Steering rack boot replacement on a J30

[Victor]

I found a replacement procedure on the Q45 forum. Said you can just unscrew the tie rod end after loosening the locking nut. Is that the way you would do it on a J30. Any idea what the passenger side boot costs? Do you pack it with grease when installing it, there seems to be a difference of opinion on the Q45 forum. If a little power steering fluid is leaking is there a seal that can be easily replaced at the same time?

[Gerardjg]

I replaced the outer and inner tie rods about a year ago, with new boots Rockauto.com has the boot for about $13 each Moog PN K9859, I did not put in any grease. To change the boot you will need to disconnect the outer tie rodball joint on the wheel end and unscrew it from the inner tie rod. Make sure you count how many turns it takes to unscrew the rod and reinstall it with the exact same number of turns. Then get a wheel alignment.

There is a seal kit for the rack and pinion, It does not look like an easy task with the unit installed in the car. If you are going to remove the rack you might as well replace it. See this thread for pictures and more info zer...09372

[Victor]

I just replaced the bellows (boot) on my power steering rack. The part cost $14.99 at Kragen, and they lent me the tie rod end removal tool. However the cheap tool caused me a half hours extra work because the tip wandered around on the tie rod end stud and butchered it up to where I couldn't get the nut back on without filing new threads on the stud. I believe one could unscrew the tie rod from the tie rod end if you first loosened the large end of the boot so the tie rod shaft could spin on the inner tie rod ball end. I counted turns so I don't think I need a new wheel alignment. Hint, install the bellows but don't secure the ends until you have the tie rod connected back up, otherwise you can twist the bellows when tightening the lock nut. The bellows came with two ty-raps to secure it. Didn't look too secure to me so I used stainless steel safety wire on the large end and a hose clamp on the small end.While I had it apart I saw a large nut on the end of the steering rack that I am guessing could be removed to replace the seal behind it if I could find a place that sold the seal. The infiniti dealer wasn't any help in this regards, and also wanted $42 for the bellows. However might need a special tool to remove the inner tie rod end.One problem was trying to tighten up the nut that secures the tie rod end to the suspension. It would just turn on the ball end. I solved this problem by putting a block of wood under the tie rod end and prying it up into the arm using a crow bar. This kept it from spinning and I could then tighten the nut.I did put a little grease on the inner tie rod ball, and worked a little into a tear on the rubber on the outer tie rod ball.
Modified by Victor at 11:12 PM 4/18/2008