Blown rack and pinion bellows

I think my rack and pinion bellows on the 95 leggie are broken. It's a rod that connects to the front of the wheel assembly. They are not my cv boots for sure, so I take it they are r&p bellows.

How Do I put the New one on? I have a shoddy duct tape patch for now.

Are you talking about the boot on the inner or outer tie rod end?

I'm not sure. I'm not too familiar with the front end set up. It's a bar that attaches to the front of my wheel assembly and goes up to around the back of the oil pan. The boot is probably 1 foot from the wheel

Yeah thats the bellows boot for the inner tie rod end.

You need to remove the outer tie rod end and then it will slide off after you take the clips off.

typically this repair requires a front end alignment after you are done. but there are ways around that.

you have to disconnect the outer tie rod from the hub / knuckle assembly at the wheel, cotter pin, nut and a tool borrowed from auto zone will do it.

now you have to un-screw the outer tie rod end from the inner tie rod. there is a lock nut too. this is where you prevent the need for the alignment. after you have loosened the lock nut. count the number of turns it takes to remove the tie rod end. write the number down. save it.

now you can remove the bellows and install the new one. this can be a little challenging. the bellows to rack fit is usually a tight fit. install the clamps or zip ties provided.

now re-install the tie rod end the exact number of turns it took to remove it. then tighten the lock nut.

re-attach it to the wheel hub / knuckle and off you go.

now do the other side.

good luck.

This should be helpful too:
http://beergarage.com/SubyRackBoot.aspx

Thanks for link, I was wondering how difficult this would be to get to. Has anyone had luck with avoiding an alignment after?

Yes! You can mark where the outer tie rods are set on the inners and reinstall in the same place. Remember if you off a 1/4 turn it will affect your alignment. So make sure you don't spin the inner tie rod when you are removing the outer. Easiest thing would be to spend the money and get an alignment from a shop that offers lifetime alignments.

Firestone offers lifetime alignments for about $120. It's a good way to go if you ever decide to upgrade your suspension.

Funny that this thread popped up again. I was just fixing it the other day...

Ya, I procrastinate.

Got the Outer tie rod out of the knuckle, but the outer and inner tie rods are original, so they didn't want to come apart, so I'm headed to an acetylene torch.