torn flex pipe, and tie rod boot and disconnected fan! ('90 EX)

[muhammedmian]

Hey I'm a newb so bear with me. I've recently purchased a haynes manual and performed minor maintenance tasks such as changing oil, atf, coolant, brake pads, and the most challenging the VALVE COVER GASKET!

I am however stuck because I've searched and searched for my current issue with no satisfying results. When doing an oil change, I noticed that there was a greasy boot. I tried cleaning and my finger went through, locating a huge tear in the boot, I had no idea what the boot was for. Days and some research later I found that this boot was before my outer tie rod. I've snapped a photo from my haynes manual and circled the boot in question. I should add that my car steers to the right and I hear a constant thumping sound which obviously elevates with speed. I know that my car needs to be aligned which I am pretty sure is the last step, after all 4 tie rods are replaced? Please point me in the right direction because I want to do it the right way! I know the replacement tie rod does not come with the boot.



I also have a hole in flex pipe right after the O2 sensor? I think its an 02 sensor because what else could it be, its a wire sticking out of my exhaust and it disappears into the engine bay. the hole is RIGHT after this wire and today I am performing a hilljack fix i found on this site with high temp silicone and a no-hub clamp used in modern day plumbing. I have seen the replacement flex pipes in automotive chain stores for around $30 but I dont know if i can clamp them in place because I'd have to move the O2 sensor. What do I do?

Last but not least, my hood gets very hot. Very, very hot, it even smokes in the rain which my search results tell me is common practice. However, one of my radiator fans are unplugged. I am thinking the seller of the vehicle did so maybe to avoid potential noise issues when selling the car to my unsuspecting dumb ass. Can this nonoperational fan be causing the engine bay to get smoking hot. note: the car doesn't over heat

Thanks for reading my rant. Enjoy your Sunday and happy holidays!

[deevergote]

First off, I suggest getting any replacement parts from www.hondaautomotiveparts.com. They have some of the best prices on OEM parts, and since they're located in RI (I believe), you'll get your orders quickly. OEM parts are always wise, especially for important safety-related parts.

You are correct... replace the tie rods, then gen an alignment. In fact, do anything you need to do in terms of steering and suspension all at once, and then get an alignment.
If your tie rod boot is torn it obviously needs to be replaced. I haven't searched for the part, but I'm sure it's available. You may want to consider changing the entire rack as well. Once a boot is torn, dirt gets in the grease. This turns the grease from a lubricant to an abrasive paste. For the sake of safety and reliability, replacing everything now might save a good deal of trouble in the future.

You've correctly identified the o2 sensor. The flex pipe itself usually can't be replaced without replacing the entire lower portion of the intake manifold (commonly called the "downpipe", though that's not exactly a correct term.) In most cases, people usually decide it's more cost effective to simply buy a cheap performance header on eBay. Not really much of an upgrade in terms of performance, but cheaper than a quality stock replacement part. If you go that route, just be sure you get one for your particular year and model, as a DX model has the o2 sensor in a different location than an EX model. Some headers (like Megan Racing) often come with a bung in each location.

Regarding the heat issue... is your heat shield in place (over the exhaust manifold)? Does your temperature gauge go abnormally high? Even though it doesn't overheat, it should still remain at a reasonable level. Which fan is inoperational? One fan is for regular cooling, and the other runs when the AC is on. If the AC fan is bad, no big deal (for now). If the regular cooling fan is bad, that's not a good thing. You need that one!

[muhammedmian]

Thanks for the detailed response. When jerry-rigging my flex pipe today, I realized that I inevitably will need to change the "downpipe" sooner than later. The stainless steel braiding has become completely undone at where it starts near the sensor. When changing the downpipe, is there any chance of a possible complication with the o2 sensor?

If your tie rod boot is torn it obviously needs to be replaced. I haven't searched for the part, but I'm sure it's available. You may want to consider changing the entire rack as well.

Is it possible to change just the boot and tie rod? If I can get some more life out of the current rack, I will be very happy.

I failed to mention that my stabilizer bar near the driver's side is held together with duct tape and steel wire. On the bar itself and not on the bushings/links. Will this affect my tie rods/rack?

Regarding the heat issue... is your heat shield in place (over the exhaust manifold)? Does your temperature gauge go abnormally high? Even though it doesn't overheat, it should still remain at a reasonable level. Which fan is inoperational? One fan is for regular cooling, and the other runs when the AC is on. If the AC fan is bad, no big deal (for now). If the regular cooling fan is bad, that's not a good thing. You need that one!

Yes, my heat shield is in place. No, my guage is always at around the 5/8th mark. The two fans for two different uses is an idea that I didn't even think of, but it makes a lot of sense. The inoperational fan (the one closer to coolant reservoir tank/battery/intake) is unplugged. I don't know if it would work when unplugged? I haven't seen either fan running. When I did my coolant drain and fill, I had the car running waiting for the fan to kick in and it never did. I'm sure that at least one of the fans HAVE to work unless I would be overheating, right? Is there a way to verify which fan works? and why is the one near the battery unplugged?

[muhammedmian]

Bump: Can I buy an ebay downpipe/front pipe and use it with my oem header?
I don't want to mess with the header if there is nothing wrong with it.
Can anyone recommend a good quality, reasonably priced aftermarket downpipe from experience?

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/w...189/18381843-P

I was looking at this, but HOW PRICEY. I found the same brand and model number on amazon for $150.

What is the deal with the stainless steel downpipes and the black pipes? which is better?

[johnl]

Do you actually have a leak at the flexi section of the pipe? If not then I wouldn't worry about it. The external mesh on mine has been abraded / torn on the underside by occasional contact with road bumps, it doesn't cause any problem.

The joint inside the 'bellows' shaped boot is called a 'rack-end'. The joint at the other end of the tie-rod is the 'tie-rod-end'. If the rack-end boot is damaged then as deever says you may have grinding paste inside it, a lot will depend on how long the boot has been split. Have a look inside to see how clean it is in there. Is it gritty inside? Does water appear to have gotten in? If no then it's probably OK to just fit a new boot.

On that end of the rack, the rack itself slides in a plastic bush. This bush can wear, especially if dirt has entered. If you can move the rack shaft (not the rack housing) up and down and / or back and forth (i.e. toward the front and rear of the car), then the bush is worn and should be replaced. It sort of depends on how much wear there is, if it's only very slight then I wouldn't bother, but if it's substantial then it's a real problem.

Your "constant thumping sound which obviously elevates with speed" sounds like a possible tyre problem. Check for delamination of the tread, which will appear as a raised section of tread, i.e. a bump on the tread face.

If your fan is not turning on then the engine bay temperature will climb when sitting still or driving at low speed. I would also expect to see the engine temperature gauge rise, if not then I'd be suspicious of the gauge or sensor. Driving at significant speed shouldn't cause the fan to come on because the natural airflow will keep the engine cool enough, but you need the fan for urban driving, or else...

You should rectify the anti-roll bar mounting, but it's not a critical thing, but it will affect how well the car handles.

[muhammedmian]

Do you actually have a leak at the flexi section of the pipe? If not then I wouldn't worry about it. The external mesh on mine has been abraded / torn on the underside by occasional contact with road bumps, it doesn't cause any problem.

Yes, the flex pipe is done for. The pipe under the braiding is soft to the touch and crumbles when i touch it. I've patched it for now and am looking into a good condition used oem downpipe. Is there anything to look for? and are there any complications with the o2 sensor?

I have to get under the car to scope out the boot. will update on the condition of the rack.

The tire thing makes sense, I will also check that out!

If your fan is not turning on then the engine bay temperature will climb when sitting still or driving at low speed. I would also expect to see the engine temperature gauge rise, if not then I'd be suspicious of the gauge or sensor. Driving at significant speed shouldn't cause the fan to come on because the natural airflow will keep the engine cool enough, but you need the fan for urban driving, or else...

The gauge rises from cold (when car is first started early in NY mornings) to about midway, where the guage remains. The only time I saw the gauge go past the midway mark and almost to the maximum was when I was draining and filling coolant and forgot to fill radiator

What's really bothering me is that the fan is unplugged. There is a socket coming from the fan on the right side (near battery) that's unplugged. Will try to get a photo. I just want to know why it was unplugged, surely the accord didn't come from the factory like so.

john and deev thank you gentlemen for your replies!

[johnl]

What's really bothering me is that the fan is unplugged. There is a socket coming from the fan on the right side (near battery) that's unplugged. Will try to get a photo. I just want to know why it was unplugged, surely the accord didn't come from the factory like so.

Well plug it back in then. It's either been left off accidentally, or the plug isn't secure and it's fallen off. There is a minor chance that someone has previously disconnected it perhaps to hide a rattly or otherwise noisy fan motor, but only an idiot would do that. Maybe it's blowing a fuse? You could hot wire it directly to the battery just to check the fan motor works.

That you haven't had an overheated engine sans fan can only be because you haven't been driving in urban traffic, or that the weather is just so cold, or, that the AC fan has been coming on once a certain temperature has been reached (I don't know if the AC fan is wired to do this, or only come on when the AC is active).

[muhammedmian]

Here's a stupid question. Where do I plug it into? I looked around a lot and dont see any open sockets. Can you take a photo of your fan?

[johnl]

Here's a stupid question. Where do I plug it into? I looked around a lot and dont see any open sockets. Can you take a photo of your fan?

I can't do a photo, technically incompetent in that area, and not quite fully sober (it is Xmas day... ).

The main fan only has a short wire bundle (about 300mm long, or so) that leads from the motor to part way around the outside of the fan shroud, where it meets another wire bundle from the wiring loom. This is where the plug is, with the fan half of the plug attached to the shroud. Follow the wires from the fan motor, you'll easily find the end of the plug where it should meet the other half of the plug and wires from the loom.

To make it easier, lift out the cooling system overflow tank and move it aside. Below the headlamp you'll now see a reasonably large rectangularish aperture in the body-work. The fan wire bundle coming from the loom passes through this aperture. If you haven't yet found it, it may be dangling down there somewhere.

It's somewhat similar for the AC fan wires, except that the wires from the plug to the loom don't pass through any aperture, but disappear into a larger wire bundle below the fan housing.

[muhammedmian]

I spent a lot of time looking for this plug and today I'm going to remove the front bumper. I have to find a way to reconnect the bumper with fender since the cb was hit

[purplebomb]

For parts check out amazon.com there cheap I just bought a timing belt kit that sells at advance auto for $230 for $115. And if you decide to buy from eBay please buy name brand. There brand stuff sucks!

[muhammedmian]

I found the missing connector. It was hanging out under the coolant reservoir. I eeunited the two and drove about half a mile and came back to the car in about 15 minutes. The fan was still running!!


I should also mention that my reservoir was empty for the most part and I just refilled it. I will post back in a little bit when I turn the car off.

Now maybe I know why it was disconnected in the first place? Or am I overreacting? Please chime in fellow tuners.

EDIT: I was overreacting lol. The fan does shut off on it's own, and it's not noisy or anything and it seems that the connectors just came loose and eventually undone. Overal, this is a happy ending!