned with the hole. It's too hard to see, underneath, why it's not threading right w/o it semi secured. Plus reinstalling the inner tie-rod, once "up" was semi-challenging. Not the threading of the actual inner tie-rod but the applying a fresh new rubber boot that's still stiff and new, over the actual end of the rack (as you have access, physically, to only about 3/4 of it once it's "up"). Applying the fancy metal, pull-back tie-wrap clip on the inner side of the rubber boot took some patience. Lastly. I'm a single owner of my '98 Civic with 582,000 KMs (361,000 miles for our USA friends) and have religious yearly October "Rust Checks". Once I removed the gunk on the head of the bolts with a wire-brush, the bolt head was perfect and so was the bolt and inner socket threads. I believe this helped moral in moving forward. As Eric suggests - take your time. If you rush it, you'll screw it up and you'll be doomed. I have more tools than most but it can be done safely in your drive way with patience and your semi mechanically inclined. Hope this helps others. Mark - Toronto Canada
Life pro tip: Back in my Honda days I always put tape over the pressure sensor inside the driver side door jam or unscrewed the ground screw on it to stop that annoying beep when the key is in.
When i was assisting my mechanic for a while. We were also doing a Power Streering rack and we were going to flush the fluids. When he was on top ready to flush i was at the bottom and i wasn't paying attention and when flushed the fluids, Power steering fluid went all over my back like as i was taking a shower but a dirty shower then we had a good laugh.Good times!
if you seen his old shop he would have his feet half way up the wall while under the cars . I don't know how he lived with that. so glad he got this shop. I worked on buses for 30 years and I would move stuff 10 feet out of my way just to feel free.
He has said (many times) before that he doesn't want a lift, he wants to do it on jacks, because then the repairs he does are possible in all our garages/driveways. :)
Excellent explanation, just one detail: In minute 20, when you explain the thread pitch of the nut, it is better to count the output turns of the steering terminal, it is safer than counting the thread pitch named.
The only thing I would add is that not all tie rod ends have the same amount of threads even if they are the same overall length. I ran into this. So I simply measured from the end of the rod to the nut with calipers, rather than counting threads. Then I set the nut on the new rod end at the same length. Harbor Freight sells cheap digital calipers for just over 10 bucks if you don't have any, and they are a good thing to have. These measure in both metric and inch which is quite handy.
I did this operation yesterday on a 97 Civic and I have to say, without tons of experience, it took me and a friend, around 7hr, so be prepared. Also be prepared to break and change some rusty / rounded screws and the like - and if you're there, just have some new tie rod ends, the thread on these can easily break because of the rusty safety clip and so on. It took us so long because we couldn't get the damn rack out, after unscrewing the two hoses and all screws. To overcome this, make sure the driver's side rod and boot is pushed all the way inside of the rack, this will shrink the rack enough in that direction so you can pull it out. I'm not sure this was mentioned in the video, so it'll save you some time.
I have a '95 Civic coupe. I just had my rack replaced last year, as the boots were leaking.I will admit, it lasted quite a long time (285K miles) with all of the road salt which is used here,in New England.
Eric the car guy helping over 1 million honda civic owners with their rack and pinion.
I often feel like seeing how difficult something really is, is exactly what helps give me the confidence to get it done. Thanks for keeping it real in this one.
I just viewed how a hard working man earned every single dollar that was owed him. My hat off to you Eric!!!! Thank You!
I found removing the power steering bracket then reinstalling the two long bolts in the rack holds everything in place and opened up more room to remove the lines. Also
pushing the drivers side inner tie rod in all the way allowed enough room to clear everything during removal. I saw this in the video but it was not talked about.
Thank you for the great videos. They are a huge help.
For those with a 5 Speed Manual Transmission, yes you will have a bit of a challenging time, and there are a few more things that you will need to do. It can be done without having to remove the driver's side inner tie rod. It is not easy, but it can be done.
First to note, I did as was suggested and did not undo the hose clamp on the top line, I just spun it off. There was no issue with this approach as the hose itself did not twist, but the fitting just spin in the hose (will have to check to see if this leaks in the future).
Now to the additional steps beyond just dropping the exhaust:
1. Disconnect the shifter linkage at the shifter (not at the transmission end). You can try to take it off at the transmission, but this is a roll pin, and it does not like to come out.
2. Remove the rubber boot from the splined shaft that goes into the cabin.
3. Position the driver's side inner tie rod such that the outboard tip is pointing skyward as high as it will go, and slightly forward (this may not be necessary if the inner tie rods are lose and will not hold position, but this is the position that will be necessary to get the part out in the end).
4. Pull the passenger side inner tie rod all the way to the passenger side of the car.
5. Continue pulling the passenger side tie rod such that you actually pull the rack towards you. The goal is that you will actually have the splined shaft outside of the hole that it goes through the bode and about 4"-6" displaced towards the passenger side. The splined shaft will stop on a bead in the sheetmetal of the underbody, but will no longer be in a cutout.
6. At this point, you will be in the best position to wiggle the driver's side tie rod down and past the frame. There is not much room to spare at all (if my inner tie rod were 1/16" longer, this might not have worked). Once the inner tie rod is below the frame, you can remove the rack.
Installation has to be done similarly with the tie rods biased towards the passenger side.
This video is the real deal. I replaced my rack in a 1997 CIVIC in 3.5 hours with breaks saving $600 / $700 repair bill. Couple comments, get and use the penetrating oil, try and get the floor boot on the rack prior to putting it in place, and turn the steering column left/right to shrink the driver’s side to provide the clearance to remove the rack. Mine was a manual transmission model and I did have to drop the shifter rod to get clearance.... Thanks again...
Thanks Eric! I just did my first R and P unit replacement, following your sound advice. Great help. One thing I would include is that, after unit is completely detached, you may/will have to shift the rack 'axle' INSIDE of the R&P unit, all the way to the Right/Passenger side of the car, in order to get the clearance needed to get the Pinion shaft OUT of that hole! Great videos, I will always check in with you first!
You rock! This comment saved me so much trouble. I like to think I would have realized this eventually but thank you kind sir. If you are ever on the Big Island of Hawaii I’ll buy you a beer.
I just finished replacing the rack and pinion on my 1991 Honda Civic. I used this video to figure out how to do it. The 1991 has 3 hydraulic hook-ups. The third one broke while removing it. I had to re-tap the holes for the mounting bolts when I put it back on. Also, Napa ordered the wrong one. Apparently I have a late year 1991 Civic, so it has a 1992 Rack in it. When I got the old one out, the new one was completely different, They ordered the correct part and had it in the next day. The bolts on the exhaust had been on 23 years, so they broke. Other than that, no serious problems I couldn't overcome. I saved $500. The shop wanted $700 to do it. I spent under $200 in parts. Thanks Eric!
how did you remove the bolts?
It's been a while since I've visited EricTheCarGuy and have to say that I learn a lot from this man. It's important to have good tools, the right tools. Some tools are so handy eg the impact wrench. Makes work light. But above all I like Eric's calm composure and steely confidence to get things done and not be defeated by a pile of iron and steel. Plus he knows what he's doing! Great mechanic.
Doing mine in my Prelude tomorrow, Eric was one of the first but UA-cam mechanics in general have saved me thousands.
Yes, flare wrenches are your friend! Found that out the hard way trying to pull the lines off rack to my 98 Saturn. Was using a standard wrench and it rounded the nut so had to pull out the vice grips. Like he said use the right tools the first time. lesson learned!
Well I followed your video and hell ya. I am not a mechanic at all but with your help I changed out my R&P on my 1997 Honda Civic in less than 4 hours. No leaks and works great.....Thanks a ton!
I don't know if anyone has mentioned it or not, but when doing a rack on a manual tranny Civic, you have to drop the two shift rods. They are in the way just like the exhaust is.
Thanks for a great video, Eric. Helped a lot.
do you mean shift linkage?
Luckily for Eric he was dealing with an automatic
Came here to ask what I dropped. Countless hours spent removing the rack. I removed the driver inner tie rod, had to cut the high pressure hose. I'm not sure how I'm going to get the new one in.
You have to give Eric credit for keeping this repair as close to DIY as possible. For a technician to have worked on a hoist for serval years and then go back to working off jack stands and a floor jack sucks. For the amount of cost and work it saves to have a hoist he hasn't installed one.
Just a tip, if you have recently had an alignment done and you're doing this yourself. You can measure from the center of the front tire, both sides front and back. write down the measurements usually something like 1/16th or so of toe in (varies). Then when you put everything back together you can just use the measuring tape to re align your front tires to what they were. I have also aligned my car this way. Just make sure you park the car on a flat surface and let it roll to a stop
I have always liked the fact that Eric shows automotive repair has it's unexpected difficulties even for the professionals. If you watch somebody like Scotty Kilmer, he can make a job like this seem as simple as a freakin oil change and it's not especially for the DIYer (not hatin on ya Scotty its just my opinion). I always watch one of Eric's vids before I *attempt* a repair of my own. In fact, I am in the middle of replacing a rack and pinion on 1993 Lexus ES300 right now only to find out they sent me the wrong replacement. *sigh* I guess it shall sit on the jack-stands for another week :(
good point
Blake Caban ن
You could also wrap the seatbelt in the steering wheel and click it in and that will hold the wheel straight. That’s actually in Toyota service info, works great.
Does 3.5 hours to do this job @ $75.00 per hr. sound right I'm 75 years old and disabled (can't do my own work anymore) got a quote from a come to your home mobile mechanic. (I buy all parts) Thank you for the video.
2000 Civic, changed out the Rack along with the left lower ball joint, both upper control arms, outer tie rod ends and the left CV Axle, due to a failed ball joint. Just completed . Thanks again, Eric !
Great instructional videos.
ETCG...i just wanted to let you know that because of your vids i am no longer afraid to repair something big on my car. Thanks!
On my 98 Civic, I had a terrible time fishing the rack out of the subframe after unbolting everything. But I figured out that by turning the shaft on the rack all the way to the left, (after disconnecting the steering u-joint of course), thereby shortening the clearance of the left inner tie rod as much as possible, fishing it out becomes a breeze.
I did the same for installing the new part. But first, I measured the entire span of left to right to be almost exactly three and a half turns. So after turning it all the way left to fit it into the subframe, I turned it back half that distance- one and three-quarters turn- to put the rack back in center position before reconnecting it to the steering shaft. Hope this tip helps someone! :)
I'm doing this job on a 98 Civic EX. You ain't joking about rounding of that pressure line fitting nut. It ruins your whole day, month, and year. I was even using a flare wrench and penetrating oil. I finally took a hack saw to the line. Still can't get the return line fitting out though. Got the hose off, but the rack won't come out with the fitting on, figures.... Going to try a flare wrench on it like a did with the other if I can find one the right size. Otherwise, my hacksaw will get some more work.
Thanks for your video.
*_Gotta replace mine on my 97 hatch… 🥹 watching this to make sure im fully prepared to pick one up at the junk yard._* 👨🏽🔧
Thanks Eric. I am fixing a $200 beater with a heater 97 Civic for my oldest sons first car. This was a real help in doing the rack and pinion in it.
Plan to do this tomorrow 99 Civic. 485k miles original engine and trans and replacing original rack and pinion. Thanks for the video
No lie , his videos have saved me a whole lot of money. I wouldn't mind donating to ETCG
Thanks for taking the time to film the procedure. I really appreciate the dialog. Sometimes many times with instructional videos I don't get the commentary making it hard to follow, not in your case. Many thanks.
Just wanted to say thanks man. I was changing the rack on my 99 civic yesterday, and was having a bit of trouble until I watched your video. It saved me a couple of hours for sure. I had the extra fun of pulling the "bitch pin" (clinch pin) out of the shift linkage, but it was over and done after about 7 hours, and runs great.
I agree, you tube videos like this one save us back yard mechanics a LOT of headache. Thanks Eric :)
You know what? Your videos rock. If for no reason other than the fact that you don't spent a minute and a half with a cheesy and pointless intro sequence. Thanks for all the great work!!!
I just replaced the power steering rack on my 2002 Honda Civic LX. After watching this video, I convinced myself I could do it. For those of you with a 2001/2002, just a heads up that the rack is not in the same location and does not drop out of the bottom. Later model Civics have nothing in common with this video.
Great video even though it took me like over 9 hours. When it comes doing this on a manual transmission it changes a alot. I had a lot of trial and error figuring stuff out. I recommend taking off exhaust first then also taking off the shift linkage from the transmission. That means you have to take off the “b*tch” pin. Then start taking out the rack and pinion so you get that stuff over with. Also make sure to push the inner tie rod into the r&p on the left side to make it an easier removal at the end. A great video though that helped a lot. Thanks to eric
Nice view Eric love the video im in school now for mechanics learning alot from you video are very to the point an inspirational
Eric, my wife drives almost that exact car, 99 civic D16Y7. Lucky me. :P Thanks for showing the specific jacking procedure you use. I was never totally comfortable putting the jackstands on those pinch welds, but seeing you do it gives me more confidence.
you pick one of the toughest jobs to start with. for someone not mechanically inclined you have guts.
Excellent, great video. Thank you so much for taking the time to upload. Helps me tremendously. I have the work manuals but a video is worth a million words. Cheers.
Eric the cool car guy likes jazz. That's kick ass.
Currently tackling this project. Mines a 5 speed so I also needed to remove the shift linkage and dampening rod. There's so much to remove! But it's not that bad of a job. Thanks for sharing
+EricTheCarGuy
The wife's 2000 CR-V needs a rack. These videos are OUTSTANDING, and my son and I will being using this next weekend. I already got under there, the CR-V looks bolt-for-bolt identical. Thanks Eric!
Words can't describe how happy I am you made this video I'm doing the same thing on my 99 Civic, turned out way easier than I thought in my head lol
Eric! Thanks so much. This video helped me do this 100% on my own. Only difference is with a manual you have to undo the shift linkages. Thanks for the great video!
As a serious piece of advice, I always use brake grease (A.K.A. copper slip), which is also, often made with aluminium to coat exhaust bolts and nuts. It's excellent at preventing corrosion, and makes disassembly so much more of a breeze, far into the future. As a matter of fact, I used to work at a main dealer as a technician, and to make my life easier, on P.D.I. (Pre-Delivery-Inspection), when a vehicle was fresh off the production line; I'd go over the entire exhaust system and coat all bolt/nut joins with copper slip. Thus, always enabling my future repairs to go so much easier. I used to work in the U.K. which is a cold place, and where they spray salt on the roads in winter (a major cause of vehicle corrosion). In a place like this grease is your friend, and don't be afraid to coat anything which is a fixing, and which isn't rubber or plastic in it. Just know your grease and which to use on which fixing. Brake grease is to be used on exhausts as it won't burn up at exhaust temperatures. A good, aluminium brake grease (although copper grease is also fine) will require a couple of thousand degrees at least to start burning and exhausts, generally can't get that hot. You can also apply this grease to the exterior welds (which often corrod earlier than the rest of it) of the factory exhausts. Again, this significantly increases the life of the exhaust.
jamie alton Severely underrated statement. All you hear is people complaining about grease under cars. They should stop whining and appreciate that grease helps a heck of a lot to prevent and slow down corrosion.
ERIC you are the man! I have a 99 civic and just noticed my rack was leaking perfect!!!
the folks that are having issues getting the steering shaft back onto the rack.. i just did this today and it was a pain. i made sure that it was turned correctly with the bolt slot and 2 flat sides lined up with each other. hosed it down with some liquid wrench. then used the extension piece of my jack handle to "ease" it back into place. its a tight fit and probably full of crud. good luck!
also i did this on a 98 mustang v6. unlike poor Eric here. the mustang was right in the front with nothing in the way
It's so hard to do without a camera and you can do that with a camera in hand, you are the guy!
I second the safety glasses, Eric. Two weeks ago I dropped my tension rod bracket on my face, and my safety glasses deflected it!
Eric you are the best man, and when i say best i mean best, when I look how that rack was coming out, I imagine myself how frustrated I would be, you have a lot of patience
Just a tip. Whenever counting thread links start at the end not the top of the threads because some replacement parts will have longer thread links meaning the threads go further up the tie rod end connector than the original. Found that out the hard way.
Great Video . Please make a rack and pinion replacement video for the 1997-2002 Honda CRV AWD.
Thanks for the great video Eric. I used it to help me with replacing steering rack on a 2001 Honda CRV 4WD with a 5spd. Where I ran into the problem was when I tried to remove the old rack after unbolting it. It turns out that on the first generation of the CRVs, you are forced to remove the A exhaust pipe as well as disconnect rear drive shaft and remove the 4WD transfer case. Between tight spaces and 16 year old nuts and bolts, this turned into a decent projects. LOL. Nevertheless, thank you again for all the pointers.
It’s been a while sense this comment but do you remember why you had to drop rear drive shaft ? Was it for clearance issues ? I need to do this on my 98 crv and there are ZERO vids
@@222_tactical Yes, there is no way to access all the fasteners without removing the driveshaft as well as the transfer case. Good news is that the tiny transfer case comes out rather easily. Second generation CRV make this job so much easier. Even with the transfer case, it was a tight fit but very achievable. From what I remember, getting some of the hose fittings/high pressure lines undone was very difficult. I would strongly recommend flare nut wrenches (10/11 and 12/14mm) as well as long reach hose players (3/8 and 1/2 or maybe even 3/4") for unhooking and rehooking of the power steering hoses. I also had to disconnect the steering column = you have to loosen the the steering column universal joint spline on the inside of the vehicle above the pedals. Try to remember and retighten that afterwards. I remember complaining to myself about how much more loose the rebuilt steering rack was until I remembered to tighten that universal joint on th einside of the cab. LOL
I've owned and worked on tons of older BMWs from 84 - 94. Extremely easy cars to tinker with especially prior to 92. they're also great to learn on. I learned a lot of basics on a 94 civic, but learned the more in depth stuff on an 89 3 series.
Ok…..
OMFUG, What a PITA! I'm replacing the power steering fluid lower return line on one of these in a couple days, and it's looking from Eric's excellent video that I'm in for some annoyance. Oh well, at least I'm not doing the rack! Thanks Eric, you're the man.
Thanks for the video Eric it helped me change out my rack and pinion which was not necessarily easy also replaced all lines and pump it ended up being a 3 day project because of unforeseen difficulties :) but got everything changed out and is running smooth with the new steering .
I'm about to tackle this job tomorrow. This video has given me the confidence to do it. Thanks Eric!
Hi Eric! Thnx for the great video.
i replaced my steering rack from my dutch civic 1.5vtec 1997
this video helped me a lot, but the difference between this type and my own civc is that mine didn't had his own frame but to get it out i had to lower the subframe, discon. the exhaust and gear stuff. then shift the tie-rods to left and right.. anyway pretty hard to get out and harder to get in back in again.!
did work fortunately! THNX
I have just done this repair. The job is very tricky with the hoses. Eric is able to get a wrench around that impossible nut and losen it but the key is to just cut that hose clamp off and then put new ones on.
Thinking of getting a 96 5 series. I have been told they are hard to work on, but I don't really have any experience with them, so you might be right. I really hope so at least, gonna be cold standing outside this winter having to work on it if it breaks down. But it will be good fun next summer at least, probably gonna do a bit of work on it just to learn a bit. Coilovers, sway bars, rims, interior trim etc. Probably not gonna turn out great, but I need to learn how to do it
Eric i have found that the best way to remove cotter pins is with a pair of open face cutters , you bight into the almost to the point of cutting then you crank then out using the castle nut as a fulcrum.
Eric, great video. all of your videos are easy videos to watch. just like to make a note, maybe you can add a subtitle note in the video. when you actually pull the rack down you said "this may be the hardest part of the journey", and then pulled it right out. this part was a bear for me this weekend, but an added note would help and I figured it out after three hours of fighting, pull the inner tie rod toward the passenger side and this will pull the drivers side tie rod in giving easy clearance. It did not dawn on me to try this until my wife was like, "what if I try to help by pulling on this" and bam the thing practically fell on my chest. did the same for the install. knowing this, the hardest part getting room for the flare wrench on the in/Out lines
Been sub'd for years, then looked up this job and your vid came up first. Was quite glad to see. Thank you.
Eric, you the man.
Also, the radio code typically located on a sticker stuck to the underside of the ashtray...
First off, I'd like to say, I wish everyone had your personality. Life would be so much better. LOL
Reading through the manual, it says to remove the rear engine mount bracket and jack the engine block up 40mm (I wish I could post a pic, but it seems to be near the where the mounting bracket is located), This should allow enough room to move the rack all the way to the right to clear the exhaust and rear beam. The illustration in the manual shows that drive shaft disconnected, but I'm not sure if it is necessary as it doesn't mention it in the removal instructions. It does say to be mindful of any hoses or pipes while jacking up the engine and never raise in farther than necessary to remove the rack - 40mm should be enough - a little over 1 1/2 inches - less than 1 5/8". It's one extra step anyways, maybe two if you have to remove the driveshaft, but it should help with not dealing with a potential of braking hard to find exhaust bolts.
June 6th 2021, :49 pm currently at work watching this to help me with this install. Thanks.
Thank you so much for such and awesome and detailed video. I just changed the rack and pinion on my 1998 and your video made it 100% easier.
2021 and im watching this for my civic.. great video man always the best car fixing videos!!
A great way that I get the cotter pins out mostly undamaged is using either needle nose or regular pliers to clamp down on the tail ends of the cotter pin. once they are straight or straight enough you can add a flat head screw driver to the loop side of the cotter pin and either lever it out or get a hammer and punch it out with ease. I would never suggest running the bolt over top of the pin because most times you will not be able to clear the hole in which is goes through the ball joint thread.
I always just drill the pins out with a drill bit. Just go slow. I love your videos very helpful and makes life easier.
im going from my ps rack on my 99 to a cx manual rack ive already pulled the manual rack at the junk yard was very easy to do took maybe 30 mins after watching this video to get it out with basic hand tools we had to drop the exhaust and the shift linkage on the cx
Thnaks for this video my install should and will go with out a hitch!
Eric you saved my life i think , i never woulda known to go inside the car , not sure if my car is the same but i will be on the look out , they want 2,100 $ to replace my rack and pinion on a 2008 infiniti Journey , so fR Lucas power steering stop leak is working but not sure how long
Yep I am one of those who spins it passed the cotter pin lol. The adjustment nut is easier to get free with heat.
I feel for ya without a lift this is more difficult. I have also found on non collapsible steering shafts after you get the rack moving it will usually come right off of the splines provided the one bolt is out that holds it to the rack.
The shop I work in has a lift and it makes it much easier to get a rack out. And if you want an easy rack to remove and replace try one in a Chevy Malibu with the power assist rack. No lines to worry about and only requires removing the steering shaft from it, unhooking tie rod ends, unbolt it from subframe and the whole thing slides right out the drivers side of the car. It is probably the easiest rack you will ever remove from a car.
As far as the beeping ignition... Makes me appreciate yet another nice feature that BMW does, in which they only beep if the ignition is on and *then* you open the door (i.e. you're leaving the keys in the ignition and forgetting them haha), whereas if the door is already open and you put the keys in, it beeps three times and stops (because it knows you weren't just driving because the door is open lol). Much nicer to work on a car when it isn't beeping. :P
@EricTheCarGuy - Since this is an automatic, there is no shift linkage 27:13 to get in the way of the removal of the rack. I've been fighting this for a week. My 1999 Civic Si has 346K on it so to remove the fittings is a nightmare! How do I remove the steering rack from a standard shift Si!?
I dont even own a honda and watched the whole vid and cant wait till for part 2.
thanks to this vid i replaced mine on my 93 integra. my metal hoses were out in the open at the bottom so it was much easier. thanks for the vid
Good video. After watching all the hard work you did by installing the rack opinion I was tired all that work.
This if for automatic honda civics! If you have a 5 speed you need to disconect the rods from the gear aftter to the transmission
he should just get a pay pal and put a donate button on his site. I would sure donate for him a lift a gift back from the viewers to eric. For all the videos, information and all the money we have saved from his help. I surely appreciate it eric.
I would like to say thank you very much. This video helped me a lot to fix my car without any problems
... If you watched Eric's videos you would know he doesn't want to use a lift. This channel is designed to help the everyday guy. And the everyday guy doesn't have a lift, so for the sake of the people, he goes without. It's choice, not monetary restrictions.
Yes great job on the video.
On my '98 Civic SI I had to also drop the 5-speed shifter linkage at the "stick", as the other end, was "riveted" going into the transmission. By dropping the perpendicular linkage rod, this allowed a few more degrees of wiggle room once the rack was loose.
Yes I had to remove/drop, the exhaust too at the end of the headers/Cat-side.
Because of the 5sp manual story, in this case, one HAS-TO remove the left inner tie-rod linkage and thus shorten the total assembly length by (whatever 10" or so), then, the left side drops out first with about 1" clearnce. I found no other way to remove it as your hindered with owing a "standard transmission".
Did it with jack stands and such. Including a brake job (while I was there), changed the spark plugs, taking my time (lots of 2min breaks), took me about 8 hours to get it out and about 6hrs to get it in (and tires-on, fluid bleed etc). The most tedious was the ensuring you didn't screw-up/strip the threading of the power steering line "nuts" on the install portion. In my case, the metal line nut wouldn't go in straight (by hand) unless I semi mounted the rack back-in, and at that point, the nut angle aligned with the hole. It's too hard to see, underneath, why it's not threading right w/o it semi secured.
Plus reinstalling the inner tie-rod, once "up" was semi-challenging. Not the threading of the actual inner tie-rod but the applying a fresh new rubber boot that's still stiff and new, over the actual end of the rack (as you have access, physically, to only about 3/4 of it once it's "up"). Applying the fancy metal, pull-back tie-wrap clip on the inner side of the rubber boot took some patience.
Lastly. I'm a single owner of my '98 Civic with 582,000 KMs (361,000 miles for our USA friends) and have religious yearly October "Rust Checks". Once I removed the gunk on the head of the bolts with a wire-brush, the bolt head was perfect and so was the bolt and inner socket threads. I believe this helped moral in moving forward.
As Eric suggests - take your time. If you rush it, you'll screw it up and you'll be doomed. I have more tools than most but it can be done safely in your drive way with patience and your semi mechanically inclined. Hope this helps others.
Mark - Toronto Canada
Thanks Eric, this is todays project.
Eric you are definitely a master mechanic!!!!!
Life pro tip: Back in my Honda days I always put tape over the pressure sensor inside the driver side door jam or unscrewed the ground screw on it to stop that annoying beep when the key is in.
The placement of those tie rod lock nuts is incredibly important. If you are off by 1/6 of one turn it will put your alignment out of spec.
When i was assisting my mechanic for a while. We were also doing a Power Streering rack and we were going to flush the fluids. When he was on top ready to flush i was at the bottom and i wasn't paying attention and when flushed the fluids, Power steering fluid went all over my back like as i was taking a shower but a dirty shower then we had a good laugh.Good times!
if you seen his old shop he would have his feet half way up the wall while under the cars . I don't know how he lived with that. so glad he got this shop. I worked on buses for 30 years and I would move stuff 10 feet out of my way just to feel free.
Not anyone can fix the car and film it with that level of quality! But eric does!
He has said (many times) before that he doesn't want a lift, he wants to do it on jacks, because then the repairs he does are possible in all our garages/driveways. :)
Thank you for the great videos, you are a great man. your efforts are worth every ounce of energy you put into them.
2019 and watching this..
Watching this in July 2020 lol
Watching this so I can fix my 2000 crv
Watching this in may 2021🤙🏻
Watching this in January 2 2022
Watching this in April 2022
Excellent explanation, just one detail: In minute 20, when you explain the thread pitch of the nut, it is better to count the output turns of the steering terminal, it is safer than counting the thread pitch named.
The only thing I would add is that not all tie rod ends have the same amount of threads even if they are the same overall length. I ran into this. So I simply measured from the end of the rod to the nut with calipers, rather than counting threads. Then I set the nut on the new rod end at the same length. Harbor Freight sells cheap digital calipers for just over 10 bucks if you don't have any, and they are a good thing to have. These measure in both metric and inch which is quite handy.
Eric your videos have saved me lots of money. Can you please make a video on replacing the rack and pinion on a 2004 Corolla please???
im just here to say that idk how Eric makes videos like this without swearing
I did this operation yesterday on a 97 Civic and I have to say, without tons of experience, it took me and a friend, around 7hr, so be prepared. Also be prepared to break and change some rusty / rounded screws and the like - and if you're there, just have some new tie rod ends, the thread on these can easily break because of the rusty safety clip and so on. It took us so long because we couldn't get the damn rack out, after unscrewing the two hoses and all screws. To overcome this, make sure the driver's side rod and boot is pushed all the way inside of the rack, this will shrink the rack enough in that direction so you can pull it out. I'm not sure this was mentioned in the video, so it'll save you some time.
I didn't break or round anything
@@HOESDONTMATTER good for you! I live in Germany and here winters are tackled with a lot of salt, which will rust the shit out of older cars.
@@you__shef nice so you just took it to the shop?
@@HOESDONTMATTER I did it by myself at a hobby garage, a place where you can rent a lift and tools for a day or whatever
My preferred method, and I encourage everyone else, to ALWAYS pull out!! Don't say you werent warned...
I have a '95 Civic coupe. I just had my rack replaced last year, as the boots were leaking.I will admit, it lasted quite a long time (285K miles) with all of the road salt which is used here,in New England.
Great video! My gf will be thrilled I watched it. I on the other hand........now have to fix her car! awesome.
Still have the same gf??
if the rubber boot broken on the steering rack but no oil leak ,possible replace with something that i dont have to disturb the tie rods?
u guys dont send msgs here for eric he does not look at youtube msgs no more since ppl are haters email him with anything and yes he is awsome