Corran
New Member
I'm new to these forums, and I thought I would share my insight on all the work I've put into my 86' Integra over the years.
My latest project was to replace most of the front end. That included the front disks, struts on both the front and rear, both CV axles, and the rack and pinion. I will give a brief description of all of them. This is not a complete list of steps I took. Ask me and I can give you a step by step rundown on what I did.
The disks were the easiest to both get at and take off. Just take the caliper, and the caliper mount off, and there are 2 screws that hold it.
Changing the front struts is a little more difficult, and requires the removal of the caliper, and a jack with a wide cupped head to hold the lower control arm from separating violently (I used the scissor jack out of the trunk). Other than that it's essentially just a matter of unbolting both ends and removing the old one.
I haven't changed the rear struts yet because I'm going to get a shop to compress the spring and load the new strut onto it. Be careful if you decide to use a spring compressor yourself. Honda shocks have a small diameter and you could cause the compressor tools to fly off potentially causing serious injury.
The CV axles take some doing, you have to have some special tools for it. I got some loaner tools from the local auto shop. I needed a large socket (usually specifically for axle nuts) and something to separate the lower control arm from the steering hub (used a pickle fork). Make sure to unstake and break loose the axle with the wheel still on. I used the jack again to hold the arm, and hammered on the fork I stuck into the joint. Then you just swing the steering hub out of the way and remove the CV axle.
The biggest pain in my @$$ was the rack and pinion. It took me 13 hours from start to finish. Pretty much separate the steering knuckle, then use the pickle fork to separate the tie rod ends from the steering hub. Unfasten all the power steering lines into the old steering gear. Unbolt the 4 bolts that hold the assembly to the firewall. And here is where it gets painful. There is no room to remove the assembly. You have to drop the exhaust and the shift linkage to get it out. There is a small pin that holds one of the linkage bars in. I chose not to remove this because it looked fragile and I probably would have destroyed it trying to remove it. So I disconnected it at the shifter end, which consequently requires the removal of a heat shield. Then you get to remove the old and start putting the new one in. Connect the steering knuckle first! If you're doing it by yourself, use a jack to get it to the right height. Then bolt it back to the firewall, put tie rod end on, and connect the tie rods to the steering hub. Now reconnect your power steering lines, fill with fluid and your set. Don't forget that you will need an alignment ASAP if you mess with the steering.
Keep in mind that there are lots of important details I'm leaving out.
My latest project was to replace most of the front end. That included the front disks, struts on both the front and rear, both CV axles, and the rack and pinion. I will give a brief description of all of them. This is not a complete list of steps I took. Ask me and I can give you a step by step rundown on what I did.
The disks were the easiest to both get at and take off. Just take the caliper, and the caliper mount off, and there are 2 screws that hold it.
Changing the front struts is a little more difficult, and requires the removal of the caliper, and a jack with a wide cupped head to hold the lower control arm from separating violently (I used the scissor jack out of the trunk). Other than that it's essentially just a matter of unbolting both ends and removing the old one.
I haven't changed the rear struts yet because I'm going to get a shop to compress the spring and load the new strut onto it. Be careful if you decide to use a spring compressor yourself. Honda shocks have a small diameter and you could cause the compressor tools to fly off potentially causing serious injury.
The CV axles take some doing, you have to have some special tools for it. I got some loaner tools from the local auto shop. I needed a large socket (usually specifically for axle nuts) and something to separate the lower control arm from the steering hub (used a pickle fork). Make sure to unstake and break loose the axle with the wheel still on. I used the jack again to hold the arm, and hammered on the fork I stuck into the joint. Then you just swing the steering hub out of the way and remove the CV axle.
The biggest pain in my @$$ was the rack and pinion. It took me 13 hours from start to finish. Pretty much separate the steering knuckle, then use the pickle fork to separate the tie rod ends from the steering hub. Unfasten all the power steering lines into the old steering gear. Unbolt the 4 bolts that hold the assembly to the firewall. And here is where it gets painful. There is no room to remove the assembly. You have to drop the exhaust and the shift linkage to get it out. There is a small pin that holds one of the linkage bars in. I chose not to remove this because it looked fragile and I probably would have destroyed it trying to remove it. So I disconnected it at the shifter end, which consequently requires the removal of a heat shield. Then you get to remove the old and start putting the new one in. Connect the steering knuckle first! If you're doing it by yourself, use a jack to get it to the right height. Then bolt it back to the firewall, put tie rod end on, and connect the tie rods to the steering hub. Now reconnect your power steering lines, fill with fluid and your set. Don't forget that you will need an alignment ASAP if you mess with the steering.
Keep in mind that there are lots of important details I'm leaving out.