98 civic steering u-joint is making noise

Hi there,

98 civic lx 4 door 260000kms. When the car is not running (key in the
ignition to prevent steering wheel from locking) and I move the steering
wheel, I hear a clunk. Thought automatically that it was a tie rod end,
checked them and they were fine. Next checked the inner tie rod ends by
popping the outers out of the socket and pulling and pushing on them. They
are both tight too.

Took the mechanics stethoscope to the rack, no noise coming from it either.

Chased the noise up the steering column, and whadoyaknow, the u-joint at the
bottom of the column is moving ever so slightly.

Question is, how hard of a job is this? Is it worth doing? What damage am I
causing by not doing it?

Also, how many hours to do in a shop?

Any input is appreciated! Thanks
Terry in Winnipeg

 

anybody done this job?

 

there's a spec in the manual about what's an acceptable degree of play -
something like an inch at the steering wheel. if it exceeds that, go
ahead and replace it. it's a bit fiddly since it's down in the foot
well, but it's pretty straightforward. best thing is to buy the shop
manual from helm.com - it will walk you through it no problems.

 

i don't think its the same part your talking about.

http://tinyurl.com/zo3ld

I'm talking about part #4 in the diagram from SL Honda (link above).

Its in the engine bay hooked up to the steering gearbox. I assume that I
will have to drop the rack to access this properly. Just was hoping someone
else had experience and could impart some of it....

Thanks
t