Torn Steering Rack Boot

So to replace your steering rack boots you have to undo the outer tie rod end pieces on back off the nut and then undo the collar until the two pieces are in half then remove the nut off that shaft undo the clamp on the boot from the aluminum housing of the rack and the boot will slide off The trick to this if you want to get it right is to count the threads that the nut is sitting at right now while it's tight You count them from the inside all the way to the back of the nut 36 24 whatever it is write that down if you have time you can spray the back of the nut thread area with some carb cleaner or some paint remover any kind of cleaner clean it off real good hit it with the air so it's dry then take some white paint like the marking paint you used to write on parts and make a mark of paint right up against the nut The locking nut let that dry hit it with the heat gun in the air hose just take a minute or two now with that relatively dry take your wrench and break loose the locking nut but don't move it a lot just unlock the shaft now unscrew the tie rod end that goes out to the hub on the screw that until it comes off that's taken five more minutes now the nut that's left on the shaft it's dried pretty good Go ahead and run that off set it down leaving it white paint drying on the nut whatever now deal with your boot getting it off put the boot on the new clamp on now take the nut put the white paint forwarded facing towards the paint that's going to run it up to run that nut up and you'll see when that nut gets exactly where it was when you broke it all the paint will line up perfectly looks like a puzzle now a half a turn pass that righty tighty now run up the outer tie rod end collar all the way up and touch the nut now use your wrench to turn the nut and lock down on the collar and get the nut to mesh with the paint and that should have your toe in exactly the same places it was when you took it apart Good luck.

 

There may be some split boots available online so on and so forth personally I wouldn't waste my time I know some people have been able to make them work just not my cup of tea personally these things you have to glue let the glue cure so on and so forth but they can work I just rather take it apart and put on the real Moog rubber boot they're like $8 or something.