I'd post this on the I30 board but most people there only seem to care about, well, I'm not sure what they're into. Anyway, my I30 is now 9 years old and is getting a little sloppy in the handling department. A few weeks ago I was changing my driver's side CV and decided that it was time for other serious work on the suspension. I don't race my car. I don't think it's some kind of sports car. I won't be switching to coil-overs or lowering it. But here is what I will be doing:

1. new (rebuilt) power steering rack & pinion. mine leaks.
2. new (rebuilt) power steering pump. mine whines and the belt slips. tightening the belt doesn't help
3. new motor mounts on the engine crossmember. I'd do all four, but I'm going to wait a few weeks for the ones on the sides.
4. Energy suspension bushings on the engine crossmember, control arms, and sway bar mounts.
5. New ball joints
6. New outer tie rod ends
7. New O2 sensors (because the current ones are original and I'm sure they will fall apart when I remove the y-pipe, and my gas mileage got really bad recently.)
8. I'll change the plugs while I'm at it.
9. Transmission filter (I think it's still on the original.)
10. Front wheel bearings and seals (I'm going to have the knuckles out anyway, besides I just got a 12 ton press last week and I want to play with it.)
Some of you are wondering why I haven't mentioned struts or sway bar end links. I replaced my struts not too long ago, and the sway bar links were done when I changed my CV axle a few weeks back, so they don't need attention at the moment.

I only have a few concerns at the moment since I'm still just collecting parts for this endeavor. One is that the tie rod ends are made by Moog, and I'll be putting them right onto a rebuilt rack and pinion. I'm hoping the new tie rod ends are identical to the OEM so I can get everything close enough to spec. I know my first stop will be the alignment shop, but I want to be safe enough to drive the car there, and not destroy what's left of my tires on the way. Also for those of you who have changed the rack & pinion, or power steering pump. Did you change the pressure hose while you were at it? The price for the hose is outrageous (about $190, but I'll suck it up if I have to) and the parts stores say they're not available. The dealer says they have to order it. What did you do in the situation? If mine looks bad, I'm thinking I may go to a machine shop and have them make me a new one.

Any help with my few questions would be great. Look for a write-up with some pics in another week or two.

 

Wow, quite the weekend (or two) of work you've got there.

Kevlo911 has changed out his rack.

 

Here is the writeup

 

I figure it will take two days at the most if I don't need any "emergency" parts. That's why I'm waiting until I get every part I think I will need before I take a wrench to the car. Some things I've taken apart before and applied liberal amounts of anti-seize before I reassembled them. In addition I'll be disassembling everything in one shot, as I dig my way back to the power steering rack & pinion. For instance, I won't take out the power steering pump until the control arm is off. If I weren't concerned about the transmission seals, I'd remove the CVs for better access.

One other thing I forgot to add was I'll be picking up a front crank seal, just in case. Are crank seals and water pumps common failure items? Has anyone changed a water pump? I'm thinking if that much of the car is apart, I may do it while I'm in there, but I am not to eager to pull the timing chain cover.

 

Yes, If I were to go through all the trouble of tearing down the car I would indeed change the waterpump as well. Its not a fun task but at least you will not have to have the down time when it does fail.

JP

 

The waterpump is irrelevant to this job, except that maybe having the power steering pump out of the way makes it more accesible. Given that it's a tough job, I wouldn't attempt it unless you're running ahead of schedule. In fact, I'd just save the PSP and WP for another day.

I would change the fuel filter though, since it's right above the rack, and in fact it's in the way.

I think replacing the leaky rack will be the magic bullet. The rest will just be preventive, unless you find the original part to be damaged. Feel free to reuse the HP hose. Readjust all of the hose clamps to squeeze on fresh rubber, since I've found the hose will eventually squish and leak due to a lack of compression under the clamp. Just shifting them a 1/4" is enough.

Out of the other items, the control arm bushings IMO are the most irritating, but having that press may help substantially. As for the alignment, it's surprisingly easy IMO to get it close: just set the steering wheel straight ahead before lifting the car, and look at exactly how the front wheels are pointed before taking them off. You could even chalk-mark on the rear tire, since they tend to toe out a little bit when unloaded. Then on reassembly, just adjust the tie rods with the front wheels on until they get close.

Dave

 

I only say he should do it just because it will save him the down time should it happen to fail in the future.

 

Well it's 4 AM here and I just finished replacing the bearings and seals in one hub. Now that's done so I can remove the control arm in the morning and take care of that. I still have a few other things to pick up tomorrow, so I'll get them and then you won't hear from me for another day or two.